Behind the Scenes at the Hop - Five perspectives on the Hopkins Center from the people who work there.

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Behind the Scenes at the Hop - Five perspectives on the Hopkins Center from the people who work there.
Behind the Scenes
 at the Hop
                  Five perspectives on the
                  Hopkins Center from the
                   people who work there.
                                     By J o H n W A l t e r S
                   Photography by J o n G I l B e r t F o x

     For              the past 50 years, the Hopkins Center for the
                      Performing Arts at Dartmouth College has been
     the Upper Valley’s premiere venue for artistic performances of
     all kinds, from world class artists and Dartmouth students alike.    The Booker
     But there’s a lot more to the Hop than most of us ever see.                “The Hop has created a community
           It’s also a teaching venue, a place to make and display art,   that wants and expects to have its mind
     a gathering place for students, and a headquarters for student       opened by new experiences.”
     ensembles. It’s home to every significant performance space on             So says the person who sched-
     the Dartmouth campus. It’s a hub for educational programs on         ules those new experiences: Margaret
     campus and in the community. It’s home to a sizeable collection      lawrence, director of programming. She
     of musical instruments.                                              books the Hop’s Visiting Performing Art-
           All that, and more. More than we could comfortably pres-       ist series. (other folks do the Film Series
     ent in a single magazine issue. In fact, a book could easily be      and the Student ensembles, which are
     written about the place and the people who make it run. Their        also part of the Hopkins Center.)
     work takes place behind the scenes, and they rarely (if ever) step         lawrence is constantly living in the
     into the spotlight.                                                  future. The performances for the 50th
           So we can’t give you the whole picture. But we can give you    anniversary season were booked in 2010
     a good idea of the Hopkins Center’s real scope by introducing        and 2011. “And there’s another layer in
     you to just a few of its staffers and the jobs they do.              my mind at all times, which has to do
                                                                          with projects that may take even longer
                                                                          to come to fruition.” That means keeping
                                                                          in touch with agents, getting other › › › › ›

32                                                                                                     Upper Valley Life
Behind the Scenes at the Hop - Five perspectives on the Hopkins Center from the people who work there.
Margaret Lawrence, director of
         programming, booked artists such
         as Yo-Yo Ma , Handspring Puppet
         Company and Fatoumata Diawara
         for the fall term.

September-October 2012                      33
Behind the Scenes at the Hop - Five perspectives on the Hopkins Center from the people who work there.
venues interested in a desired artist, and concocting ways to           job at Dartmouth and never looked back.
                      entice performers to the Hop.                                           “It’s really exciting to have the same level
                            one example: “Big international productions will quite            of talent I was used to in new York, and I
                      often go to new York City. If it’s a brand new work, they may           get to go home to my little piece of heaven
                      not want to have the very first shows reviewed by a new York            every night!”
                      critic.” Instead, she can offer a few performances before a smaller           It’s a needed respite after busy days of
                      audience, only a few hours from the big city.                           dealing with high-tech theatrical equip-
                            The secret to finding cutting edge performers? “Constant          ment and the specialized needs of a broad
                      awareness,” she says. “It’s talking to my peers. It’s traveling as      variety of performers. technology keeps
                      much as I can to see work.”                                             changing, which means upgrades as often
                            There’s also the Hop’s educational mission, which lawrence        as the budget allows.
                      describes as “critical.” She not only wants to book a performance;            She handles it all with patience, grace,
                      she wants the artist to spend a few days in the area, interacting       good humor and the energy (and flexibil-
                      with Dartmouth students, faculty and the Upper Valley com-              ity) of a trained dancer.
                      munity. “Say we’re bringing in a string quartet. If it’s a Thursday
                      night show, I’ll say, ‘I need you to get here tuesday night.’ And
                                                                                              The Designer
                                                                                                   If you’ve spent any time at all in the
                      it’s rare that the artists are not interested in that. They truly do
                                                                                              Upper Valley, you’ve seen the work of Sara
                      love to connect with people.”
                                                                                              Morin and her design team. She’s the mar-
                            lawrence has plenty of experience in her line of work. She
                                                                                              keting studio manager for the Hopkins
                      grew up on the West Coast, and before coming to Dartmouth
                                                                                              Center, responsible for posters, brochures,
                      16 years ago she did programming for a municipal arts center in
                                                                                              postcards and other publicity material for
                      oregon. So how did she find herself moving east?
                                                                                              all Hop events, and for the Hop’s website.
                            “Well, this is an extraordinary institution,” she says. “We are
                                                                                                   Morin earned a BFA in graphic
                      in a rural, small community, and yet we are presenting sophisti-
                                                                                              design at Colby-Sawyer College. She was
                      cated and cutting edge work.”
                                                                                              hired at the Hop as a part-time designer,
                      The Expediter                                                           and she’s moved up to management.
                    once a show is on the schedule, Keely Ayres will step                          The design process begins, like many
               in and make sure everything goes smoothly. She’s the senior                    things in a sizable organization, with a
               production manager, responsible for the technical aspects of                   meeting. “We sit down at the beginning of
               performances by visiting artists and student ensembles.                        the year and hear about the events from
                    That’s usually around 100 performances a year — plus                      Margaret lawrence. And there’s usually
               the days of preparation before each show. “Sometimes we have                   video we can watch to get a sense of a
                                                    events going on in two venues             performer’s work,” she describes.
“Sometimes we have events                           at the same time,” she says.                   Morin’s studio usually works
 going on in two venues at the “It’s like a rubik’s Cube, or                                  anywhere from six to nine weeks ahead
                                                    maybe a game of tetris.”                  on single shows, and longer for the an-
 same time,” Keely Ayres says.                           Ayres brought an im-                 nual season brochure. “We start working
“It’s like a Rubik’s Cube, or                       pressive resume to her job. In            on that in February, and it’s usually in
                                                    college she trained in dance              people’s hands in early July.”
 maybe a game of Tetris.”                           and technical theater. Then,                   Some designs are simple; you have a
                                                    she says, “I danced for several           famous artist, you feature a picture and a
               years in louisville, Ky., and new York City, and did technical                 name. on the other hand, “a lot of the
               theater to pay the bills because dance didn’t pay!”                            shows don’t really have immediate name
                    In new York, she worked for off-Broadway plays, fashion                   recognition. It’s really important to have
               shows and television. Then she spent seven years with touring                  an image that people can respond to
               companies of tommy and The Phantom of the opera, two very                      quickly.” That task is much easier, she says,
               technically demanding shows. After that, she says, “I was done                 because of the Hop’s reputation for
               with living out of a suitcase.” That was 12 years ago; she took the            quality. It’s a reputation that Morin › › › › ›

34                                                                                                                          Upper Valley Life
Behind the Scenes at the Hop - Five perspectives on the Hopkins Center from the people who work there.
Keely Ayres, senior production
   manager, pictured backstage
   in prop storage, is a master at
   making sure the sound, staging,
   lighting and technology needs
   of each show are met.

September-October 2012               35
Behind the Scenes at the Hop - Five perspectives on the Hopkins Center from the people who work there.
Along with two other graphic
     designers, Sara Morin, market-
     ing studio manager, creates a
     compelling visual presence for
     the Hopkins Center.

36                      Upper Valley Life
tries to reinforce in her work.                 can “call it job security, I guess.”
     “We’ve worked to make the Hop
brand really stand out,” she explains.
                                                The Educator
                                                     As the Hop’s outreach and arts education manager, Stepha-
The Musical Organizer                           nie Pacheco’s job is to bring visiting artists out of the concert
      “My title is ensembles assistant, but     hall and into the community.
if you read my job description I’m a glori-          “I’ve worked at institutions where this aspect was a little
fied clerk and musical janitor,” says Steve     add-on,” she says. “At the Hop, there’s a holistic approach.”
langley, whose enthusiasm and musical                Pacheco came to the Hop two years ago from a similar
knowledge shows through his self-depre-         position with BrIC Arts Media, a multimedia arts space in
cation.                                         Brooklyn. “I actually wasn’t looking to leave Brooklyn,” she says,
      langley’s lair is a low-ceilinged,        “but the job called to me. The level of programming here is at
concrete-walled space in the Hop’s base-        the same level as in new York, but we get far more time with the
ment. All around us — on shelves, in            artists.”
locked cages, in cases or beneath protec-            Pacheco is given plenty of latitude to create and schedule
tive coverings — are approximately 400          events. There are the obvious kinds of things: master classes
musical instruments.                            and lectures, visits to
      “We have two levels,” he explains.        local schools, meals with       When a performer is in town,
“We have some general instruments for           student groups. But the         Stephanie Pacheco’s schedule
the marching band or a student who              really special events forge
wants to learn to play an instrument.           a unique link between           can get frantic; she and her
And then I have concert grade instru-           artist and community. like assistant have to escort the
ments that are used by our performing           bringing choreographer
ensembles, and occasionally by the visiting     Karol Armitage, who’d cre- artists to all their public appear-
artists.” At the very top of the heap: a top-   ated a piece based on string ances. “And there are times
of-the-line Hamburg Steinway concert            theory, to a physics class.
grand piano, the only Steinway still made       or arranging interactions       when we have multiple artists in
entirely in Germany. langley estimates its      between the American            residence overlapping,” she says.
value at somewhere north of $200,000.           records theater company,
      And then there are the oddballs:          which performed a play about Marines returning home from
a full set of African drums and period          combat in Iraq, and PtSD Center and Mental Health staff at
instruments from the renaissance. If            the VA Hospital in White river Junction, Vt.
you’re in Hanover and you need a sackbut             When a performer is in town, Pacheco’s schedule can get
(a trombone from the renaissance and            frantic; she and her assistant have to escort the artists to all their
Baroque eras), now you know where to go.        public appearances. “And there are times when we have multiple
      It’s a complicated, multidimensional      artists in residence overlapping. So it’s like, okay, I’m with the a
job. He has to keep careful track of his        cappella group. now I’m running off to the string quartet. now
inventory and keep everything in good           I’m with a dancer in a physics class. But it’s fun for us, and we’re
working order. He has to make sure that         getting an education, too,” she says.
every performance has the necessary
instruments — in concert condition.
                                                Special Place, Special People
                                                     Fifty years ago, the Hop was a pioneering institution, one of
      langley has held his job since 2005.
                                                the prototypes in the country for a multidisciplinary arts center,
What background prepared him for the
                                                explains lawrence. “That was a moment when a few major arts
post? “I trained initially as a band direc-
                                                institutions were being invested in. It was a grand experiment
tor,” he explains. “Through that, you end
                                                happening.”
up learning an awful lot about instru-
                                                     It’s safe to say that this revolutionary concept has been a
ments. The more technically demanding
                                                success. But the fact that it has endured, and is poised for an-
stuff I still outsource to local shops in the
                                                other half century of artistic achievement, is a testament to the
area. But a lot of stuff, I can do the minor
                                                people who make the building come alive.
bits and pieces.”
                                                     In my line of work, I get to meet some talented › › › › ›
      Add it all together, he says, and you

September-October 2012                                                                                               37
Steve Langley, ensembles
     assistant, holds a piccolo
     trumpet, one of more than
     400 instruments he keeps or-
     ganized and in working order.

38                             Upper Valley Life
people. I’ve met a lot of folks who work hard at what they
  do. But I don’t know that I’ve ever met a group of people
  who are so skilled at their jobs, work so hard, and are so
  happy as the staffers at the Hopkins Center. everyone’s full
  of energy and smiles, even when they’re talking about the
  stressful parts of their job.
       It really is true: the public performances are just the tip
  of the Hopkins Center’s iceberg. now you have just a sense
  of the other 90 percent. next time you buy a ticket or see a
  show, or glance at a poster for an event at the Hop, give a
  thought to all the people who make it possible.

                           Stephanie Pacheco, outreach
                           and arts education manager,
                           strives to create a unique
                           link between artists and the
                           community.

September-October 2012                                               39
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