Christine Lightcap embodies spirit, liveliness of Syracuse theater

By Lou Sorendo

She is the diva of Syracuse theater. Christine Lightcap’s illustrious career has included acting, directing and producing. She is widely regarded as one of the top theatrical talents in Syracuse.
Her lovely home in Manlius is filled with colorful publicity posters of shows she’s done in the past, and her trophy case is packed with awards that she has earned over the years.

Most notably, she earned a Lifetime Achievement Award from the SALT Academy—Syracuse Area Live Theater—and as actress-director-producer, she has been honored for “outstanding individual contributions to area theater” by the Syracuse Theater Alliance.

She is the founder and executive director of The Talent Company, a Syracuse-based semi-professional theater company.

Lightcap has presented over 200 productions at numerous venues including The Civic Center, Landmark Theater, Springside Inn, Three Rivers Inn, Turning Stone Casino & Resort, and NewTimes Theater and has toured numerous dinner theater shows to major hotels and restaurants throughout Central and Northern New York.

As an actress she has played leading roles in over 100 productions. She received her theatrical training at Syracuse University, as well as in New York City and Hollywood.

A member of Actors’ Equity and SAG, her work as an actress has taken her on both national and international tours, Off Broadway, and to regional theaters and summer stock. Other credits include dinner theater, film, industrials, and numerous radio and television commercials.

“I want to do what I love as much as I can for as long as I can,” she said during a recent interview at her Manlius home.

The Talent Company recently received 26 nominations at the 2009 SALT Awards Ceremony, including 14 for its production of “The Producers” which, among others, won the People’s Choice SALT Award for Best Production of the Year. Lightcap was also nominated for director of the year for “High School Musical” and for actress of the year.

The SALT Awards are “Syracuse’s answer to the Tony Awards,” Lightcap said. Celebrating its silver anniversary, The Talent Company has presented the CNY premieres of such Broadway hits as “A Chorus Line,” “Grease,” “Nunsense,” “Chicago,” “Footloose,” “The Full Monty,” and “Copacabana.”
The Talent Company had humble beginnings in 1984, starting with dinner theater at the Marriott in Syracuse and the Sheraton in Liverpool.

In 1985, Lightcap got a huge break when she received the rights to “A Chorus Line,” a show she has since produced multiple times.

The Talent Company was the first in the country to obtain the rights to “A Chorus Line” while it was still playing on Broadway. “It was very exciting to see the long line for auditions at the Civic Center,” she said. “The entire hall was filled with people there to audition, as well as news photographers and reporters.”
For the past 15 years, The Talent Company has produced at least three Broadway musicals a season at the NewTimes Theater located in the Art & Home Center at the New York State Fairgrounds.

Her legacy­­­—The NewTimes Theater, originally known as The Empire Theater, was created thanks to Lightcap’s efforts. She proudly heralds the creation of the theater as one of her foremost accomplishments.
The Talent Company formed an agreement with then fair director Wayne Gallagher to renovate the theater in exchange for a contract to produce shows.

“It was my dream theater. It cost Talent Company a fortune, but it was worth it. It was unique and beautiful. The Talent Company renovated the space by enlarging and building a proscenium stage, putting in equipment to accommodate scenery, curtains, and lights, and creating a three-terraced cabaret-style theater where audiences can sit comfortably and enjoy snacks and beverages at their tables.

The design in Lightcap’s head was transferred to blueprints and approved by the state. “It took months, but we made it just in time to open our first show there, ‘Damn Yankees,’ in 1994,” she said.

The theater’s name changed after Art Zimmer, publisher of the Syracuse New Times, became its sponsor.
Zimmer recently shared his thoughts in regards to the impact Lightcap has had on Syracuse community theater.

“In community theater, Chris along with Joe and Pat Lotito, who founded the Salt City Playhouse, have had more impact on community theater than any other people in Central New York,” Zimmer said. “Chris has been at it longer, has done more shows, and has done better shows than just about anyone else in community theater,” he added.

What makes her such a success? “She’s a perfectionist, and it drives the people she works with crazy. The end result is the best that is possible,” he added. “She strives for perfection in all aspects of the production.”

The down economy—The current recession has had a toll on the entertainment business, with live theater being no exception.

“Box office sales are down everywhere, including ours,” Lightcap said. In January and February of 2007, The Talent Company produced “High School Musical,” which proved highly successful.

“It sold out before we opened,” said Lightcap. “We put on 18 performances, added three more, and still had hundreds of people on a waiting list. The following summer when we re-mounted it, the show did not experience the same level of success. I’m sure the economy and gas prices of over $4 a gallon last summer played some part in this.”

Asked about the younger generation, Lightcap said, “They are not as ‘live theater-savvy’ as in the past. They’re more interested in spending $60 or $70 for a concert than $22 or $23 to go to live theater. It just doesn’t seem to interest them, unless maybe it’s ‘Hairspray’ or something like that,” she said.

What does Lightcap feel are the keys to drawing in new theater goers? “I wish I knew,” she said. “I try to bring in shows that I think people will enjoy, that are entertaining,” she said.
She notes that The Talent Company has always received excellent reviews from critics and audiences alike.
Despite efforts to drum up enthusiasm by word of mouth, mailers, and various advertising techniques, it’s difficult to draw new audiences.

“Maybe they just don’t care about seeing a particular show,” she said. “People say, ‘Do something new or different.’ However, there are shows that I can’t get the rights to, like ‘Hairspray’ and ‘Mama Mia,’ and others that are touring or enjoying Broadway revivals. The rights to ‘West Side Story,’ the show we’re doing this summer, were restricted until just recently, due to the Broadway revival.”

Lightcap’s hit list—Of all the Broadway hits that Lightcap has loved, she does have her favorites. “Phantom of the Opera” is certainly one, and her home has many images of the production in full view. “I saw it on Broadway four times, in London, and on tour,” she said.

She said she could never produce it because it would be cost prohibitive to do it right. It cost literally millions to originally produce on Broadway, mainly because of the show’s demand for elaborate pyrotechnics and special effects. The Majestic Theater needed to rebuild its roof to accommodate the pyrotechnics. “But I love the show,” she said.

Lightcap considers another of her personal favorites to be “A Chorus Line,” mainly because it is the quintessential show about the business of show business. “I’ve sat on both sides of the audition table, that is, as an actress, director, or producer. No matter what, during every rehearsal and performance, when Zach (the fictitious director in the show) says ‘We’re eliminating down!’ it just wipes me out.”

Why?—“Because this is a tough business. Everyone thinks that show business is glamorous, and I’m sure it can be. However, for the majority of performers, it’s all about perseverance and endurance in a business that hands out a lot of hard knocks and rejection,” Lightcap said.

“West Side Story” is another favorite, which The Talent Company has produced every five years since 1988, until last year when it was restricted due to the Broadway revival. The restriction was recently lifted, and Talent Company will be presenting its critically acclaimed production in July and August at the NewTimes Theater.

Lightcap recently spoke with Michael Amante, known as “The Fourth Tenor,” who performs in opera houses and concert halls around the world and has sung with Luciano Pavarotti. Michael played Tony for Talent Company’s first two productions of “West Side Story.”

Among the most challenging roles Lightcap has taken on was Mama Rose in “Gypsy,” when she defied a West Coast critic by pulling off a role he said she was too young to play, prior to the show’s opening. Furthermore, she had to absorb the role in only two weeks.

When his review of “Gypsy” came out, he opened it with “How unlike this critic to apologize in public,” and proceeded to give Lightcap a rave review. Another challenge was Dolly Gallagher Levi in Talent Company’s production of “Hello, Dolly!” a couple of years ago. Lightcap said she became terrified after seeing a picture of the many superstars who had played the role, including Carol Channing whom many people equate with Dolly. “They were all superstars and I am not. During a rehearsal, I suddenly realized I was playing Channing playing Dolly. I had to be me playing Dolly in order to be Dolly.” Lightcap won the SALT Award for best actress in a musical that year.

Her other favorite roles have been Agnes Gooch in “Mame,” Miss Hannigan in “Annie,” Mother Superior in “Nunsense, Jeanette in “The Full Monty,” Florence in the female version of “The Odd Couple” and Googie Gomez in “The Ritz.”

“I love comedy. I still remember a wonderful director who said, ‘It takes an onion to make you cry. It takes an actress to make you laugh.’ That has always stuck with me for whatever it’s worth. I want to make them laugh. I love comedy, and I love ‘shtick’. I’ve roller-skated on stage and fallen off so many chairs, beds, sofas and bar stools, it’s a wonder I haven’t broken my bones. But I also dearly love roles that are a blend of drama and comedy like Rose in “Gypsy,” Gittel in “See-Saw” and Ouiser in “Steel Magnolias.”

Defining ‘producer’—Lightcap said what producers do varies. In New York City alone, there are volumes written about what a producer does, but the main job is putting up the money for a show and often finding other investors. Depending on the show, they may contract with the writers, pay the royalties, and often have a say in the staff and the casting.

“Locally, some people who organize and coordinate the show for a theater company are called producers. They don’t put their own money into it. Some of us do both,” she said.

Besides securing the rights and the financial investment, Lightcap assembles a team that includes a director, choreographer, music director, costumer, set designer, set builder, lighting designer, sound designer and stage manager. She schedules auditions and rehearsals, casts for roles, pays the bills, does the publicity and program, and during rehearsals and performances ultimately oversees all aspects of the production.

“I love to see it progress from the ground up to opening night. Except for tech week,” she said.

“Tech week is the period of time approximately a week prior to opening when lighting, sound, costumes, wigs, crew, set moving, orchestra—all aspects of the show—come together and problems surface. It’s the week when if it can go wrong, it does. But we manage to make it through,” she said.

Health concerns—Stress caught up with Lightcap in 1998, when she required an angioplasty following a heart attack.

“The stress was big time,” she said. “I was producing 10-12 shows a year and this was a call to slow down.”
As a result of that setback, Lightcap places a big emphasis on keeping healthy and fit to keep pace with the demands of being executive producer of The Talent Company.

“The angioplasty was a definite wake up call,” she said. “I had to get rid of stress and a lot of weight I had gained. I tried every diet in the world, but they weren’t working,” she said.

She finally found her solution through Weight Watchers, and lost 85 pounds as a result. “Weight Watchers has helped me a great deal. It’s not a diet, it’s a lifestyle,” she said. “I learned a lot about eating right. I definitely eat better and enjoy more fruits, vegetables, chicken, and salads, but I still manage to have a steak once a week,” she said.

She stays away from oil and sugar as well as desserts.

“I have just a little pasta, which is not easy, because I’m Italian,” she said. “I love making spaghetti and meatballs and baked lasagna. I love to bake.”

Her husband Richard is an avid hiker; she, however, balks at those opportunities.

A retired Syracuse school administrator, Richard is associated with the Adirondack Mountain Club. He leads hiking expeditions, builds and maintains hiking trails, goes mountain climbing and snowshoeing, and for OASIS leads hikes once a month and teaches some hiking and history classes.

“I think about walking or using the treadmill, but most of my time is spent on the phone and computer,” she said.

In the summer, she takes time to swim in the family pool.

“Doing shows and theater keep me active,” she said.

In the beginning—Lightcap’s maiden name is Ragonese, and she grew up in Eastwood next to the Palace Theater.

It’s no surprise she fell in love with the theater: She would catch a double feature on Saturdays, a new double feature on Sundays, and during the summer, new double features were presented on Wednesdays as well. And since her uncle owned the theater, that was six free movies a week.

Lightcap was a self-starter when it came to theater. She made herself director of the neighborhood back yard plays and wrote a musical to replace the yearly variety show at Blessed Sacrament Church in Syracuse. When she got the lead in her high school show, she was really bitten by the “theater bug.”

“My parents definitely did not encourage me to be an actress,” she said.

She attended Syracuse University, and paid half her tuition by working 30 hours a week in the engineering department. “My parents wanted my two sisters and me to ‘learn the value of a dollar.’ Unfortunately, I’m not sure I retained that lesson,” she said.

She wanted to major in theater, but her parents did not think that was a good idea.

In college, she had a dual major in English and speech education and managed to sneak in a minor in drama. She was a member of the Boar’s Head Drama Honorary, the Syracuse University Symphonic Orchestra, and the Pi Beta Phi sorority.

She began teaching at the tender age of 19 at Grant Junior High School in Syracuse. “I’ll never forget my first day of teaching. I made a dramatic entrance through a group of students, flung open the door, and walked into a broom closet,” she said. “Later, in the cafeteria, I asked for coffee with my lunch, and in front of my homeroom class, I was told, ‘You have to be on the faclty to get coffee.’”

It was there she met her husband Rich. They married the following June and went to California for their honeymoon. Actually, that honeymoon turned out to last six years. While there, she did her first national tour playing Smitty in “How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying, and she received her Equity and SAG cards, which is membership in an organization of professional actors.

She also had her son, Kerry, and daughter Kelly.

Family life—Kerry attended Fayetteville-Manlius High School and Cornell University and played running back for both schools’ football teams. Now an attorney, he and wife Victoria, also an attorney, reside in Manlius. In his spare time, Kerry coaches football for F-M High School, and his #32 football jersey is now being worn by his son.

Her daughter Kelly, a Rutgers alumna, is a pre-school teacher. She and her husband Kevin Daley, and their four children, reside in Skaneateles. In their “spare time,” they coach or attend their children’s concerts, plays, chess tournaments, wrestling meets, and football, soccer, baseball, hockey, and lacrosse games.
Lightcap has six grandchildren, Kirstyn and Langston Lightcap and Kieran, Jordan, Christian, and Jocelyn Daley.

She is vice president of the Manlius Senior Centre Board of Directors and enjoys traveling, reading, family get-togethers, and of course, theater. “I can’t wait to open the pool, get ready for our big Memorial Day barbecue, and go canoeing and paddle-boating in Snook’s Pond,” she said. “I love having the kids here and the pool and the pond in our back yard. Maybe we’ll put on a play.”