1994 - Songs My Mother Taught Me
"Melba Moore was an amazing woman, and wow did that voice come alive in the theater."
Lauren Caldwell, Artistic Director
1995 - The Sisters Rosensweig
"I made my Hippodrome debut in The Sisters Rosensweig. The ensemble all had a star turn, and they shone. A talented group including Sara Morsey, Dan Jessie, Jennifer Pritchett, Tamerin Corn Dygert. We bonded quite well, and we had a quick prayer session and broke Challah and a teensy drop of wine for the Sabbath. Also, as a licensed hair guy, I ended up doing the bouffant coiffure for Jennifer Pritchetts character Dr. Gorgeous."
Mark Chambers, Actor
1995 - The Sisters Rosensweig
"I came to Gainesville from Maryland for a post-college internship in the summer of 1995. I worked in the education program first as a summer camp teacher and then as a HITT specialist for the 95-96 season. I also performed on the mainstage in The Sisters Rosensweig and A Christmas Carol that season before moving into a full time position as the Hippodrome’s Literary Manager where I worked closely with the artistic team and oversaw several additional community engagement initiatives."
Tammy Dygert, Actress
Hippodrome Improvisational Teen Theatre (H.I.T.T.)
"This was an amazing program. We took original work that addressed issues for teens and toured it all over the state (Tallahassee, MADD) and did performances at the Hippo as well. Teens from all around the county auditioned to be a part of this group. I was still in grad school, so it was crazy, but I auditioned like 100 kids and cast 4 of them. It was beautiful watching their hardened armor break open as we wrote and worked on these shows. I loved it. Later, the program became HITT at Risk, where we worked with at-risk teens doing the same type of shows. It was beautiful."
Lauren Caldwell, Artistic Director
Hippodrome Improvisational Teen Theatre (H.I.T.T.)
"I spent my first 2 years working specifically in the HITT program and its offshoots. I loved working with teens on peer-to-peer education programming at local high schools, the Alachua County Halfway House for Girls and in a special program in Dominica, West Indies where I worked with teens from across the island using issue-based theatre techniques."
Tammy Dygert, H.I.T.T. Intern
“I also loved having the freedom and support to create and launch the popular One City One Story program and the Senior Playwright Festival. I’m proud to say that both programs ran successfully for over 5 years each and received significant state funding so we could expand the programming to broaden the participant base.”
1996 - Laughter on the 23rd Floor
"I played Sid Caeser, the great comedian in this show, and it was set in the writer’s room of the Show of Shows, which was on TV in the 1950’s. During one scene, I had to punch a hole through a wall that was pre-set with a fake portion of the wall. One night I missed the little pencil mark that was my target, and almost broke my hand, but continued through the end of the performance."
Gregg Jones, Actor
1996 - Sylvia
"I played three characters in this one; two women and one man. Opening night, while making a cross downstage, I dropped an earring as one of the women, and squatted down to pick it up in a very un-ladylike manner. The audience cracked up as they viewed my hairy legs in panty hose!"
Gregg Jones, Actor
1996 - Sylvia
"Lauren Caldwell played the dog in this, and in one scene with Nell Page Rainsberger, the dog jumped on my lap, and I threw my head back and my wig fell off. Nell tried to put it back on, but it was backwards, and it became a hilarious series of comic gaffs that the audience enjoyed fully as we broke the fourth wall. I had to be trained by the women in the costume shop, including Marilyn Wall, so I could learn how to walk in high heels."
Gregg Jones, Actor
1996 - To Kill a Mockingbird
"This show is one of my favorites - it was a great moment in theatre where the community resonated with the story. It was a large cast, back in the days when we had lots of grant money - 22 people - and we had so many of our professional local actors as well as actors in the community. We auditioned local children and cast this amazing girl to play Scout. She happened to be of asian descent, which caused some controversy back then, but she was fabulous! The show itself caused controversy (which is great) and there were lots of conversations after the show. We sold out and held over for 3 weeks.”
Lauren Caldwell, Artistic Director
1996 - To Kill a Mockingbird
"One woman unwittingly asked my wife, “Where did the theater find that hideous, horrible man?”"
Dan Jesse, Actor
“In the Hippodrome’s immensely popular 1996 production of To Kill a Mockingbird, I portrayed “Bob Ewell,” probably the most evil character I ever played. To help depict this despicable man, make-up artist Marilyn Wall and I combined stage dirt, baby oil, and other noxious substances to make my face, hair, neck and arms look as loathsome as possible, helping to evoke Ewell’s dark soul. I managed to repulse some audience members merely by stepping on stage. One woman unwittingly asked my wife, “Where did the theater find that hideous, horrible man?” Couldn’t ask for a better compliment than that!”
1996 - To Kill a Mockingbird
"Funny story - Traber Burns, the actor playing Atticus, was amazing, he carried the book around like a bible - he was so committed to doing the character justice. One day during rehearsal, he was so exhausted that he fell asleep during the trial scene. I called him out on it and he said, “Well it says in the book that Atticus nods off during the trial!” I laughed and laughed and told him not to do it again! ”
Lauren Caldwell, Artistic Director
1996 - Jelly Roll! The Music and the Man
"The Hippodrome is listed as the original theater in the published script of this show (as well as others). It actually went out and had a national life. Gosh, Marion J. Caffey the creator of this piece was wonderful. He did the musical Jelly Roll on national tour and came to the Hipp and worked with us to tear it down and rework the entire show. He said he was so proud of the work we did - that it made that show truly work."
Lauren Caldwell, Artistic Director
A Christmas Carol
"One year, the flying ghost (carried around the perimeter of the stage by an actor in the blackout) hit the bedpost on Scrooge’s bed, and the actor AND the ghost ended up in bed with Rusty."
Gregg Jones, Actor
A Christmas Carol – adapted by Mary Hausch from Charles Dickens
Gregg Jones as “Jacob Marley” starting in 1997
Gregg Jones as “ebenezer Scrooge” starting in 2015
First of all, I’m 90% sure I started doing CHRISTMAS CAROL in ’97 as Jacob Marley. I did the ghost for 18 years, and then took over for Rusty as Scrooge in 2015, and have done that role ever since. I LOVED playing opposite Rusty when I did Marley. We had many interesting episodes on stage over the years. One year, the flying ghost (carried around the perimeter of the stage by an actor in the blackout) hit the bedpost on Scrooge’s bed, and the actor AND the ghost ended up in bed with Rusty. We were both laughing uncontrollably as the lights came back up, but somehow managed to finish the scene as the actor hobbled off stage again.
I have had many grown men approach me during the intermission of other shows I would attend as an audience member and tell me that they played Tiny Tim in productions years ago, and they now bring their son to see the show! It’s such a beautiful holiday tradition for Gainesville, and part of our cultural fabric!
1997 - Dracula
"The Hippodrome has staged three different productions of Dracula, and I played Van Helsing in the first two. The second Dracula was produced downtown in 1997, and included scattered autumn leaves that were treated with fire retardant to protect them from Dracula’s special effects fireworks. However, one night a group of leaves unexpectedly burst into flames. Thanks to the retardant the audience was safe, but something had to be done. ”
Dan Jesse, Actor
1997 - Dracula
"My husband Ric Rose and I have performed often with the Hippodrome since the nineties. Ric choreographed for Lauren Caldwell, Mary Hausch, and Carlos Asse. He also performed in many of their shows. Ric and I adored the Hipp and considered it partly our home. I performed some of Ric's choreography in some shows and my own when I choreographed Lauren Caldwell's Dracula at the Hipp. Some of our warmest stage moments occurred at this special theatre. We both made incredible memories and meaningful friendships. ”
Isa García-Rose, Choreographer
1997 - Dracula
"In character, I calmly walked up to the burning leaves and stomped them out while delivering my lines. The audience loved what they thought was part of the special effects. "
Dan Jesse, Actor
1997 - The Mineola Twins
"The Hippodrome gave me street cred."
Tim Altmeyer, Actor
“Paula Vogel a Pulitzer Prize winning playwright and I struck up a familiarity. And when I was cast in her next play, The Mineola Twins, at the Hippodrome before its New York premiere, I remember how excited she was that I would be in it. She finally saw me—as an actor—and that meant everything. The Hippodrome gave me street cred.”
1997 - The Mineola Twins
"We did the premier of this Paula Vogel show. Mary Hausch directed and I was in the room. Paula Vogel was lovely - she wanted to see what other creatives did with the show - she always wanted to know: “what’s on your mind?” She said to me, no matter if this is good or not, in NYC - I will get blasted for it. The critics wanted her to write shows like her play How I Learned to Drive, but Twins was very different. And she was right too - they did not like Twins. But we had a great experience."
Lauren Caldwell, Actress
1998 - Rocky Horror Picture Show
"Ah, the times when we had lots and lots of funding. We had over 20 people in the cast of this classic. What fun! Oh god, I remember we had to check bookbags coming in to make sure people didn’t have things to throw on the stage Halloween in general - I think we got trapped in our halloween themed shows. We had several that were really strong, but we ran out of scripts. We were intimidated by UF football and trying to compete for attention in the fall. It was a theme that wore itself out after a while."
Lauren Caldwell, Artistic Director
2001 - Macbeth
"someone in the audience stood up and said, "I don't understand anything you're saying or doing!" Then they dramatically stormed out. We paused, looked at each other, then continued…”
Niall McGinty, Actor
“In 2001, the Hippodrome put on Shakespeare’s Macbeth. Tim Altmeyer was playing MacDuff and I was playing Ross. Just the two of us were on stage having a scene together and someone in the audience stood up and said, “I don’t understand anything you’re saying or doing!” Then they dramatically stormed out. We paused, looked at each other, then continued… The play goes on.”
2001 - A Christmas Carol
"I got to understudy Gregg Jones' Marley in A Christmas Carol in 2001, and I went on twice. It was a privilege and terrifying to get to play Marley to Rusty Salling's Scrooge.”
Niall McGinty, Actor
2002 - The Diary of Anne Frank
"To evoke the sense of confinement suffered by the families hiding from the Nazis, the actors remained in sight during the entire intermission, moving about the stage silently. ... Once, a talkative person chatted at me for several minutes without ever realizing I was not responding. She departed quite satisfied with the “conversation.”
Dan Jesse, Actor
“The Diary of Anne Frank was mounted by the Hippodrome in 2002, and I portrayed the father of Anne’s friend Peter. To evoke the sense of confinement suffered by the families hiding from the Nazis, the actors remained in sight during the entire intermission, moving about the stage silently. Most audience members grasped the concept, but others tried to engage the actors. They would eventually catch on and back away, although a few were briefly offended. Once, a talkative person chatted at me for several minutes without ever realizing I was not responding. She departed quite satisfied with the “conversation.”
2002 - The Diary of Anne Frank
"We decided early on that it wouldn’t feel right if the actors left the stage at intermission. Anne and her family were trapped in that space for years - it just wouldn’t be right. So we had a passage built into the set so when the actors went through the door for the bathroom onstage, they could squeeze out backstage and really run downstairs to use the bathroom. Otherwise, they were onstage the whole time. It was powerful. We had a great cast on a magnificent set telling a stunning story through strong storytelling. It was magical, and I wept every time I saw it.”
Lauren Caldwell, Artistic Director
“We found the newest adaptation we could find at the time. I met with every rabbi in town to better understand the living history of this horrific time period. They guided me and were with us in rehearsal. Their support and sharing made this show even more powerful. ”
2002 Anne Frank One City, One Story Project
I coordinated an Oral History project that year [as a part of the Anne Frank One City, One Story project with Tammy Dygert] in "which we interviewed community members who had survived hate and discrimination during World War 2. Their stories became part of the permanent collection at the UF Sam Proctor Oral History Archives."
Sandra Dietel, Education Coordinator
I began working with the Hippodrome Improvisation Teen Theatre (HITT) project part time as a Prevention Specialist. I came to the work because I had both a theatre and social work background. Eventually, I transitioned full time to the HIPP as the Assistant Director of Education.
I helped in the expansion of the HITT program and the grant compliance with that project, coordinated the statewide teen playfest, and coordinated and worked as a teacher and choreographer on our childrens’ programs: Summer Spectacular and Spring Break-A-Leg, and picked up different jobs here and there working on Mainstage shows.
I have many memories of sitting in the Education office with Bonnie Harrison, Gabrielle Byam, and Marcia Brown, mulling over something we’d just experienced in our outreach work. We were passionate about our work but we also made a lot of time to laugh!
I loved when I’d be sitting at my desk working and I could hear music and singing coming from the rehearsal room. Where else can you leave your desk to go to the bathroom and see a fully costumed man in drag walking down the hall?
I coordinated an Oral History project that year [as a part of the Anne Frank One City, One Story project with Tammy Dygert] in which we interviewed community members who had survived hate and discrimination during World War 2. Their stories became part of the permanent collection at the UF Sam Proctor Oral History Archives. We also worked with local photographer, Randy Batista, to take portraits of the community members. We created an exhibition of Batista’s portraits paired with audio of our survivors’ telling their stories that ran the length of our run of The Diary of Anne Frank. This is probably one of the best projects I’ve ever helped create and a wonderful example of how artists, academics and community members can come together to create meaningful work that greatly enhances our community and our understanding of the people in it.
2003 - The Carpetbagger's Children
"During one performance, a woman ducked under the bar which separates the audience from the actors, and she walked right through our living room. "
Catherine Fries Vaughn, Actress
“One of my favorite plays was The Carpetbagger’s Children (2003), written by Horton Foote and directed by Mary Hausch. The play takes place in the living room of three sisters whose father, a Union soldier, settled in Texas after the Civil War. I was privileged to work with veteran actors and dear friends, Sara Morsey, and Nell Page Rainsberger. The opening scene of the play takes place in the living room, and what is so wonderful about the way the Hipp is configured is that you have an audience on three sides of you. During one performance, a woman ducked under the bar which separates the audience from the actors, and she walked right through our living room. We all stopped for a moment before continuing our dialogue, and we had such a good laugh about that back in the dressing room!”
1997-2002 Educational Programs at the Hipp
"After graduate school at UF, I had the opportunity to work at the Hippodrome for 12 years. Partnering my love for educational theatre with my passion to perform made this a dream job. I had the privilege of working with wonderful directors and a myriad of actors from all over the country, with The Diary of Anne Frank and How I Learned to Drive topping my “favorites” list. As the Director of Education, I worked with 3 fabulous women who I still consider dear friends. As a team we developed a curriculum to serve youth through the Hippodrome Improvisational Teen Theatre and with 3 kids from the Loften Center won the best Service-Learning program in the nation and were able to do HIV prevention in 6 Caribbean countries under a partnership with FAVA/CA. Through our Teen Playwriting Festival, we produced an early play of Jonathan Rand who went on to establish Playscripts."
Bonnie Harrison, Director of Education
2003 - Romeo and Juliet
"I’ll never forget the look of the customers at Starbucks when Romeo started proclaiming his love to Juliet who appeared from behind the counter next to a barista."
Tammy Dygert, Program Manager
Perhaps one of my favorite memories was when I was able to stage “impromptu” balcony scenes from Romeo and Juliet at unconventional spaces around Gainesville as part of the One City One Story program. I think this might have been an early version of a flash mob. I’ll never forget the look of the customers at Starbucks when Romeo started proclaiming his love to Juliet who appeared from behind the counter next to a barista. Being able to engage community volunteers behind a shared purpose that connects story and people is at the heart of educational theatre.
2003 - The Play About The Baby
"In 2003 I was in a production of Albee's The Play About The Baby and was inducted into the Hipp's no clothes club with a scene where I was just wearing a cowboy hat!"
Niall McGinty, Actor
Pictures by Micheal A. Eaddy