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My nightly commute home from work includes walking past the line for a Las Vegas nightclub and wondering why so many young women have such terrible friends that let them leave their hotel rooms looking the way they look.
I have lived in Las Vegas for 12 years (at the time of this writing), and it still feels weird to say that I live in Las Vegas. Growing up on the northeast side of the U.S., Las Vegas was always one of those places that only existed to me in movies. I didn’t visit this strange city until I joined my first tour while they were playing at The Aladdin (now Planet Hollywood), at the tender young age of 22. I had no reason to venture off The Strip since food and alcohol are literally everywhere. And what more does one need than food and alcohol when living out of a suitcase?
Only three years later, I found myself moving from New York to Las Vegas to be an Assistant Stage Manager for “Avenue Q” at The Wynn. When that show closed after 10 months (far shorter than the expected run), I had to look for a new job in Vegas since I couldn’t afford to move back east.
I went old-school with my job search in Vegas and mailed hard copies of my resume to every production in town. The wonderful PSM at Penn & Teller was the only one to respond and hired me to be an on-call SM, thus becoming my first non-traditional theatrical show.
During my time at Penn & Teller, I interviewed for a stage management job for the soon-to-open Las Vegas production of “The Phantom of the Opera.” That was one of the few interviews I’ve had that felt like a complete waste of time. All of the questions centered on my experience with automation, of which I had none.
Literally, ZERO experience, unless you count the flying puppet beds in “Avenue Q.” A short time after that interview, I was hired as an ASM at “The Beatles LOVE,” which was Cirque du Soleil’s newly opened show and where my boyfriend (now husband) was already working. I had no idea if I would like switching from musical theatre to French-Canadian circus, but for me, it’s always been the people that make theatre what it is.
Thankfully the people at Cirque are just as enjoyably crazy as the people in musical theatre.
I do miss a good old song-and-dance number that involves jazz hands and a time step, but I get my fix at plenty of other local professional theatres. (Side note: We have WAY more Automation in “Love” than in “Phantom.” So there.)
When I graduated from college with a B.A. in Theatre, I had no idea how someone could have a normal life while working in this industry.
I don’t think anyone dreams of living in Vegas and raising a family, but I’m sure as hell glad it worked out this way.
Stage Managers And Human Reaction Time
Fake It Till You Make It Some More
Mary Barnett hates talking about herself in the 3rd person, almost as much as she hates writing her own bio. Before she was able to complain about such trivial things, Mary graduated with a B.A. in Theatre/Speech from Wagner College – located on Staten Island, merely a few miles from one of the largest landfills in the world. While living in New York after college, Mary stage managed shows with Prospect Theatre Company, New York Classical Theatre, Shawnee Playhouse, and College Light Opera Company. She then hit the road with the national tours of “Rent” and “Seussical the Musical,” and eventually landed in Las Vegas with “Avenue Q” at The Wynn Hotel, followed by a brief stint with Penn & Teller. Mary has worked for Cirque du Soleil since 2006, mostly at “The Beatles LOVE” where she is currently General Stage Manager. She also spent a blissful 10 weeks with Cirque du Soleil’s “KA,” and was Production Stage Manager for the 2015 benefit performance for the foundation "One Night for One Drop". Mary’s husband is an Automation technician for Cirque du Soleil’s “Michael Jackson ONE,” and they are attempting to raise their 2 kids with minimal exposure to strippers and gambling.
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