Penn State Centre Stage — March 2026
Director: John Simpkins
PSM: Adam Behr
ASM: PJ Jobson
Scenic Design: Sarah Bidini
Costume Design: Chelsea Ann
Sound Design: Maeve Gorham
Lighting Design: Trey Middleton
For this new musical, I was in charge of tracking over 250 props and scenic elements. Since the audience was so physically close to the stage, being sure that everything was laid out correctly and realistically was a priority, particularly in the family home. During tech and performances, one of the greatest challenges was physically fitting all needed furniture backstage, as well as preparing all of the consumables, which included red wine in bottles, a Manhattan in a shaker, and mashed potatoes.
We utilized pneumatic casters in three of our scenic units, the largest of which was the bar unit. This was used as the kitchen bar, and when the false top was taken off it could be turned into the bar for two different restaurants. We managed consumables of all sorts, and had to clean and prepare 5 plates, over 20 glasses, 4 wine bottles, as well as 7 paper cups and a napkin for an Eggo waffle. This production had a cast of 20, and 6 total backstage crew members. Throughout this production we also worked very closely with the writers of the show, which was a fantastic experience.
All photo credits to Trey Middleton or Caleb Craig.
PJ Jobson 