Leslie Patrick
Today we continue our series highlighting the artistic talent behind Pegasus Theatre’s success. Here’s a behind-the-scenes look at actor, makeup artist, producer, and production manager Leslie Patrick.
Q: How long have you been involved in theatre?
I have been doing theatre since junior high, although I started taking dance when I was 5, if that counts. We won’t get into how long ago that was. It isn’t polite to ask a lady her age.
Q: How long have you been involved with Pegasus Theatre?
I did my first show with Pegasus in 1999. It was my first professional show, and I was so excited to be Anne Devlynn in Deadline! I was instantly hooked! As with every new person that gets adopted into the Pegasus family, Barb told me I was never allowed to leave. I quickly realized she was serious when I tried to move to NYC a couple years ago!
Q: What is it about Pegasus Theatre that keeps you coming back?
I do love the Living Black & White™ , but more than that I keep coming back for the people. I owe so much of who I am as an actor to Kurt Kleinmann and Barb Weinberger. They are the foundation of Pegasus Theatre and have played a big part in why the Pegasus family of actors and designers are so loyal.
Q: Any favorite moments that stand out for you?
My favorite on-stage moment was the purse incident. The show was A Critical Case of Murder!, and I was the villain. In the scene where my villainy is revealed, I’m supposed to reach into my purse and pull out a gun. But one night, I reached in and there was no gun! It was critical to the scene that I menace the other actor on stage, so I did the first thing that came to mind: I threatened to beat him with my purse! Audiences love moments like that, when they can tell that something has gone wrong. So they were laughing hysterically. This caught Kurt’s attention back stage, and he came on stage as Harry Hunsacker and handed me the gun. That’s just the sort of well-intentioned but dim-witted thing Harry would do, so it did the job of getting the scene back on track.
My favorite off-stage moments have been during what we call “The Barb Game”. The rules are simple: Barb gets to ask any question she wants, no matter how embarrassing, and we have to answer. Thanks to T”he Barb Game”, I know SO much more about my fellow actors than I normally would.
Q: You’ve been an Executive Producer (EP) for Pegasus Theatre at times. What does that involve?
The candid, unofficial answer is that it involves keeping the wheels turning on a production, doing anything and everything that no one else wants to do. The EP gets the process started months before opening night and then runs along side the whole thing while it trundles down the road to closing. There is some babysitting involved (mostly of nervous directors) and handholding to keep everyone calm in the run-up to opening. At various times, I bought food, provided transportation, and ran around for box office change or more concessions inventory. My job was to do it all in such a way that I absorbed any tension, enabling the cast, crew, and audience to have the best experience possible.
The official answer? As EP, I managed the budget and timeline from auditions to closing. The EP helps setup the auditions and staffs them. Then he/she hires the designers and crew, then sets up the production meetings as well as runs them. The EP is in communication with the Stage Manager and the designers throughout the rehearsal process making sure everyone is meeting their deadlines and executing their responsibilities satisfactorily. Once we get to opening, the EP must staff the front of house and stage crew if they are not provided by the venue. As EP for Churchmouse, I also served as a liaison to the venue handling move-in and strike dates and was responsible for making sure every show went off without an issue. I attended rehearsals occasionally to ensure the mission of the theatre was not compromised by the vision of the director and that the show was not deviating from the script as well as ensuring rehearsals were running properly in a professional manner.
Q: What do you do when you aren’t working with Pegasus?
I work for an ad agency as a digital producer, basically doing a lot of the same things I’ve done for the theatre as an executive producer!
Q: Looking back at all your experiences, who would you say has influenced you the most in your career?
I came to Pegasus fresh out of college and have spent almost my entire theatre career with them. Kurt taught me how to be funny. Coy Covington and Steven-Shayle Rhodes taught me how to do makeup, and Barb taught me how to manage people. That’s everything I need!
Q: What comes next for you?
I’ll be working on the next Pegasus show, The Naughty Bits, as Production Manager. It opens August 14 at The Bath House Cultural Center. And of course I count the days until the next Living Black & White™ show, scheduled to open at The Eisemann Center in January!