Retired Art Teacher Adds a Little Flair to Her Community
It's a typical Tuesday morning for Holly Wilson-Perrotto. She is spending the first few hours of her day at the thrift store, pawing through moth-eaten prom dresses and 1980s jumpsuits, searching for hidden treasures she may be able to use later on. Unlike the other customers, however, she isn't shopping for her own wardrobe.
This morning, Holly is attempting to restock the Carriage House, the nearly 50-year-old renovated barn that her theatre company uses to store their costumes. Much like every other day, Holly is devoting this morning to her brain child, Theatre '90. In spite of the tremendous time commitment, Holly swears it's a labor of love that she wouldn't give up for anything in the world
Theatre '90, named for the year it was initiated to the Syracuse theatre scene, is actually the result of a collaboration between Wilson-Perrotto and her husband, Michael. "I do the artistic side of things, like choreographing and directing. Michael does the business side, setting up venues, and advertising," says Wilson-Perrotto. Theatre '90, lovingly called T'90 by devotees, started out as a small venture, doing a small variety show-type production called "23 Skidoo." But within the past 23 years, it has grown into one of the most critically acclaimed and respected theatre companies in the Central New York area, involving the cooperation and talents of hundreds of people.
Wilson-Perrotto, born and raised in the Baldwinsville, New York area, where she still lives, was employed as an art teacher at Palmer Elementary School, also in Baldwinsville, but recently retired to focus all of her energies on her theatre company.
But what would possess an art teacher in a small suburb to start a theatre company in the first place? "Michael and I have always loved performing and I've dreamed of seeing my creations brought to life on stage forever. When we finally got our feet on the ground, and got the money together, we thought, 'What do we have to lose?,'" Wilson-Perrotto explains.
Theatre '90 caters to every kind of audience and Wilson-Perrotto seems to pride herself on how child-proof her shows are."We have entire families involved in every aspect of production. The father will be moving set pieces, the mother will be sewing costumes or helping out at the box office, while the daughter will be dancing up a storm in the show itself. We thrive on stuff like that," says Holly.
The company holds open auditions for the general public and according to Wilson-Perrotto, they get "all kinds." Holly remembers the most unusual audition of her stint as artistic director with a laugh: "We had a man come in flippers and sing 'Splish Splash' once. That was interesting. We get at least five 13-year-old girls at each audition thinking they're Britney Spears. Some people don't understand the difference between live theatre and American Idol."
Wilson-Perrotto has obviously seen many dreams become a reality in her line of work. She says her most prized accomplishment, however, is her winning the SAMMY award with her colleague Sharee Lemos for their collaborative production of "Phantom" in 1997. The "Syracuse Area Music" award was awarded to them for "Best Theatre Venture of the Year" and is voted on by the community. "The fact that one of our shows stuck out in people's minds was a great feeling."
Although Holly claims an emotional attachment to each of her productions to date, she credits "Annie" and "Wizard of Oz" to be among her favorites. Not having her own children, these shows act as a kind of catharsis for her, she says."Working with children is always a big plus for me. I've done 'Annie' three times in the past 20 years. People keep bringing their children back to see it again and again. I'll keep giving it to them until they tell me they're sick of it," she says, with a laugh.
At the moment, Theatre '90 is in the midst of launching one of the most ambitious shows they've ever put on: "Jekyll and Hyde." "This show's so intimidating because of how high-profile it is. The national tour just ended, it's been on Broadway for years, and there are televised versions of it all over the place. People know what this show is supposed to look like and that's a lot of pressure for us. So far, it's gotten rave reviews, though, and it looks beautiful so we're all really excited."
What's next in store for Holly's little society of players? "I can't tell you all our secrets!" she says, with a devious smile. "You'll find out when everyone else does. Do you want to be on our mailing list?"
This story contributed by Katrina Needham.
