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The Shop is Sneaky
and the best place to nap at the Phipps. š“
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.
Have you seen Wicked yet? Have you seen Prancer yet? Did you see the Membersā Spotlight exhibition?
If itās a ānoā three times, we need to talk.

This issue hasā¦
š» A pit tour
weāre back to the weird basementš Lotsa furniture
Prop Storage 1 is full of surprisesš· A sneaky photo
the shop folks are funny

WEIRD BASEMENT CHRONICLES
Orchestra pit sans orchestra

Itās been a while since weāve explored the weird basement, so letās dive back in!
Although we havenāt used it in a while, the John H. Potter Theater does have an orchestra pit. Hereās what it looks like.

steps leading to the PCAās pit
Up the stairs and once inside, youāll see that we currently use the pit to store a few larger pieces of scenic furniture and things.

probably a great place for a nap
Those sections of the ceiling are actually the JHPās stage. Theyāre removable so when you have live musicians, the area can open up and allow them to be heard.
āSo Ben, why is the orchestra pit now used to house furniture?ā
Great question. The short answer: budget.
Good musicians are expensive and itās more cost effective to purchase the pre-recorded tracks and use them for our musicals.
I know, I knowā¦I also prefer live musicians. My hope is that weāll soon get back to being able to use the orchestra pit for its true purpose. š¤
PHIPPS TOP 10
best-selling upcoming events this season by tickets soldā¦
1. Prancer (previously: 1)
2. A Brass & Organ Holiday (previously: 2)
3. Colleen Rayeās NYE (previously: 3)
4. Diary of a Wimpy Kid (previously: 4)
5. Kick the Bucket List (previously: 5)
6. The Andrews Sisters Onstage: a Jen Burleigh-Bentz production (previously: 6)
7. Silent Sky (previously: 7)
8. Underneath the Lintel, or: The Mystery of the Abandoned Trousers (previously: 8; 2nd SHOW ADDED)
9. Cantus (previously: 9)
10. The SpongeBob Musical (previously: 10)
BETTER HURRY LIST
best-selling upcoming events this season by percent sold
(i.e., closest to being sold out)ā¦
1. Prancer (previously: 1)
2. Kick the Bucket List (previously: 3)
3. A Brass & Organ Holiday (previously: 2)
4. Colleen Rayeās NYE (previously: 5)
5. The Andrews Sisters Onstage: a Jen Burleigh-Bentz production (previously: 4)
WEIRD BASEMENT CHRONICLES
Prop Storage 1: so much better than its name

yes, it needs a better name
Right around the corner from the orchestra pit is another fun room (with an unfun name): Prop Storage 1.
This room houses much of our larger furniture items. Think a couch, an old hutch, a 1970s TV, etc.

alllllll the furniture

so well organized!
Fun fact about Prop Storage 1: in addition to housing couches and chairs, itās also the location of the JHPās trap. See the pic below.

not sure how it works; donāt ask me
Again, the ceiling here is the JHPās stage floor. Remove a portion and an actor can disappear like magic. THEATRE MAGIC!
Next time you see a Phipps production where we utilize the trap, please act very amazed and pretend I didnāt show this to you. š
š
my favorite gallery piece of the week
Weāre in changeover mode this week at the PCA.
Check back next week for a brand new exhibition (which opens Friday)!
BACKSTAGE
Some backstage sneaky peeks

DO NOT TOUCH
On my way back to the office after escaping the weird basement, I stopped backstage to get you some SUPER SECRET SNEAK PEEKS.
First: some very fun food props being set aside for our upcoming production of Diary of a Wimpy Kid. You can take a look, but as the sign says DO NOT TOUCH. Thanks in advance.

Then thereās the kitchen set piece from our current production of Prancer. Looks nice, right? Nothing out of the ordinar ā wait a secondā¦

Whatāsā¦something seems a little fishyā¦

sneaky sneaky
Yup. Franklin Hart from the PCAās 2023 production of 9 to 5 the Musical. š
Is your brain ready to work overtime?
Hereās The Flying P(uzzle).
š

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Talk to you on the 28th!

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