Lacey Willis (Music Theater Heritage)
Meet MTH stage manager Lacey Willis
“First to arrive, last to leave” is how many describe a theater stage manager, and Music Theater Heritage stage manager Lacey Willis fits the bill.
Willis says she first learned that the job of stage manager even existed when she was an undergrad at Wilkes University in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. She’d always been drawn to the theater arts and live productions but knew acting, drawing and design weren’t her strengths.
The prospect of working alongside the director and actors and liaising with every department — having “my hands in everything” — was just what she was looking for.
Willis grew up in a blue-collar town in eastern Pennsylvania — think Scranton of “The Office,” she says. She’d never been west of the Mississippi when she accepted UMKC’s invitation into the graduate theater department in 2013. “Just stay the two years,” she told herself. Now, 11 years later, she finds “so many opportunities to create, expand and grow.”
As Stephanie Roberts, associate professor of theatre at UMKC Conservatory, remembers Willis in classes, “Her presence was one of the most positive in the room, and she was always a step ahead in foreseeing anything that the director might need.”
After graduating, Willis worked at Kansas City Actors Theatre, KCRep, Tradewind Arts and briefly at Starlight, before landing at MTH.
During the pandemic, when theaters were closed, she was asked by “Astra Presents,” a program of the KC-based Astra Theatre Co., what she hoped to see when theaters opened again. Her response: a good balance of escape and meaningful commentary on social issues. She was looking for a platform to open eyes, shine a light and make “theatre accessible and supportive of everyone.”
MTH has provided that. “I really love the range of productions that are produced and that there is something fresh even with the classics,” she said. Examples include this year’s re-envisioned “Glass Menagerie” (with music added), “Porgy and Bess” (adapted by Suzan-Lori Parks) and “La Cage aux Folles” (with play action alongside patron tables). Willis has plans to travel before returning to tackle the singular drama of “Sweeney Todd.”
“Lacey is the perfect mix of kindness, organization, and artistry,” said Tim Scott, executive artistic director of MTH. “A great stage manager requires a great artist, and we’re so lucky to have that in Lacey!”
In her future, Willis envisions going into arts administration or opening her own performance space.
“First in, last out” doesn’t leave much time for outside pursuits and hobbies, though Willis says she enjoys painting and art, travel and board games — and she loves Wordle. A finely produced play or musical has to be pieced together like an intricate puzzle. An impassioned, dedicated puzzle master is essential.
