[Pipe and Drape theme plays.]
This is episode thirteen of Pipe and Drape. We’re kicking off Season 2 of the podcast with an ongoing pipe and drape story about the work that is happening to create more equitable theatre, from the table of producers and board members to the faces audiences see on stage. Thank you for listening with me today.
STEPHEN: Hi everyone. I'm here with producer director, social media content creator, Sammy Lopez. He's currently working on the Broadway-bound production of Gun and Powder, the musical adaptation of HBO’s How to Dance in Ohio and a slew of other shows with his team at P3 Productions. Sammy is also a founding member of Second Act Theatrical Capital and the Industry Standard Group, a multicultural commercial investment and producing organization aiming to make theatre accessible, inclusive, and more equitable. Sammy Lopez is a champion of the next generation of theatre from the minds behind the business, to the action happening on stage. Be it in school gymnacafetoriums or on Broadway, he’s changing the industry from inside out as a producer, educator, and director. He was the Program Mentor for the BIPOC Commercial Theatre Producing Workshop with Theatre Producers of Color and he spoke at the 10th Annual TedxBroadway event in May.
He’s been behind the scenes as a Co-Producer of Broadway and Off-Broadway’s Be More Chill (which by the way was my workout soundtrack the summer of 2019), the Associate Producer of Bandstand, he worked on The Visit starring Chita Rivera, Mothers & Sons, Jack Thorne’s adaptation of A Christmas Carol, and he manages the social media campaigns of productions all over the industry with Marathon Digital. There is no surprise that his work has been recognized and awarded by the Broadway League and the Shubert Organization. In addition to his work as a producer and marketing leader, Sammy is currently a member of the New 42 board of directors at the New Victory Theatre and an associate board member and supporting teaching artist with CO/LAB (which is a non-profit organization offering individuals with developmental disabilities a creative and social outlet through theatre). And most recently he has joined the board of TYA/USA and named the first Resident Director at NYC Children’s Theater where he lead their zoom production of Same, Same, But Different.
SAMMY LOPEZ: Hello. Thank you. Thank you for having me.
STEPHEN: It’s pretty safe to say you've been in and making huge strides as this industry moves forward and changes. So this is so exciting. I'm really excited to hear all about the things you have in the works and in mind for the future of theatre for young audiences.
SAMMY: Well, thank you so much. And, and truly, I feel like this moment is so vital for us members in the TYA community to just amplify and get our mission out there. As, you know, the responsibility for making work for young people is so important and should be taken with such care and, you know, you're leaning into your full artistic scope and being able to just change the world like one percent at a time. I think that what you're doing to amplify artists in the community is just so amazing. And so thank you for having me.
STEPHEN: Of course! So what I wanna know is before you became a producer director, a performer in the theatre for young audiences industry, you were a kid watching theatre. Do you remember your first experience seeing theatre?
SAMMY: You know what? I do, like one hundred percent which is like…I get chills just thinking about it because when I was a kid, I grew up in Los Angeles and my abuelita was my way into the arts. She was just always reading the LA Times front to back. And so she knew everything that was going on in that city. And she would take me around and bring me to see theatre and abstract theater, theatre that wasn't necessarily within the confines of a building. Some of my first memories were going to the gazebo at Olvera Street and seeing the Folklorico dancers and being so in awe of not just the idea of people experiencing a story, but the idea of people gathering together and experiencing a story together. It's, you know, that's, I think what's the most magical part of the work we get to do as theatre artists is bringing stories to life, but also breathing with other audience members simultaneously and taking in emotion and taking in energy that is only created for that singular moment. It's really what keeps me going. And the very first piece that my abuelita took me to was called Paquito’s Christmas. And it was (I truly don't know exactly what the nuts and bolts of that story was…I can't really remember) but what I do remember is that element of the event of going into the theatre and seeing the lobby and how there was just so much commotion. And then all of a sudden we go in and sit down and take in the story and what was so powerful about that production for me was seeing a little brown boy on stage. And for me that was something that I hadn't really noticed or taken in up until that point. And I remember turning to my abuelita after the show and I was like, 'I wanna do that.’ And I didn't really know what exactly ‘that’ was. And clearly I've changed from being a performer now and doing a bunch of multiple multi facets within the industry and continuing to learn more parts of the industry. But I really looked to that moment as the, that was the key. It was, you know, I saw myself on the stage and I felt like I finally belonged somewhere.
STEPHEN: So from that moment, did you find yourself getting involved with theatre as a kid?
SAMMY: Yes, I did. And my dad is a musician and so he was able to really get me, you know, once I shared my interest in the arts, oh, it was like full out, like going into music classes, singing in the choir at church, or finding other ways to bring the arts into my life. And I ended up going to a performing arts high school in Los Angeles, and that's when I really kind of made the realization that this was a community that I really wanted to immerse my life in. And so I was very grateful for the fact that I was in Los Angeles and that I was able to be in such close proximity to some amazing theatre pieces that were going on around the city at Center Theater Group or Pasadena Playhouse or the Geffen, there was just so many works that I saw as a teenager that still impact me today. And I think about the first time I heard about Luis Valdez and his play Zoot Suit, or the first time I heard the name David Henry Hwang. And so there was such benefit in taking advantage of the city that I was living in.
STEPHEN: So what's interesting is you find yourself immersed in this city and, and the actors and the theatre happening on the west coast, and then you pack up and go to Syracuse, New York to study theatre.
[Laughter]
SAMMY: I had no idea that it was gonna be so cold [laughter], but I guess that was what I got for, for leaving the west coast and going as cold as I can get. But I actually didn't buy a winter coat until like October of my freshman year. And I was so confused ‘cause one day it was like totally sweater weather and the next day was snowing and I was like, ‘Oh, so I guess this is how it works over here.’
STEPHEN: When you were at Syracuse, was there any course of study for children's theatre?
SAMMY: Yes. And I'll say Syracuse is possibly the biggest influence for all of my creative exploration beyond being a performer. You know, they really empowered us to think of ourselves as well-rounded artists. And there was a student-run theatre company on campus that I got involved with immediately. And that's where I learned the ideas of budgeting or talking to designers or creating a season and developing new works. And one of the professors there, Lauren Unbekant, created the children's tour that happened at Syracuse Stage, ‘cause Syracuse University…their drama department has a very close relationship with Syracuse Stage and they put out a tour every fall that would go to schools all throughout Northern New York. And the cast would wake up at like six or five in the morning and get in a van and drive, put the set up, do two shows and then drive back and then you're ready to go your afternoon classes. And when I saw that that was a possibility to be involved with a show like that…that was instantly what I wanted to do. And so I did a production with Lauren and she really taught me about this idea of the power of metaphor and how important the themes we introduce to young people are. And she was not afraid to ask those very deep complex questions and bring up conversation starters. And so I think using theatre as a vessel for that conversation is something that Lauren introduced me to. And every show we did had a talk back, and the talk backs were so eye-opening and amazing—to see how work that we would bring to, like you mentioned, the cafegymnatorium like seeing the work just inspire kids instantly was everything that I could have asked for as an introduction to the TYA world. I so believe in the power of, you know, when you do ask those deep questions and you build a show incorporating members of the community that we're trying to address in the show's themes is so important. And Lauren provided that foundation and she actually inspired me to create a small little fiscally sponsored project that I started here in New York, right after graduating Syracuse. And we went to the Strand Bookstore downtown, and I went to their children's department and I was like, ‘Can you give me a picture book every month and I'll turn it and devise it into a fifteen-minute play for kids in the children's department?’ And so every month they gave me a book and we created a small little…we called it Stories in 4D, and we would take the book, turn it into a show, and then we would have an activity after. And I think of that time as my artistic sandbox, because it allowed me to think creatively of how we build shows for young people. And so it was all all from my training at Syracuse and how I was so inspired by that initial children's tour that I did. So we would push all of the tables aside, we would bring in a sound system, and we brought in all of the props, and I was very inspired by works like Peter and the Starcatcher where found objects are the way into the storytelling. And I always imagined myself as a kid, when I would see a show and I would go home and try and recreate the show using just things that I would find around my parents' house. And I would make a mess of the kitchen and use spatulas and different types of pots and pans as my set and props. And my mom would be like, ‘Where's this kitchen thing?’ And I'm like, ‘Sorry, I'm using it for my show.’
[Laughter]
STEPHEN: I love that. Especially as a kid who did stuff like that in my basement. I would make stages out of Fisher Price furniture. As a kid I was obsessed with The Nutcracker and so I would like have different sheets and pieces of fabric that I would put over chairs and like, ‘This is Mother Ginger now.’
SAMMY: It definitely was, it got to a point where we would go to like the 99¢ store and I would be like, ‘Okay, can I get a few extra things that I could use for my props?’ [Laughter] Oh gosh, that's so funny. I think that that's part of the, to me, the accessibility of theatre—when you're able to create something that feels like an audience member can do it too. To me, that's the point of this work. It's it's to invite people into the community and to invite them into this imaginative space that's beyond comprehension. I think that's partially why I loved creating those shows at Strand because it allowed me to connect with New York in a way that I hadn't before…I started that project like a few months after moving here. So it was a great way to introduce myself to the world of TYA.
STEPHEN: Speaking of community, and creating a community, you moved here and you went from doing TYA to broadening your spectrum of work to include Broadway. And now as a producer, a board member, and leader in the community, you're trying to expand who is at the table of people who are creating the shows, like the stories we're telling, the performers who are telling them, and the people behind the productions that are funding them and making these decisions. What was the bridge between creating theatre for young audiences at the Strand to where you are today?
SAMMY: You know, it's, it's kind of hard to create a clear line. I think the trajectory of where I have ultimately worked stems from a piece of advice that I got from Robert Moss, who is a Syracuse guest speaker. And it's kind of what I said earlier, how Syracuse was so informative for a lot of my artistic life. It's a piece of advice he gave us was to think of our careers as of the “yes, and,” and really leaning into saying yes and, and not allowing your self-consciousness or how sometimes we're quick to say no we can't do that, or no we're not qualified for that, and really stepping into the confidence of…as long as we're operating from a place of values and a place of really wanting to be artistic and do the work. Like, I think that we'll be able to figure it out. And Bob Moss, he said, “Say yes, and figure it out.” And I really took that to heart. And so when I was trying to explore my work in TYA, it was simultaneously the same time Instagram came out and I started interning for producers from the perspective of saying like, 'Hey, there's this new platform that we can utilize to talk about our shows on.’ And so I got involved with the New York Musical Theatre Festival back when it was still active, and I was working with multiple shows in a course of a summer helping them advertise their shows on social media. And I was also assisting on the general management team, so I was getting this real glimpse at the finances of how off-Broadway works and specifically a festival like NYMF that did up to thirty full productions a summer. It was just such an eye-opening experience. And through that, I met a whole new group of artists that were on their way to building shows that were Broadway-bound. And so I was able to just connect and really build out my opportunities through social media. And social media kind of has stayed as my lifeline throughout my work as an artist because so much of producing and directing and developing new work…there's so few opportunities to get paid in that process, so social media was really helpful for me to, become an expert in and really provide a sense of stability for myself while I built out an artistic career as well. But I ultimately got involved with Mothers and Sons. That was the first show that I did on Broadway as an assistant and literally did that after being on tour with TheaterWorks, I was doing Seussical the Musical and I was on the road with them for about three months, and while I was on tour I was having this deep, like reckoning within myself of (and I was on tour as an actor) and so I was contemplating. I was like, ‘Is this what I actually wanna do? Or do I like doing that, like management, social media stuff back in New York city?’ So I was torn. And so I ultimately made the jump and decided to intern on Mothers and Sons. And that was really my first step into the world of Broadway producing. And I saw such a connection between the way that commercial theatre operates, the way that nonprofit theater operates, and the way that theater for young audiences operate. A common thread that I saw was the people that were sitting at the tables making those big decisions…there was so little representation in terms of gender and racial diversity. And I realized that as I was being a sponge in all of these rooms and just so grateful for the opportunity to even be in the room, I felt like I recognized that the representation was not there. And so I was sitting there just questioning the systems of like, ‘Why? Why aren't people here?' And to me, it came down to the invitation. There's, there's so few invitations that are out there, especially to underrepresented communities, and as I was being introduced to more commercial theatre, Broadway-driven work, I was seeing more and more lack of representation at the top. And that really inspired a lot of my work today. It’s examining the, the professional development process of how we get people into the room and how we invite people into the room at an earlier stage and recognizing the value of…if we're trying to create a theatre experience that is addressing a specific community, and we don't build the piece without that community in the room along the way, then we're actually doing it a huge disservice to making the best piece of art that we can. Ultimately, I think that the most impactful stories are when it's baked in authenticity. So that's really where a lot of my dedication towards building community and building development around community is important to me.
STEPHEN: This is so exciting, especially because you're also doing this work in children's theatre where it's kids—it’s people's first exposure to theatre as a kid. And so it's really creating new, important work with new people for new audiences. And so they're growing up in a theatre community that's going to be different than what we've seen throughout the last century. Can you talk a little bit about your work with NYC Children's Theater as their new resident director?
SAMMY: Yes, it's been pretty remarkable to join a team like New York City Children's Theater because they have had…this is their 25th season currently and they're just reemerging into doing live performance again. And so the way that we've introduced this idea of community into the way we build shows is so exciting. There's an amazing affinity group that came out of the pandemic specifically within TYA/USA addressing theatre for young audiences and how we build and develop from a anti-racist perspective and making sure that we are introducing concepts and themes that are beneficial to a young person's growth and not actually perpetuating themes that historically have just made theatre not fully accessible for all communities. So I think starting with this concept of brave space standards has been hugely impactful in my development process for new work—understanding that there's really no such thing as a safe space, but building brave space standards that can ultimately empower everybody to show up to a space that is best for them and addresses their accessibility needs or offering the space to share where we're coming into the work from is step one, and so it's been impactful to implement these new types of strategies into the workflow: bringing in consultants, creating brain trust, kind of smaller round table discussions, including community members that the script is directly addressing. And so it's really thinking outside the box. And my mom's a kindergarten teacher, so I feel like ever since I was a kid a lot of my daily life was kind of inspired by learning strategies and goals. And my mom was very much bringing education into everything we did as a family, which I think is in part why I really respond to this type of development work of coming into a space with more questions than we have answers. And so we're developing quite a bit with New York City Children’s Theater right now, and every process begins with ‘What is the story we're trying to say, and who are we trying to speak to?’ And I think when you just start out with those types of questions, ultimately it's going to bring the right people to the table to help develop that.
STEPHEN: What’s coming up for this next season for NYC Children's Theater, as far as new work or old work that's being revived and I guess, plans to bring this to the five boroughs of New York?
SAMMY: The question of programming is always kind of being addressed in the work process of identifying themes and identifying communities that we can reach in New York City. You know, we have the capability to make such an impact, and a piece that I'm currently developing that I'm really excited about is actually a piece inspired by my abuelita. And it's a piece for the theatre for the very young, so it's a very specific age demographic. And to me that is our most vulnerable community. Those are, like you mentioned, our first-time audience-goers. This is the step one to introducing the next theatre lover to art. And so the piece that I'm developing is coming from a place of community, of ‘How do you integrate the five boroughs into this development?’ And my abuelita is a marathon runner, and so the piece is in tandem with the New York City Marathon, and that event goes through every part of the city, and so it's been really exciting to be in the very early stages of that development process. And I’m planning to integrate teaching artists into the development of that process as well. And so it's likely going to be premiering in 2023, so we have some time until we actually get the piece on its feet, but I think a lot of the core questions come around, ‘How do we make theatre that addresses the location we're in?’ This piece is directly addressing the five boroughs of New York, and we want to make sure that that's represented in the piece. And therefore we'll introduce to young, really very young audiences at that stage. And another show that we are working on is Fish in a Tree which is inspired by a young adult book. And we've been hosting readings on Zoom throughout the last few months and it's specifically talking about dyslexia and the ways dyslexia is talked about in the education system. And it's been so powerful to bring in thought leaders from the community to speak with our book writer and to think about ways in which dyslexia is often not spoken about in education systems and how we can support this conversation to even exist. You know, it's amplifying all types of learners. And I'm really excited about that because we're constantly learning new strategies that are informing us and directly going into the show. So it's been a big learning process that I think is only making this show deeper.
STEPHEN: You’re also part of New 42!
SAMMY: Yes. When I moved to New York, one of the first shows that I saw was a piece at the New Victory, and I immediately became obsessed with the theatre and learned everything I could about ways to get involved. And this was simultaneous to me really learning about social media and interning on Broadway shows. So there was just a lot going on, but the New Victory always remained like this core, like center piece for me of like a goal to get involved with that organization. And I would like get off the train, get off the A train on 42nd and like walk by the New Victory. And so like every day, like it would always be in my head of like, ‘Oh, I can't wait to get involved with them one day.’ And then during the pandemic, my producing partner is also involved with the New Victory and New 42, and so she introduced the idea of joining their board and that was beyond my wildest dreams—to be able to understand what that means. I didn't really have any perspective of what it means to be a board member and have a seat at the table at a theatre that I've admired for so long. And with Mary Rose Lloyd, as the artistic director and Russell Granet as the executive director, I have just really been fully immersed in the company…of seeing how their impact and how their education team really impacts the city, and throughout the pandemic the reach has just gone beyond the confines of the five boroughs; it’s gone international and across the country by way of Zoom and by way of digital theatre. The company itself, the organization does a lot of different work, but what I love is that they bring international theatre and present it at the new victory. So there's companies from all over the world that young people get exposed to because they're able to bring them in to present. And to me, it’s being able to have that cross-cultural connection, like there's something about being able to bring cultures together. And I think the new victory does that so beautifully with the shows that they bring in. And so, I think there's this other element of professional development that I'm extremely inspired by with the New Victory with the New Victory usher core, and high schoolers are utilized in that process and it allows them to have their first job in the theatre as a part of the usher team. And so it's like a step of professional development that is that invitation to being involved in the arts in a way that's not just as an actor or as a stage manager or a director, but it's front of house. It's like, what other positions are there that we can create opportunity to introduce new people to jobs in the theatre that aren't just the ones that we see in headlines.
STEPHEN: And in addition to creating and bringing work to the New Victory in New York, you also are a board member on TYA/USA, which is national…What are some of your responsibilities as a board member for TYA/USA.
SAMMY: I went to my first TYA/USA conference a few years before the pandemic when we were still able to gather in that large of a group, and it was at the Alliance Theatre. And stepping into that conference, like not fully knowing what to expect. I left fully obsessed with the TYA/USA organization in a similar way as to what I love about being a producer. We often create work in our own silos, in our own little individual lanes or in TYA/USA’s point of view each theatre organization creates their work within their institution and the way that their institution operates. But TYA to me is that connector. It’s connecting different institutions and organizations and theatre makers and inspiring conversation within each other. And I make that comparison to producing because as a producer we make our own little startups and build our shows and they go up and they have their own individual lives, but producers don't often talk to each other and information share of what's successful, or what's not successful, or who's holding me accountable, or who's holding that producer accountable. And so to me, TYA is doing a similar process in making that conversation and that connection between organizations and allowing us to now introduce accountability in a real, tangible way, and asking us to hold each other accountable of how do we look at executive leadership and the professional development to bring in new leadership or to expand the staff to be more representative of the local communities that they're serving. So I feel with my specific job in TYA/USA, I've only been on the board for about a year so I'm still really in that early stage of getting to know the ins and outs of the organization, but what I can say is like my biggest role so far has really been trying to find ways to continue that connection within organizations and leaders and teaching artists and being a true resource for the community at large. I see TYA as a movement, I see it as a very critical piece of audience development. And I think it's, to me, it feels like we need to be seen as essential. Like we are essential in the development of humans. You know, we introduce so many new concepts to young people. So having an organization that's leading, leading the conversation as to how we can continue to evolve as an industry I think is so important. And I feel very grateful that I can be a part of some of these conversations that will hopefully change the industry in five, ten, twenty years. I think within all of the organizations that I'm involved with and the shows that I'm trying to develop right now, it seems like I am operating in very different lanes in terms of what's Broadway or what's TYA, or what's social media, but to me, they're all driving down the same path. And if we are able to encourage the industry to constantly interrogate itself, then ultimately I think we're going to see the art and, and the impact of that interrogation. So I think that’s what is my personal connector to all of the different projects I'm involved in. It comes down to just staying curious and, and wanting to embrace the change and also know that change doesn't happen fast. And so, staying resilient throughout the change is also a hard lesson to come to terms with, but I think it's the only way that we can move forward.
STEPHEN: Sammy, thank you for speaking with me today. How can our listeners get in touch with you or see what you're working on?
SAMMY: Yeah, I mean, I have an Instagram or Twitter handle that's @SHLopez21, or as I like to say, “Shlopez,” and sammy-lopez.com is another way to stay in touch. You know, even though I am a social media person, I am awful at checking my DMs. [Laughter] So yeah, but that's, that's possibly the best way to just stay in touch with what's what's next. And you'll also get a lot of nice puppy photos which is truly what we need.
STEPHEN: Be sure to keep an eye out for all of Sammy’s upcoming work wherever you find your theatre news.
[Pipe and Drape theme plays.]
You can join the conversation about theatre for young audiences and find more Pipe and Drape content including photos, quotes, and TYA news on Instagram @PipeAndDrapeStories. And please be sure to rate and review Pipe and Drape wherever you listen to podcasts! Each star given or review submitted helps future listeners to find the show. Be sure to tune in every other Tuesday to hear theatre for young audiences creatives share their pipe and drape stories. Pipe and Drape is created and hosted by Stephen Fala and distributed by Anchor. The Pipe and Drape logo was created by Stephen Gordon and music was composed by Stephen Fala. Thank you for listening with me today.
Check out more of Sammy's work here:
https://www.theindustrystandardgroup.com
https://theatreproducersofcolor.org/about
Find Sammy Lopez:
Connect with Pipe and Drape:
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Host: Stephen Fala
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