Introducing On The Stage’s Spotlight Superstars Yearbook

It’s no secret that On The Stage exists – and thrives – thanks to the amazing and hard working theatre community around the nation. One of our many jobs here at OTS is to celebrate this community, and we do so with our Spotlight Superstars Yearbook. Below, you can enjoy a quick preview of our client superstars – who are passionate teachers, performing arts experts and community theatre members that have become our partners over the years. 

Sarah Norat Philips

Ujima Theatre Company
Buffalo, NY

• Her favorite show to produce and why: The 2008 Broadway version of In The Heights. This remarkable predecessor to the recently-released movie captured the voice, rhythm, and complexity of the NYC LatinX community in a way I had never experienced before. 
• The theatre character she most identifies with:  Risa, from August Wilson’s Two Trains Running. Risa gets to self-actualize, and that’s a power that resonates with me.
• About Ujima: Ujima Company is a multi-ethnic and multicultural professional theatre whose primary purpose is the preservation, perpetuation and performance of African American theatre by providing working opportunities for established artists and training experience for aspiring artists.
• How she describes On The Stage’s platform: Intuitive, comprehensive, and user friendly for staff and audience alike.

Tina Crandall-Gommel

Musical Theatre Education
Rochester, NY

• Her favorite show to produce and why: Disney’s Descendants is one of my favorites because it makes your heart soar! American Idiot, a completely different kind of show, was also one of my favorites because of the growth I saw in our teenage performers. We also just staged Something Rotten which was a favorite when I saw it on Broadway – and seeing our teens perform it was pure joy!
• The theatre character she most identifies with: Mrs. Wilkinson from Billy Elliot. I relate to her sarcasm and wit, but also her huge heart and generous nature with her students.
• About MT Ed: I own MT Ed, an educational theatre company that offers opportunities for students ages 4-adult. We have a full production season, improv troupe, break week camps, summer camp, dance classes, show choir, voice and acting lessons.
• What she loves about On The Stage’s platform: How easy it is to create ticket sales pages. They have awesome customer service!

Erin McLaughlin

Groveport Madison High School
Groveport, OH

• Her favorite show to produce and why: Nooses Off! by Don Zolidis. It was a huge challenge to stage and direct because there’s so much going on, but I love farce and shows about all the things that can go wrong when producing a show.
• The theatre character she most identifies with: We did a play a couple years ago called The Monologue Show (from Hell) by Don Zolidis, and the character of the theatre teacher in that show was painfully relatable.
• About Groveport Madison High School’s theatre program: We are a high school (grades 9-12) extracurricular theatre company. We stage one-act and full length plays, and in normal years we have a musical in the spring. Our theatre company is very diverse and supported by a small team of dedicated staff.
• What she loves about On The Stage: Customer service is always quick, easy, and friendly. The platform is super user-friendly and was absolutely a life saver during the pandemic when we were producing and performing shows virtually. The online ticket sales platform is also really easy to use. I also really like that it automatically collects email addresses from customers and the integrated marketing options. 

Steve Wallgren

Willow Canyon High School
Surprise, AZ

• His favorite show and why: It seems cliche, but I’m still obsessed with Hamilton. Not only is the performance outstanding, but all of the technical aspects come together so perfectly to create one of the best theatre experiences I’ve ever seen. I feel the same way about Rent.
• The theatre character he most identifies with: Tevye from Fiddler on the Roof. He loves his family more than anything, even when confronted with potentially going against his traditions.
• About Willow Canyon High School’s theatre program: As a high school theatre group, we produce two musicals and one mainstage play per year, plus a few other smaller productions.
• What he loves about On The Stage: I love the “plug and play” aspect of building out each show. It is so easy to get a page online and start selling tickets immediately. 

Sandra Faulkner

Tampa Bay Performing Arts Academy
Tampa Bay, FL

• Her favorite show and why: Beauty & The Beast Jr. The music is fabulous (as are many composed by Alan Menken), the story is heartwarming, and the creativity involved in costuming and quick changes is a real challenge.
• The theatre character she most identifies with: Mrs. Potts – Beauty and the Beast. I’m the oldest person working in my children’s theatre by about 30 years. I feel like the “mom” or “grandma” to all!
• About Tampa Bay Performing Arts Academy: We stage musicals with students ages 5-17. We usually perform 4-5 different musicals each year, with each one running 2-5 times. We also perform 4-5 musical revues per year, with each running 2-3 times. We also hold summer camps.

We hope you enjoyed learning a bit about our superstars almost as much as we love working with them. If you’d like to dig deeper into what makes these creators tick – and pick up helpful hints, tricks, and tips from these professionals along the way – download the entire Spotlight Superstars Yearbook today. 

You, too, can become a superstar client with On The Stage. Here, we believe that:

• Creativity thrives when artists and educators have the resources they need;
• Art is most successful in an environment of sustainable resources and engaged, authentic relationship with its audience;
• Everyone deserves access to the tools and support they need to bring their visions into the world.

To make these beliefs a reality, we’ve created an all-in-one online platform for theatre professionals by theatre professionals. With promotional tools, user-friendly ticketing system, promotion portal, streaming platform, best-in-class support and audience engagement features, we can help make your next show a success. To learn more, book a demo today.