In the heat of July, when Samantha Wellenbring is busy stage managing Pinewood Bowl’s production of Annie, she’ll be able to fall back on the knowledge she’s gained in Nebraska Wesleyan’s theatre department, and the experiences shared with her from a successful alumnus.
Wellenbring, who will be a senior this fall, is a double major in theatre design technology and history at NWU. She was one of several NWU theatre students who recently got an insider’s view of the work behind the scenes at one of the world’s largest and most complex productions. That insider was Eoghan Hartley (’16), who returned to his alma mater to share his experience as an assistant stage manager on The Christmas Spectacular Starring the Radio City Rockettes at Radio City Music Hall in New York City.
Hartley spoke and shared video from his work on the iconic holiday show for two hours, giving NWU students a glimpse into the world of a professional stage manager.
“Beforehand, I would ask friends from other schools in the area about their experiences and tag along with them,” Willenbring said. “So getting that here and seeing that it’s one of our alums who was able to do this makes it even more inspiring.”
Hartley earned a BFA in directing from NWU before taking on a variety of roles in regional theatres on the East Coast. His break with the Rockettes came in 2023, his first year as an assistant stage manager for the production, and he’ll return for his fourth season this fall.
“The one thing that Wesleyan really, really taught me was the importance of work ethic and just, when you are given a job to do, putting your whole energy to that,” Hartley said. “At Nebraska Wesleyan, we were putting our whole heart into it, and I think that’s something that’s really served me well. People in the theatre industry notice hard work.”
Wellenbring’s hard work will be on display this summer, when she leads a group of 41 actors as the stage manager for Annie at Lincoln’s Pinewood Bowl July 9-12 and 16-18. When August rolls around, she’ll bring that real-world experience back to NWU for her senior year.
“I definitely want to pursue stage management post-college, whether that's touring, whether that's regional, or local,” Wellenbring said. “Seeing how someone from the Midwest was able to get to New York was just really inspiring, and it makes it seem more possible and less of a daunting task.”