{"id":98361,"date":"2026-04-14T04:00:10","date_gmt":"2026-04-14T08:00:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/?p=98361"},"modified":"2026-04-15T08:38:49","modified_gmt":"2026-04-15T12:38:49","slug":"utoledo-theatre-senior-shines-spotlight-on-behind-the-scenes-magic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/04_14_2026\/utoledo-theatre-senior-shines-spotlight-on-behind-the-scenes-magic","title":{"rendered":"UToledo Theatre Senior Shines Spotlight on Behind-the-Scenes Magic"},"content":{"rendered":"

One of the bright stars of UToledo\u2019s latest stage production of \u201cThe Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical<\/a>\u201d works behind the curtain.<\/p>\n

Abby Papenfus, a senior studying theatre<\/a> with a minor in communication<\/a>, shines in the spotlight backstage as one of its hardworking stage managers.<\/p>\n

\"Graduation

CELEBRATING SUCCESS: UToledo recognizes the Class of 2026 with a series of stories featuring students receiving their degrees at spring commencement<\/a>.<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been so fun and I\u2019ve learned so much,\u201d Papenfus said. \u201cWith musicals, there\u2019s a whole separate challenge of coordinating music, and this show also adds fight choreography, so that\u2019s been a whole lot.\u201d<\/p>\n

Papenfus works in the shop of the Department of Theatre and Film and helps set the scene for the action-packed, mythical adventures of a half-blood son of a Greek god on a quest to prove his innocence after Zeus\u2019 master lightning bolt is stolen.<\/p>\n

Before the actors ever set foot on stage, Papenfus works her own magic.<\/p>\n

\u201cI help my backstage crew get all the props set up, we prepare the stage and then we call the actors to fight and dance just to make sure nothing goes wrong on stage,\u201d Papenfus said. \u201cThey get mic checked and then I help my crew get the stage right before we open the show. Then it\u2019s basically showtime.\u201d<\/p>\n

A student of dance for 12 years, Papenfus had initially planned to pursue a dancing career, but changed her mind as college approached. While she was a senior at Bowsher High School, Papenfus made the rounds touring local universities to find the right fit.<\/p>\n

UToledo stood out as her clear choice.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe University of Toledo felt the most welcoming to me,\u201d Papenfus said. \u201cI also received a pretty good scholarship for having a really high GPA in high school, so that also made me decide to go here.\u201d<\/p>\n

When she first learned of UToledo\u2019s theatre department, Papenfus had ambitions to be an actor. During her freshman year, she auditioned for a couple of shows but was not cast. Still, her strengths did not escape notice.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy professors were like, \u2018Hey \u2013 we see the kind of drive you have and think you would be a really good stage manager,\u2019\u201d Papenfus said. \u201cSo, then I tried it and now I\u2019m here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Papenfus credits her professors for recognizing her potential as a stage manager and pushing her out of her comfort zone to try new things and find the path that was right for her.<\/p>\n

\u201cAbby is one of the best stage managers I\u2019ve worked with since coming to University of Toledo in 2007,\u201d said Dr. Ed Lingan, associate dean of the Judith Herb College of Arts, Social Sciences and Education and professor of theatre studies and directing. \u201cHer work ethic and commitment are immense, and she is one of those stage managers who knows her craft so well that she usually knows what the director, cast, and production team need even before they ask.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Department of Theatre and Film<\/a> is housed at the Center for Performing Arts on UToledo\u2019s main campus where students access state-of-the-art facilities and grow familiarity with all aspects of the discipline.<\/p>\n

\"Onstage

Graduating Saturday, May 2, Abby Papenfus is ready to pursue a career in stage management after earning her bachelor of arts degree in theatre with a minor in communication.<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cIn the theatre department, your path is really free,\u201d Papenfus said. \u201cEven if you are an actor, you still learn about other areas like lights and sound because it\u2019s very essential.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another essential facet of theater Papenfus tackled was event promotion. As part of earning an undergraduate social media certificate<\/a> with her minor in communication, she helped jumpstart Instagram<\/a> and TikTok<\/a> accounts for the Department of Theatre and Film.<\/p>\n

\u201cI make sure to post behind-the-scenes photos and the process of a show through rehearsals. I think it\u2019s fun to give people those insights because then it keeps them more engaged,\u201d she said. \u201cWe\u2019ve reached over 30,000 [people] in the last 90 days, so the outreach has been incredible and it\u2019s definitely been making a huge difference,\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical\u201d<\/a> runs from April 9 to 11 and April 17 to 19. The opening preview night performance has already sold out and tickets for the other dates are selling quickly, thanks in part to Papenfus\u2019s storytelling on social media.<\/p>\n

After graduation, Papenfus is excited to start her role at Tibbits Opera House<\/a> as the stage manager for the main stage of their summer stock season. It\u2019s an opportunity she cultivated during her time at UToledo.<\/p>\n

In 2024, Brian Sage joined the theatre department as guest director for \u201cSilent Sky\u201d and Papenfus was his stage manager for the show. When she mentioned she was interested in finding summer work, Sage recommended her for a role at Tibbits Opera House in Coldwater, Michigan, which she got.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was the stage manager for their theatre for young audiences last summer,\u201d Papenfus said \u201cI was really nervous at first, but I realized the work was really similar to everything that I was already doing. Everything just kind of fell into place.\u201d<\/p>\n

Since Papenfus already had five shows of stage management experience at UToledo, she felt well prepared to tackle the fast pace and demands of professional theatre.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think putting me into that role very early helped build my confidence,\u201d Papenfus said. \u201cI know what my next steps are. This is what I\u2019m supposed to be doing.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\"Onstage<\/a>

Graduating Saturday, May 2, Abby Papenfus is ready to pursue a career in stage management after earning her bachelor of arts degree in theatre with a minor in communication.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":858,"featured_media":98365,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[50,69,498,1,7],"tags":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/98361"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/858"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=98361"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/98361\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":98388,"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/98361\/revisions\/98388"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/98365"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=98361"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=98361"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=98361"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}