Theater at the Mount Director Gail Steele Emphasizes the Importance of Community in Theater Arts
By Isabelle Mascary | Editor-in-Chief
Gail Steele has been a part of the Mount community since 1977. She grew up in Lawrence, Massachusetts and received her undergraduate degree at Bridgewater State College.
She got her master’s at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio.
Although she has always had a love for theater arts, it isn’t where she began her journey. “I was more towards communications because I wasn’t confident that I could have a career in theater,” she explained. “So I hedged my bets to focus more on communications. But I always had my hand in theater. I’m a good organizer. That’s what running a theater is all about.”
During her first couple of years working at the Mount, Steele did not run the theater. In fact, Steele was originally hired to teach speech. From the outside looking in, Steele knew that if she was ever going to be a part of theater, she knew that she needed to “carve a niche and make a statement.”
Her determination gave birth to a children’s production called The Pink Pale Dragon. It was a starting point that ended up a sold-out success and ultimately helped her step into her role as Theater Director. “I had already made my mark so I can say that I am the person to take over this theater.”
During the past forty-five years, Steele says that the Theater at the Mount has had many great successes. “We have done close to three hundred different theater productions and many of them I’m very proud of,” she said. Steele herself also made a surprise appearance in the Christmas show last year called Silver Bells.
When asked to share her proudest accomplishments during her career, her face lit up with a smile, and she said, “The Tammy Awards.”
Steele developed the idea of the Tammy Awards fifteen years ago after reading about the sports banquet in the Fitchburg Sentinel for all local athletes. “I thought to myself, ‘There should be an evening like this for kids who do theater,’” she said. The Tammy Awards is a program competition for high school musicals, where each year, there are typically twenty-two to twenty-five local high schools (within fifty miles of Gardner) that enter the competition.
“We send a team of judges to their musicals, and we give awards just like the Tony awards for best actor, best actress, best choreography,” she said and added “The kids come in the prom dresses, and it’s just like walking the red carpet; it’s a big deal event for high school kids. I am really proud of that.”
Steele shared that there had been several hurdles throughout the years. The most recent incident revolved around the hacking of their ticketing service called Audience View. This occurred right before a show and caused a temporary interruption in financial transactions, seating charts and customer records. The temporary solution was to accept only cash or check payments. “It was like going back to the stone ages,” she admitted, but added that the situation has been resolved.
Steele noted another hurdle revolves around the lack of diversity within the theater. “We do not have a real diverse talent here and we want to,” she delicately shared. “Little Shop of Horrors involved three backup singers that are black,” she said, “We didn’t do the show because we didn’t have a diverse group. If we can develop our talent pool so it’s more diverse, then that opens up opportunities for everyone.”
Outside of the theater, Salisbury beach is another happy place for her, and it’s where she loves to spend time with her family. “We have a house right on the water, and I like to escape there whenever I have the opportunity. It’s a family home,” said Steele.
While pointing to a family photo, she expressed how much she loves to bake, and this can be evidenced by her husband’s belly. “If you saw his belly, you would know that I’m a good baker,” she stated, smiling.
To destress from theater, she plays golf. “I’m terrible at it, but I like to play,” she said, “My husband and I would play together, and we are equally bad, but we have fun playing it.”
Steele imparted a few words of advice for students interested in theater arts. “Always be the kind of person other people want to be around. Because people remember. If you’re in a show and you’re bitchy, people don’t forget that. And the next time you show up they are going to say, ‘Oh, she’s bitchy,’” she explained with a chuckle.
Her next piece of advice? Don’t hesitate to put yourself out there. “Get involved in any way that you can,” she encouraged, “Try out for a show, audition; if you get a part that’s wonderful. If you don’t, volunteer to be on stage crew or help make costumes or work in some other aspect of it because you will learn a lot by doing a lot of those things. The more exposure you have to theater the better your background is.”
In conclusion, “I want people to leave here with a positive experience and a positive memory. Not all community theaters provide that,” she said, “We call ourselves the TAM Fam, Theater At the Mount Family. We try to treat people with the kind of respect we would our family.”
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