10 Questions with Morgan Kaplan
by Gus Gordon
1. What art form are you involved in?
Musical Theatre and Dance.
2. Where might we have seen you or your work?
I’ve directed and choreographed musicals at The Muni, Hoogland Center for the Arts, and Springfield Theatre Centre and Springfield High School. I’ve co-directed and choreographed the musicals at Sacred Heart-Griffin for the last seven years. Some favorite shows have been Muni’s Newsies, Sister Act, Thoroughly Modern Millie; STC’s A Chorus Line; and the All-City production of SIX at SHG. Before getting involved on the staff side of things, I performed in a number of shows locally including: HCFTA’s Cats and Chicago; Muni’s Miss Saigon and Shrek; and STC’s Anything Goes and Thoroughly Modern Millie.
3. Can you give us a twenty-word description of yourself?
A bold, driven, Type A personality with a fiery spirit; passionate director, choreographer, arts enthusiast; mama-bear; Damien Kaplan’s wife
4. How long have you been in Springfield?
I’m a born and raised Springfieldian, and I’ve been here my whole life (with the exception of when I was away at college at Illinois State).
5. What was your first artistic experience?
My parents tried getting me involved in sports, but I always found myself in the outfield dancing around or making dandelion necklaces for my teammates. So they enrolled me in dance classes at Springfield Dance with Ronda Brinkman when I was 7. I stayed involved with dance until high school. When I got to high school at SHG, my mom drove me to auditions for the musical Honk! my freshman year and forced me to audition. It’s probably a good thing she did because after that experience, musicals have been where I have stayed for the last 20+ years!
The first show my co-directing partner, Andrew Maynerich, and I directed together was A Chorus Line at STC in 2017, and it remains at the top of the list of proud moments. We both had a huge passion for dance that came before our passion for musical theater, and that production really married the two. It also showed us the tremendous amount of work that it takes to direct AND choreograph a show and it really solidified our collaborative relationship. My other would be this past summer’s SIX: Teen Edition. I was so proud of our approach to that show, bringing all-city productions back to the area with the support of SHG’s administration.
7. What artists/performers do you look up to?
My husband, Damien Kaplan, is the smartest and most talented person I know. My co-director, Andrew Maynerich, whose directorial approach is the ying to my yang. Doug Hahn and Gary Shull, who are the directing duo that Andrew and I aspire to be. Craig Williams II, who is a brilliant director and set designer. He also taught me how to run a high school musical program. Anna Maisenbacher, another brilliant director and choreographer. Mary Kate Smith for her nurturing approach to arts education. Steve Kaplan, who was my first director (and eventually became my father-in-law) who taught me so much about theater. Annie German and Stacy Kolaz for their artistic approach to makeup design. Leigh Steiner, Paul Presney Jr., Julie Ratz, Ronda Brinkman all have made a tremendous impact on me both personally and creatively.
8. What advice can you give to those who would like to do what you do?
Being a director is about so much more than just instructing the people in your cast with what they need to be doing on stage and when. You need to be willing to truly WORK– that might mean painting sets outside when it’s 100* in the shade. It might also mean learning far more about sound technology, lighting, costuming, hair, and makeup than you ever thought you would need to know. But it’s also about acknowledging that you DON’T know everything and being willing to ask for and accept help. It’s about treating people with kindness and respect; as the old adage goes, “it’s nice to be important, but it’s more important to be nice”.
9. What is your day job?
Director of Volunteer Services for Delta Phi Epsilon International Headquarters
10. Why do you do it?
Though my day job doesn’t involve the performing arts, it does provide me the opportunity to connect people to communities and opportunities to give back to causes that they care about. So much of my involvement in the arts over the last 20+ years has been because of the community aspect. I feel fortunate that whether it’s my day job or my “night job”, I’m able to connect people to communities and causes that will positively impact their lives.
