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Can We Squeeze the Milky Way Inside a Black Box?

and why you need to see Diary of a Wimpy Kid 💪

Author

Ben Thietje
February 24, 2025 • Est. Reading Time: 7 minutes

Hello!

Welcome to The Flying P, a weekly newsletter covering your Phipps Center for the Arts and anything else I might want to throw your way.

Okay. You got me.
I missed another week. It’s the Mondays, folks; they’re killin’ me :)
So, starting next week, The Flying P will hit your inbox on Thursdays. Will that be the perfect day of the week? Who can say. But there’s a 90% chance it’ll be better than Monday.

This issue has…

  • 🎤 Booth Info
    tour the techie’s home away from home

  • 💪 A Wimpy Recommendation
    these kids, you guys!

  • 🌌 The Milky Way
    come see a show in the round

red squiggly content break
CHILDREN’S THEATRE

Wimpy Kid is strong!

two kids smiling and posing on stage in a musical

this photo by Molly Weibel is A+++

I promised that the P wouldn’t be a promotional newsletter, but today I simply have to ask: have you seen Wimpy Kid yet?

This is one of the best theatrical productions I’ve seen since I started at the PCA in June of 2023 (it might even be #1). The designs, as usual, are amazing. The direction is solid. The musical itself is so much fun (it nearly made the jump to Broadway y’all). And the kids — can we talk about these kids? Each and every one of them is playing such a silly but grounded character. It’s wonderfully honest, which you don’t often get with adult actors, let alone high school students.

Anyway, if you don’t have your tickets yet, you’re running out of time. This thing closes on Sunday. Bring a kiddo or just show up by yourself. Either way, you’re unlikely to regret the decision.

a young actor singing on stage

saaaangin’

PHIPPS TOP 9
best-selling upcoming events this season by tickets sold…

1. Diary of a Wimpy Kid (previously: 1)
2. Silent Sky (previously: 2)
3. Phipps Dance Company (previously: 5)
4. Underneath the Lintel, or: The Mystery of the Abandoned Trousers (previously: 3)
5. The SpongeBob Musical (previously: 4)
6. A Wurlitzer Red White and Blue Spectacular (previously: 7)
7. Cabaret Night at the Phipps - spring (previously: 8)
8. Stand-Up Junior (previously: 9)

BETTER HURRY LIST
best-selling upcoming events this season by percent sold
(i.e., closest to being sold out)…

1. Diary of a Wimpy Kid (previously: 4)
2. Underneath the Lintel, or: The Mystery of the Abandoned Trousers (previously: 2)
3. Cabaret Night at the Phipps - spring (previously: 3)
4. Phipps Dance Company (previously: unlisted)
5. A Wurlitzer Red White and Blue Spectacular (previously: 5)

as of 2/24/25
SAUSAGE-MAKING

You can’t handle the booth

a theatrical house with a red circle

JHP booth

a black box theater space with a red circle

black box booth

Have you ever watched a Phipps show and wondered how everyone knows where they’re supposed to be and what they’re supposed to be doing? These shows are often massive undertakings. And yet, most of the time these productions — whether it’s Wimpy Kid or an Andrews Sisters concert — go off without a hitch.

ALL HAIL THE FOLKS IN THE BOOTH!

Each of our venues has a tech booth (see red circles above), and inside each of these tech booths are the people who run the show. In the case of a theatrical production, this group includes a stage manager, probably a couple volunteers running the sound and light boards, maybe a spotlight operator is up there, etc. — all of them peeking through those little windows to make sure you’re having a good time.

If you’re interested in this sort of thing, you can learn more and get a tour of these spaces at Phipps Community Day, coming to a PCA near you in April.

a theatrical tech booth

the JHP booth

a theatrical tech booth

the black box booth

No gallery pieces this week, as the galleries are closed for maintenance.
🛠

THEATRE

So much “space!”

black box stage in the round with the Milky Way painted on it

here comes the Milky Way

Quick sneak peek time!
Here’s an aerial view of our stage for the upcoming production of Silent Sky.

As you can see, it’s configured “in the round,” which means the performers will have audience on all four sides — a rare configuration, especially for the Phipps. You’ll definitely want to attend in order to see how that feels.

And look at that: our very own Milky Way galaxy will be front and center on this one. Kudos to Julie Lasonczyk, our super-talented scenic charge, for making that happen. You’re going to love the designs in this one!

Talk to you next week!

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