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14 • THE ARTISAN FALL 2025 Why do we go to the theater? We want to be entertained. We want to escape. We revel in seeing talented performers tell stories through song, dance and the spoken work live on stage. Sometimes we go to see our favorite actors. Maybe we just can't pass up the nostalgia of singing along to e Sound of Music or Les Misérables. For some, going to the theater has become a tradition on holidays or to celebrate special occasions, filled with a lifetime of memories. Have you ever asked someone, "What was the first theatrical show you attended?" People will often recall not only the show they saw, but what year, the theater, where they ate before, who they went with, where they sat, what they wore and a particularly powerful or entertaining moment in the show. The "piece de resistance" would have been an autograph on your playbill. The experience will be fondly etched into their memory forever. I've been working in the theater since the early 1980s and have had the good fortune to work on many shows and the pleasure of working with many talented performers, artists, and technicians. The shows come and go, but the people you work with and the experiences you share will be what stick with you long after. In the hair and make-up room where I work, we usually are the first and last crew they interact with. This happens for six days and eight shows a week. We get to know them. We hear about their lives. We can see them at their best and yes, sometimes their worst. Often we become a family of sorts. I believe backstage has a sort of magic unlike no other. Sometimes theater can be the vehicle to experience something unexpected. Earlier this year, Los Angeles and the Pasadena and Altadena areas suffered great devastation from fires. Houses, businesses, and schools were leveled. What came after was grief, loss, and emotions I cannot imagine. But what we also saw was organizations and regular citizens gather to help any way they could. Our IATSE Local 706 Make-Up Artists & Hair Stylists union in California did an amazing job reaching out to donate much needed items. It was truly inspiring to see how our community worked together. How did theater help? The Ahmanson Theater, located in Downtown Los Angeles, became aware that the students of Altadena Arts Magnet and Eliot Arts Magnet schools had lost their theater in the Eaton fire. The students had been rehearsing their spring show Shrek the Musical Jr. They didn't have a stage to perform on, but we sure did! The 2,100-seat Ahmanson Theater offered to open their stage to 60 VERY EXCITED students. The sets, lights, costumes. and wigs were donated free of charge by local businesses and IATSE union technicians assisted them in staging their production. Our house heads of each department, along with other IATSE crew members, volunteered their time for several technical rehearsals culminating in two soldout performances. You could just feel the energy of the students backstage. It was a mixture of anticipation, exhilaration, and a bit of healthy butterflies. PLACES were called. When the lights went down to signal the beginning of the show, the reaction of the crowd erupted. You could just feel the love and support. I looked around at all my fellow technicians and we were smiling from ear to ear. We were so happy for them. And now, CURTAIN UP! We pushed through each change as they came. The students were absolute pros. You could see their joy after each number as their audience applause fueled their energy. All of us adult technicians have done many shows throughout our careers. But I don't think I'll ever forget the looks on those students' faces as they came off from their curtain call. There were jumps of joy, laughter, and tears of jubilation about completing something that might never have been. I am so privileged to have been a part of something bigger than just another show. I realized that day why I work and go to the theater. SHOW NEWS by Mary J. Borgia Ahmanson Theater Makeup Supervisor Why I Go to the Theater " Sometimes theater can be the vehicle to experience something unexpected. " Altadena Arts Magnet and Eliot Arts Magnet students in Shrek: The Musical Jr. at the Ahmanson. Photo: Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times