Are you Ready to "Get Shucked" with Broadway's Michael Passaro?!
I have known
Michael Passaro for almost 20 years (19.5 would be my best guess). As long as
I’ve known him, he has been one of the most, or usually THE most sought-after
stage manager on Broadway. And Michael has hired Jim to be part of his stage
management team on more than a few Broadway shows over the years, so we’ve also
grown to know him as part of our “chosen family” too. I already know this
interview will be long because there is so much to discuss, so let’s just get
to it, right after I share his Bio with you:
Michael J.
Passaro is a stage manager with over thirty-five years’ experience in the
professional theater – on Broadway, regionally, and worldwide. Currently,
Passaro is the Production Supervisor for Shucked. Previous credits
include Moulin Rouge! The Musical, The Cher Show, Charlie And the
Chocolate Factory, Holiday inn, Bright Star, Wolf Hall, The Phantom of the
Opera, Les Misérables and the revival of Pippin.
Passaro is
also very proud to have been associated with the original Broadway productions
of Starlight Express, The Will Rogers Follies, Angels in America, The
History Boys, A Steady Rain (starring Hugh Jackman and Daniel Craig), Promises,
Promises (with Sean Hayes and Kristin Chenoweth) and the recent revivals of
Evita and How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
(starring Daniel Radcliffe).
As a
teacher, Passaro is passionate about training stage managers so they can be
leaders in creating inclusive workspaces for all theater artists. He is
thrilled to be able to share his collective knowledge with MFA students at
Columbia University – and, in turn, learn much from them as well.
Michael,
I know you were the original Production Stage Manager (PSM) of the Broadway company
of Shucked. Now you have the title of Production Supervisor for the
Broadway Tour of Shucked. What exactly does that mean?
Well, they
asked me to also be the PSM of the tour, but I wasn’t available to do that.
Because I have the institutional knowledge about how the show needs to be
rehearsed and my excellent relationship with the Tony Award winning director,
Jack O’Brien (who also directed Shucked), they ended up moving me into a
supervisory position. So, I was involved in the rehearsals and the mounting of
the tour in Providence Rhode Island as well as the European premiere in London,
as the Production Supervisor.
You are
such an expert on all things Shucked, so how do you explain it to people
who don’t know what to expect or ask you why they should go out and see it?
I tell them
to just be open to having a great time, because you will! You don’t need to
know what the show is about heading into it to enjoy it to the nth degree. Shucked
is so well set up and structured that you will understand within the first two minutes exactly what the
landscape of the show is and precisely what the tone of it is. And if you grab
on to that sail and ride it to the end, you’re going to have the best time,
right?!
YES!
Honestly when I saw it in Nashville last year, I wasn’t sure I would like it
because it’s not my typical cup of tea. I like the dark, depressing and
dramatic shows best. Hahaha! But I really enjoyed it. It’s so funny, cleverly
written, has a lot of heart and definitely has a show-stopping number in there
with “Independently Owned!”
Yes, Shucked
mirrors a world that (I think) we all wish we could live in at this time. Where
a community comes together, solves a problem, is better off for it, and comes
out respecting and loving each other more than they did at the beginning. I
think that story is so resonant right now, given what’s going on in our own
neighborhoods, our own states, our own country. It’s hard not to respond to it
in a positive way, in my opinion.
I love
that Michael! That’s a perfect way to explain Shucked. Ok Michael, I’m
going to take a minute to talk about what an incredible career you’ve had so
far… You’ve worked on over 30 Broadway shows over the years. That’s incredible!
Thank you.
It’s been quite a wild ride.
Looking
back, do you have a favorite? Or even a short list of favorites?
Well, I’m
going to say without a hint of sarcasm, irony or facetiousness, that they are
ALL my favorites. And I’ll tell you why. Because if you approach this work with
as open a mind and heart as you can… well you (and Jim) know the work is
unbelievable arduous…
Yes, that
is absolutely true!
It makes
great demands on the soul. No matter where you work in the theater, whether
you’re an actor, a stage manager, a stagehand, a musical director, whatever, it
makes great demands on the soul. BUT if you approach the work with as open a
mind and heart as you can, then you’re going to learn something invaluable
about all those experiences, you know, good, bad, brilliant, and sometimes just
different. So, I really do say that I love them ALL because every single show
that I have done has taught me something about myself, the human condition, and
how to try to be better. And what maybe not to do again in the future.
Michael,
when you’re in the middle of a wonderful theatrical moment, how are you at
realizing that in real time and acknowledging or appreciating it?
I will say
that I’ve gotten better at that as I’ve gotten older. I definitely think it’s
something that is learned and we have to remind ourselves about or we will miss
it.
I agree!
I’ve heard many people say “Oh, those were the best times of my life, and I
didn’t realize it until later. I wish I had appreciated it more at the time.”
I was told
years ago by my mentor, my dear beloved mentor Charlie Willard at NYU that if
you’re going to be in this business (because it is so arduous sometimes) you
have to fall in love with something. It could be the material of the show. It
could be the people you work with, and I’m not talking about romantic love. It
could be the theater you’re working in or the city you’re in on tour, but
whatever it is you’ve got to find something that makes it worthwhile. And
that’s up to you! You have to figure it out and lean into that when you can.
I very
much feel that. Every show I did I would find at least one moment onstage to
remind myself, “How Lucky am I?! That I get to do this for a living!” And I
would embrace that feeling onstage as a reminder to be present. Show after
show, night after night.
Do you
have a favorite memory of seeing a show as a Theatergoer?
When I was a
kid I was so in awe of Broadway. The first time my mom took me to NYC to see a
show, we saw A Chorus Line. And I’ll never forget that feeling of seeing
that show after having listened to that album for a solid year beforehand. I
can still see it all scratched up. It was like a drug I guess falling in love
with it all.
And later my
mom took me to see the first Saturday night preview of Dreamgirls on
Broadway. We were sitting in the front mezzanine at the Imperial Theatre, the
show started and it was just so thrilling. By the end of the first act, I was
like hyperventilating. I mean every moment was just so unbelievable. Mom had to
take me out for some air at intermission. I’ll never forget it!
Ok,
switching gears a bit, I know how passionate you are about teaching the next
generation of artists and passing of the torch to them for a life in the arts,
whether than be in management, technical or performance. What advice do you
have for our high school theatre kids in Alabama that hope to be professionally
working in the arts one day?
Try to get a
college degree if you can and study anything and everything other than
performing or theater or stage management. You will learn more about how to be
a better performer, stage manager, stagehand, etc. by studying things that have
nothing to do with the theater and performing arts. Learn history, learn art
history, math, science, sports, read about all of these things. Listen to
podcasts, however people get their information these days. But I’m telling you,
it’ll make you a better artist because you’ll be a better human being.
Well,
that’s a pretty bold statement!
Yes, and the
parents love me for it. I mean there’s a balance obviously for the students who
are truly exceptionally talented in terms of sing, dancing and acting, and they
don’t want to do anything else, but get a liberal arts degree with a
concentration in theater or performance of some sort. I firmly believe you need
a well-rounded education in addition to conservatory training. So that’s my two
cents!
Any last
words for us Michael? Maybe about stage management?
Well, I
think a great part of our job as stage managers is trying to create an
environment where people want to come to work. Now it’s not entirely our
responsibility but if you’re working in the theater, whether it’s in New York
City, or at the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego where I was just working, you
are working with people and spending more hours of the day with them than you
are with your own families. Most likely you’re literally taken away from your
family, your chosen family, whatever that means to you and put in a working
environment where these people are now in your personal life. The lines are
blurred.
So, I think
it’s very incumbent, very important for the stage managers to help create an
environment where people feel like they can come in, spend a lot of time
working hard, and at the end of the day feel like they’ve accomplished
something for the show or for themselves. We can help a lot with that in terms
of stage management. It can be as simple as how you deliver the information,
how you set up the callboard, how you interact face to face each day and once
in a while with fun things like “It’s Saturday Night on Broadway!” But that
story is for another time.
Indeed,
my friend! I’m glad you’re “soft retirement” didn’t really land and you’re
still out there being the best of the best!
Tues, Wed, Thurs at 7pm
Friday at 7:30pm
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