Alyse Neubert, 29, was introduced as the new artistic director of Playhouse Merced during a social party held at the theater in Merced on Feb. 27.
During the evening, guests sampled hors d’oeuvres and sipped wine in the lobby before making their way into the theater.
The main focus of the evening was to get acquainted with Neubert, but time was also devoted to a question and answer session where questions were additionally directed to the entire Playhouse Merced staff.
Describing the event during an interview with the Times, Neubert said, “The board of the non-profit is really supportive and cares about the future of the company, and the board members helped set up the event and provided refreshments. We talked about our conservatory and a newly formed parent council which will be instrumental moving forward, connecting parents and families of our students for fund raising and working on productions. This will provide another layer of community and accountability. I’m really excited about that, to have them in our space and working with us. The council is headed by parents Amy Brown and Jessica Dimple. They both have kids who have been in our programs before. Right now, Jessica is playing the Wicked Witch in ‘The Wizard of Oz’.”
The floor was opened for questions from the audience to the Playhouse Merced staff. Some questions were directed specifically to Neubert, but the majority were focused toward the whole group. Many questions were asked by kids, and a facilitator and Board member, Emily Langdon, read them.
The questions ranged from fun questions like ‘Who is your favorite Disney character?’ to ‘What are your plans?’ ‘How do you hope to get people involved?’ ‘What is your role in this theater as an artistic director?’ and ‘How can I be a stage manager?’”
Explaining what she was doing when selected for her new position, Neubert said, “I’ve been here just under a month in Merced. I was hired a little before then. I applied for the job when I was in Philadelphia. I moved here from Philadelphia, where I’ve been on and off for the last couple years. I was also in New York. Several years ago, I was offered a teaching position in Colorado, where I grew up, so I went from New York to Colorado to teach.”
Describing her background which led her to Playhouse Merced, she said, “My foundation in dance resulted from when I was really young and danced with the New York City Children’s Ballet. I had a strong background in classic ballet, and in high school, I began to focus more on theater and I’ve been a dancer and choreographer, mostly modern to contemporary. That’s how I found my way into theater, through my dance background.”
She continued, “I got a graduate degree from Accademia dell’ Arte in Arezzo, Italy in Physical Theater. In connection with that degree, I went to Circus School in Torino, Italy. I studied and did my theater residency in Italy, the Czech Republic, and Germany.”
When asked what her role will be as artistic director, Neubert said, “Everything we do is very much a collaborative effort. R C Essig, the executive director, handles the financial aspect and overall management of the company. I, as the artistic director, along with the creative director, Corey Strauss, are responsible for creating an environment that people want to be part of. Corey, who has more than 10 years of experience with Playhouse Merced, handles more of the personal aspects. I will do more of the scheduling and meeting with people and finding out what we need to do to make the shows happen. Any artistic decision is ultimately my decision. The next season will be more completely under my duties.”
When asked what she will bring to Playhouse Merced, she said, “We all have our own unique styles we’re interested in and things that inspire us. I’m certainly more inclined to pieces which have the potential for physicality, but we’re still going to have a plethora of offerings for the community and be representative of the community with pieces that will inspire the community and reflect the community.”