In the Spotlight: Chris Gollnick

Name: Chris Gollnick

Role/Title: Stage Manager

Why Theater? 

Aside from being a profession that I care about, am highly talented and well versed in, its the matter of what theater can do for people.  That being the ability to create a product to display for an audience that teaches them something important about themselves, society and the world we live in.  That it can spur a single person to take up the reigns and become the arbiter for social justice and order.

Chris with stage managers,
while directing "Fugue" 

How and why did you get involved with Hampshire Shakespeare & this production?

I had been searching around for jobs in theater in the area and came across the listing for the stage manager position on craigslist and applied from there. 

What is your Favorite Word?

In theory or theoretically.  I suppose its the term I use the most to when discussing options and what is going to happen next. Honorable mentions: exude, efficiency, dilatory, acta non verba.

What is your Least Favorite Word?

Green.  Not the color, but when it's used in context to discuss environment options. Honorable mentions: Global warming, climate change, activism, peace.

What sound or noise do you love?

Chris rocks

Call me biased but it'd be the sound of my PRS Custom 24 running through my Mesa/Boogie Mark V Rig.

What sound or noise do you hate?

The sound of hangers scarping against the metal bars they're hung on. 

What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?

I work a lot in the arts as a whole (Theater, music, dance, literature, visual arts) and I see them all as necessary and linked into each other.  If I chose a career outside of the arts it would have to be something that wouldn't be mundane and routine-- maybe I'd be a lawyer or fighter pilot or mercenary or something.

What profession would you not like to do?

Teaching any younger than 6th grade

What is your earliest memory of theater?

Going with my parents to see Phantom of the Opera at the Bushnell when I was a kid.

Chris in "Nicholas Nickleby"

Why is Theater Necessary?

Theater is not just a means of entertainment.  Theater when produced and performed correctly carries a powerful message about society and the state of the world today.  It can demonstrate to the audience what the lives of us or of other societies are like.  It allows the audience to see the good and the bad elements of their own lives that they can not themselves see.  As theater artists it is our duty to show them this, to carry the message of social order and justice that need be brought forth so that our society, culture and lives do not bring about their own demise.  If the message is not heard then where will it all end?

Has working on Shakespeare given you any interesting insights into Shakespeare?

In part.  I have studied Shakespeare at great length on a literary level and a directing level so seeing how other directors and actors interpret the script has brought a contrasting and intriguing view than mine own.  It gives me a view at the person to see how my perceptions of who Shakespeare was and what he believed vary much from how others have perceived him.

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Running the light board
during "Tartuffe"

Chris Gollnick (Stage Manager) is a recent graduate of Westfield State (Bachelors in Music Composition & Theater Performance & Design). He was awarded the Christopher R. Slaughter Award in Theater Management & Service and is an experienced designer, technician and manager with the intent of opening a theater in the area.