Behind the scenes
How does a big Broadway-type production like Coeur d’Alene Summer Theatre’s “The King and I” get put together? Do you just get on the phone to some warehouse in New York and order up costumes and scenery – pre-made and ready to go? Is there a section in the script that describes how to set and time each of the hundreds of different colored lights that illuminate and follow the action?
You may think so, but you’d be oh so wrong. Most theatergoers have no idea how much is involved in the technical aspects of the show. Without costumers, set designers and lighting experts, there wouldn’t be a show.
And so, as it is with all other aspects of Coeur d’Alene’s professional theater, costuming, set design and lighting are well-covered. These are handled, in fact, by a wife and husband duo who don’t get nearly the credit they deserve.
Judith and Michael McGiveney are Coeur d’Alene residents, transplanted from their previous big-time show business careers in southern California. Those were lives spent mostly either on the road, touring with high profile productions (that’s how they met), or in Los Angeles, working as a costumer on Warner Brothers TV shows (Judith) and as a show producer at Walt Disney Imagineering (Michael).
Judith’s show business life had an academic beginning, with a theater degree from Carnegie Mellon University and a master’s degree from Case Western Reserve University. Michael grew up on the vaudeville stage of his father, Owen McGiveney – a renowned headliner whose warm-up acts included the likes of Milton Berle and Red Skelton – and on the MGM film lot. As vaudeville faded, Michael’s father became a character actor in films such as “My Fair Lady,” “Brigadoon” and “Show Boat.” He was also in numerous ‘50s and ‘60s TV shows.
Michael started as a magician and actor, appearing on “The Ed Sullivan Show” at 18, and on “Perry Mason” and “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.” He made his career, however, as a production manager and lighting designer for, to name just a few, singers Andy Williams and Johnny Mathis, ice skater Peggy Flemming, magicians Doug Henning and Harry Blackstone, and Broadway actresses Julie Andrews and Bernadette Peters.
Preparing for vacation one year, the McGiveneys saw a travel brochure for North Idaho that mentioned the Coeur d’Alene’s summer theater. They came to have a look and ended up moving here in 1995. Wanting to get away from the professional and lifestyle rat race that is “Hollywood,” and liking the climate, the scenery, and the pace, as well as summer theater, they decided to retire here.
For the next year-and-a-half, Michael continued to commute weekly to Disney Studios. There he worked on various theme-park projects and road-show productions in Disney’s far-flung international empire, often reporting directly to the modern Mickey Mouse himself, Michael Eisner.
Meanwhile, Judith, had just retired from costuming TV stars on a daily basis: Eight years of Candice Bergen’s “Murphy Brown,” Kate Jackson in “The Scarecrow and Mrs. King,” Pam Dawber in “My Sister Sam,” and had, for 10 years, dressed all the Solid Gold Dancers for the ‘80s weekly dance show, “Solid Gold.” She had also recently done costuming for Michael Douglas and Sean Penn in the movie, “The Game.”
One thing led to another. Judith did some volunteer work for the Lake City Playhouse production of “Heidi” – making 37 costumes. Michael went into Hudson’s to get a hamburger and ran into a grade school and high school pal, one of our local star-class acting celebrities, Jack Bannon.
From there, Jack and his wife, Ellen Travolta, introduced Judith and Michael to Roger Welch, the summer theater’s producing artistic director. Ellen convinced Judith to costume “just one” show for her, the 1998 Summer Theatre production of “Mame,” and Michael was convinced to light “Paint Your Wagon” later that same season. One thing led to another.
Thus, the McGiveneys both came to be where they are today: Judith as costume designer and Michael as set and lights designer. However, not only do they design costumes, sets and lighting schemes, but she sews the costumes and he builds the sets, all from scratch, all to Broadway standards.
Judith’s costumes and Michael’s sets are, in fact, of such high quality that other theaters call to request a loan. The set from last year’s production of “Beauty and the Beast” has been rented twice and a request has already been received for this year’s “Peter Pan” set.
As I mentioned before, summer theater patrons may not fully appreciate the talent and professional ability that we have available in the productions at Schuler Auditorium. Welch always brings in the finest on-stage talent there is for his shows. That’s easy to see and recognize.
But he already has some of the finest behind the scenes talent in the business right here. The McGiveney name is known as the best in show business, by the best in show business. Think of that with every costume you admire and with every bit of scenery and lighting magic you witness. The McGiveneys live right here, continuing to practice their incredible craft and help entertain and dazzle us.