Meet the people responsible for the polished, professional programming that take place on Dayton Live’s stages

Before the curtain rises. Before the spotlights cast their glow on the stage. Before the bourbon is splashed over the ice cubes. Before the Arts Garage attendant takes the bills. Before any Dayton Live show begins, an entirely different production is taking place behind closed doors. Let’s take a look at the roles off-stage that ensure every experience at a performance at the Schuster Center, PNC Arts Annex, Loft Theatre or Victoria Theatre is a memorable one.

Janice Potter, Production Manager

Janice Potter says an early childhood trip to the Victoria Theatre to see The Velveteen Rabbit left her so inspired by the world created for her and the other children in the audience that day that she chased that dream to her current role at Dayton Live. “I remember the beautiful lobby of the Victoria, the feel of the green velvet seats and the way I felt when the lights went out and the show began,” she says.

Today, Potter is the production manager for Dayton Live. “My job is to make sure all the technical aspects of a show are completed safely, on time and under budget,” she says. “I work with productions (local and touring) before they get to the theater to determine their needs. I oversee the execution of all the productions’ requirements and work closely with the stage crew to ensure they know their goals and priorities for each call and to resolve any problems.”

Potter says although her job is constantly changing with new challenges presented by different artists and touring companies, she relishes thinking out each new puzzle. “Because every show is different, I continually have the opportunity to learn new things, find new solutions and solve problems,” she says. “I love solving problems!”

The end of each show sends Potter right back to the memory of a little girl feeling the plush seats and watching the curtain rise. “I love the mornings when the streets around the theater are lined with school buses and the theater is filled with school children, maybe experiencing theater for the very first time,” she says.

Todd Knopp, Head Carpenter

Having worked at Dayton Live since 1992, Todd Knopp has had a lot of experience ensuring the physical properties of the stage and set themselves are in tip-top condition—not only for the enjoyment of the patrons but for the safety of the cast and crew using those facilities.

“As the head carpenter of the Victoria Theatre, my responsibilities include maintaining a safe work environment and ensuring that crew members are working safely, including following fire codes and implementing alarm systems, ensuring all rigging and overhead equipment is in good working condition, and tools of our trade are being used as intended,” he says.

Knopp also works with heads of other departments, and makes repairs to stage and stage equipment, as well as ongoing preventive maintenance. Most of the touring shows come with their own sets, and Knopp has to assign where and how production elements are to be hung, or “flown,” as it’s called in industry terms. Knopp toured with the road crew that worked with the Dayton Ballet before settling into his current role with Dayton Live.

“With all production jobs, there are so many different unexpected experiences that you encounter through the years that you learn from, and then you simply have to find a solution for each one of them,” he says.

At the end of every performance, Knopp is there to close the curtain, and he says that feeling is what kept him coming back to work at the theater for the past 30 years. “One of the many things I like mostly about my job is when I run the grand drape down at the end of every show that the cast and crew have performed, and I hear the roar of the crowd, happy that they have escaped from the reality of their normal life for a two-hour adventure that you can only get with live theater,” he says. “It still makes me smile every time.”

Stephanie Radford, Education Director

Dayton native Stephanie Radford says she’s excited to return to the Gem City as Dayton Live’s education director. Radford says the personal connections she forges on and off stage aren’t just impactful for the students. “I love to see the confidence and other social skills people learn in theater, but I love watching people make friends more,” she says. “Finding someone like yourself when you’re feeling your loneliest—theater is great for that.”

Theater can be a transformative experience, not just for the audience watching for two hours, but for the people portraying the roles on stage. Radford says she really enjoys this aspect of her job, particularly for the youth programs she leads. She recalls one powerful instance where she helped pull one of her students out of his shell.

“During the very first day, he said he was there because his mom made him come,” she says. “The third day of the class, he was sitting with friends at dinner, volunteering to introduce songs and sharing about his experience. Moments like that also make me cry.”

Radford says she is looking forward to helping her students—children, teens and adults—in finding themselves on stage in the years to come. “I’m just beginning my time at Dayton Live, so I’m sure I will make many more memories.”

Harley Blankenship, Property Manager

Harley Blankenship started his 30-year career at Dayton Live with an entry-level position and has since worked his way up to his current role as property manager. Dayton Live’s grand performance spaces wouldn’t look so keen without the attention of Blankenship, who oversees the tall order of managing custodial for all venues, and all setups for events and performances.

Blankenship credits the transformative power of the arts as his impetus for continuing in his line of work. “As a small child I was at an in-school presentation about opera,” he says. “It showed me there was a different world than what I knew. I love knowing I’ve helped facilitate that for many others in my years with Dayton Live.”

Andi Trzeciak, Dresser and Wardrobe Business Agent

All productions that have costumes will require someone to wrangle that wardrobe, ensuring each outfit is properly cleaned and fitted for every performance. Andi Trzeciak serves as the dresser as well as the business agent for the local wardrobe union, an arm of the International Stagehand Union. “The dressers are the people who work backstage, in dressing rooms and in the laundry room to prepare and repair costumes and dress actors during each show,” Trzeciak says. “We work with the touring production staff to make sure that anything to do with costumes and clothing is done well.”

One of the more challenging aspects of Trzeciak’s job is that she really has to know her way around the costumes as many quick-changes happen in the dark. “We all carry some kind of flashlight with us. We used to have lights on lanyards around our necks backstage, and when we needed to see better to read our notes or to zip or button someone quickly, we put the lights in our mouths so our hands could be free for work,” she says.

Despite the challenges and late shifts, Trzeciak says she wouldn’t trade her experiences for anything. “I have absolutely loved being a dresser and getting to work with so many people with big personalities. I have irreplaceable relationships with my fellow dressers, hair stylists, performers and crew members, and there is a catalog of amazing memories in my head, things that cannot be duplicated in any other line of work,” she says.

Crystal Flippin, Ticketing Manager

Most days, Crystal Flippin brokers seats for Dayton Live performances. Other days, she’s rocketing down a zip line in a bear costume to promote an upcoming lecture series or sorting guests into mythical regions for an interactive performance. It’s easy to say no two days are alike for Dayton Live’s ticketing manager.

Flippin says most people recognize the work she and her agents perform at the box office, but it’s actually much more technically challenging than folks imagine. “I think the most surprising thing about my job by far is the number of different companies and performances that we get to work with,” she says. “While we sell tickets all on the Dayton Live website, we actually work for many different companies and organizations—local, national and, sometimes, international. Every company/performance brings its own unique experience to the area. It is amazing to see the range of performances that want to come to the Dayton area because we have such great audiences!”

Like most of her colleagues (and Lady Gaga), Flippin lives for the applause. “Nothing beats seeing the awe and wonder in a child’s eyes when they walk through the doors of the Victoria Theatre for the first time, or their excitement when they find the ‘secret’ hidden in the Rike’s Holiday Window displays,” she says. “I love that we get to provide those unforgettable experiences for our community.”