We often only witness the actors in a show – telling a story in their radiating glow in front of countless people. Their headshots adorn the program fliers, their faces the center of attention, and their voices and songs echo throughout the theatre. There is always a spectacle to a performance. Every audience member, every onlooker, and every patron of the arts can feel that magic as a ballad, drama, comedy, or musical is brought to life by those on the stage. The actors, however, are only one part of the show.
Behind the scenes, there are countless technicians who work day and night to ensure that this “magic” is felt. They prepare weeks in advance to ensure that every lead actor’s monologue can be heard, every costume and prop is illuminated to showcase the beauty of the scene. They ensure that the production runs smoothly for the evening without fail, and then do it all again the next day. It is with great excitement to be able to showcase two of these essential technicians in our productions at Circle Theatre – Sam Verburg and Sam Johnson-Begay.
Assistant Technical Director Sam Verburg and Sound Designer Sam Johnson-Begay have been part of the technical scene in Grand Rapids for years, and are cherished members of the Circle Theatre family. With hundreds of productions under their belt we wanted to know more about their experience bringing these countless shows together.
So it begs the question, where did it all start? What got these two into theatre production?
Verburg began his journey as a student at Aquinas College, working as a scene shop carpenter at Aquinas before eventually coming to work for Circle Theatre. From there he would become the Master Electrician at Circle Theatre, igniting his passion for lighting then and there. Even with the responsibilities of that role, they still pursue
freelance gigs all throughout Grand Rapids as a Lighting Designer. Out of all his productions, he enjoyed Kill Move Paradise by the GRCC players the most, and was even kind enough to share his own “horror story” from a different production.
“The last of our ‘break-away’ vases had broken in the prop cage, so we didn’t have the murder weapon for the end of the show. During the run, our Assistant Stage Manager and crew member painstakingly hot glued the fake vase back together piece-by-piece, finishing just in time for the final scene when it was needed.”
Sam Verburg stresses the importance of consistency in a production: “Live theatre already has nuanced differences, it’s our job to keep the show the same night after night.” What inspires Verburg? What gives them the drive? For Sam, all it really takes is being told “good job.”
Sam Johnson-Begay’s story goes a little farther back. All the way back to his schoolyard days in fact. Johnson attended a creative arts elementary school in Grand Rapids. As a kid he would construct a stage in his parents’ basement, casting the local talent (the neighborhood children) in his very own productions. After graduating high school, Johnson-Begay went on to study music and recording technology under the tutelage of Professor Timothy Heldt at Grand Rapids Community College. Johnson-Begay credits his mentors in his success as a Sound Designer.
After graduating from GRCC, Johnson-Begay began diving into theatre production, gaining his essential on-the-job experience. Johnson-Begay fondly recounts Les Mis and Carrie the Musical as his favorite productions to work on and design sound for, respectively.
Obviously not every production is perfect, and things can go wrong. Johnson-Begay states the importance of preparation in the aftermath of a 2006 performance of A Chorus Line when microphones began method acting as canaries. “Microphones began to die one by one as the technical staff looked on in horror. The newly bought batteries were not charged prior to the performance and – with impeccable timing – died right before each character’s solo.” Johnson-Begay rushed backstage with other technical staff to help the cast swap out their batteries as fast as possible and save the day.
It was heartwarming to hear more about Johnson-Begay’s life outside of sound design. Sam Johnson-Begay enjoys playing piano and is very appreciative of his loving family.
“My son and my wife are my biggest inspiration. Both have fantastic imaginations and viewpoints on the world. Their ideas and support allow me to be the best designer I can be.”
Drawing light on the dauntless work of these two technicians is a great honor. Although they may not step foot on the stage, their impeccable diligence is truly felt by not only the audience but the cast as well.