Getting to Know Her. Getting to Know All About Her…
The Muni’s New President,
Diane Hoots
by Alexa Giacomini, Member – Muni Board of
Managers
AG: Tell us about how you got started with The Muni…
DH: The first Muni
show I saw was Evita (1985) with
Nancy Diefenback. I was mesmerized. It was a beautiful show, visually and
musically. I remember thinking, “I’d love to be part of that!” A few years
later, Laurie and Dennis O’Brien gave me the opportunity to help backstage with
The Wizard of Oz (1996). I’ve been
backstage ever since.
AG: People often talk about The Muni Magic. What does that mean to you? Do you have a favorite
Muni story that reflects that ideal?
DH: I think The Muni Magic comes from the people at The
Muni. It is the collective talent, passion, and creativity harnessed to make imagination
come alive on stage. Most of all, it is caring. The Muni people care about
musical theatre and about those with whom they collaborate.
I have several favorite Muni
stories, but the first one that always comes to mind is about a young woman who
auditioned for the first time. She was so nervous that she froze and forgot the
words to her song. One of the vocal directors smiled and started singing the
song along with her to give her confidence. Before I knew it, the entire
audience (this was back in the days of open auditions) was singing with the
woman. When she finished, she got a standing ovation. Everyone in the room
appreciated her courage.
AG: Speaking of auditions, as a former chair of the
auditions committee, do you have any wisdom you’d like to impart for those
gearing up to audition for The Muni’s 2015 Season?
DH: Just do it! The Muni
is the most fun you will ever have… if you put your heart into it. I save
vacation time every year just to be at The Muni. It’s a blast, and the 2015
Season promises to be one of our best!
AG: Describe your path to becoming President of
The Muni.
DH: The Muni
environment is all about mentoring and supporting each other and my list of
mentors is extensive (too many to list them all.) Key to my involvement in the
organization are (current and former Board members) Steve Kaplan, Laurie
O’Brien, Marj Berchtold, Scott Viniard, Mike Rogers and Dennis O’Brien. I also
owe a lot to Nancy Whalen, Marge Roth, and Tom Shrewsbury (all now deceased) for
their encouragement and support. I miss them.
I don’t think anyone can be
thoroughly versed in all aspects of a diverse organization like The Muni. We
are constantly growing, changing, and improving. These are a few of our
strengths and also our challenges. Fortunately, no one person has to know it
all. We are a team effort, like a cast on the stage, with everyone playing his
or her part and making a contribution. I will never know all there is to know
about The Muni, but it’s a fascinating topic so I will keep trying! The biggest
obstacle I had to overcome in becoming President was myself, being nervous that
I wouldn’t do a good job. I’m not so sure I’m over that one yet. Maybe in a
year . . .
AG: What plans do you have for your year as President? Any
exciting new developments you can share?
DH: Some presidents
come in with specific goals in mind, but I don’t think I have any particular
ones that are revolutionary. I’d like to continue to grow the The Muni experience
for our audience members, like reinstituting the opening night reception. I saw
how much fun guests had during the picture-taking sessions after the show for Shrek The Musical (2014). The opening
night reception at the top of the hill will allow us to capture some of that
fun for every show.
I would also like to continue with
our plans to improve the backstage area for cast. For the past couple years, The
Muni’s Board of Managers and Trustees have been discussing possible ways to
improve the site. Hopefully, I can help move those talks along to begin making
them a reality. Our cast members generously give us so much of their time and
talent; I’d like to make the backstage area as nice as we can to show our
appreciation to them.
AG: As a volunteer organization, The Muni is always looking
for new people to get involved in all aspects of the organization. What advice
do you have to newcomers on how to get involved?
DH: There are so many
ways to get involved with The Muni. You can find out about volunteer
opportunities on our "Volunteer
at The Muni" page and, if you find something that you’d like to do,
complete our Volunteer Form
to let us know of your interest. Also, during show season, don’t hesitate to
walk up to the House Manager, Head Cashier or other Muni Board Member (identifiable
by our purple Muni nametags) and tell us you want to get involved.
I have to tell you, volunteering
to help out onsite during a show is fun! Come out to the site prepared to meet
new people of all ages, and allow yourself to get caught up in the excitement
and anticipation before the show begins.
AG: The 2015 Season marks The Muni’s 50th
Anniversary of its lakeside amphitheatre. Any stories you’d like to share about the
theatre itself and what it has meant to you?
DH: We are still
talking about what we can do to mark the 50th anniversary of
uninterrupted seasons at our site, which is really a beautiful place, by the
way. I recently talked to some Springfieldians who were seeing our site for the
first time, and they were amazed at the lush, park-like setting.
We talk about Muni being a family,
which harkens back to what I said earlier about The Muni being about the people
who care about each other and the art they create at our site. We ARE a family,
and that is what has meant the most to me. I don’t have a large family anymore but
I do because I have my Muni family, and the site is our home-away-from-home. We
play like family, work like family, care about each other like family, and,
yes, we can even bicker and make up like family!
AG: As one of The Muni’s resident “Make-up
Experts”, what goes in to planning the makeup design and execution for a show?
DH: The process for
designing and doing makeup and hair depends on the show. Shows like The Wizard of Oz and Disney’s Beauty and the Beast involve more time and challenge that something
more straightforward like State Fair. Most of the challenges I face are common to
any outdoor summer theatre venue, like getting makeup to stay on when
performers are perspiring profusely!
One of my favorite memories involves
Steve Williams who played the Beast (Disney’s
Beauty and the Beast 2005). We met every evening at the director’s
air-conditioned house to apply Steve’s prosthetics and makeup. Then each of us
drove our cars to The Muni to get him into costume for the show. One evening, I
followed Steve and watched as a police car drew up in the lane beside his car.
I was close enough at the stoplight to see the face of the officer as he
casually glanced at the driver of the car next to him – and his eyes widen when
he saw the face of that driver. I was still laughing when we finally arrived at
The Muni!
AG: What is the one thing that most people
don’t know about The Muni that you want them to know?
DH: Well, I hope most
people know this already, but if they don’t… The Muni is important! The fine
arts are important! I’ve seen so many young people grow up at The Muni. They
start as young kids in a chorus and become accomplished, talented, confident,
responsible adults before our eyes.
The “Muni kids” are special; they
learn quickly about teamwork, dedication, hard work, persistence and
goal-setting. They show courage when they come to auditions and they show
commitment when they come to rehearsals every night when it sometimes might be
more fun (but less productive) to hang out with their friends every night. They
become part of something exciting and work as a team with the rest of the cast
to share that excitement with strangers sitting in the audience. They work hard
building sets and cleaning up the site; and they walk away at the end of the
season with a new sense of accomplishment, new friends from all age groups and
professions, and, hopefully, an awakened passion for the arts.
AG: Tell us a little about your life outside of The Muni.
DH: I keep pretty
busy, but I have several passions that are my focus. One is, of course, The
Muni. Another is my “job”. I use quotes because I really don’t think of it as
work most of the time. I have a wonderful, rewarding job working for the State
doing emergency management – planning for, preparing for, and responding to
emergencies, such as tornadoes, floods, and winter storms. I’m not one of the
heroes who go into the collapsed house or out into a blizzard (and those folks are
true heroes, believe me). But I’m one of the people who stay in the background
and make sure those heroes have the equipment they need. The job is so great
because, when someone is having one of the worst days of their life, I can make
a difference. In my spare time (what
little of it there is), I also love to cook, do needlework, and design and make
my own jewelry.
The most important person in my
life is my daughter. She makes it possible for me to stay as busy as I am
because she holds down the fort at home – taking care of pets, doing laundry,
dishes, etc. She is my cheerleader and confidence-builder. We are a team!
