QP has reached an amazing milestone – 80 seasons! Ever since its first production in 1938, QP has strived to tell good stories, with exceptionally talented actors, under the lights and on the sets created by imaginative designers, who are all led by visionary directors for the enjoyment of QP patrons. This simple goal has made our first 79 seasons very successful! And it will continue to drive us to produce quality and award winning shows that entice our audiences – for at least another 80 years.
To celebrate QP’s 80th season milestone the exceptionally gifted videographer Robert Perry, who began his artistic career as a Rooster in the Quannapowitt Players Children’s Theater Company, has produced an anniversary gift to QP to commemorate the occasion!
The QP video backstory is just as interesting as the video itself! Robert Perry, the QP videographer grew up two doors down the street from the QP Theater. He played ball in the parking lot long before he knew it was a theater. But when he found the QP stage he was hooked! At 11 he started performing with the Quannapowitt Players Children’s Theater Company (QCTC) in the Musicians of Bremen as the Rooster. By 16 he was directing shows like Godspell, Joseph and his Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Pippin and Merrily We Roll Along for QCTC.
The QP adult theater recruited Robert for makeup design for shows like Lily the Felon’s Daughter and The Real Inspector Hound too because he had learned makeup design at QP under the tutelage of Dick Knudson who taught makeup design at Tufts Arena Theater. From QP, Robert went to NYU for the Theater Arts program concentrating on producing and directing, which included working with Playwright Horizons.
Home drew him back to QP for a brief sabbatical where he worked back stage for shows like All My Sons and on stage as one of the players in The Dining Room in 1985. NY and LA siren calls were strong though, and for next 10-15 years he went from coast to coast as an actor and stage director. In 2000 he became Artistic Director of the Princeton Center Stage in NJ, where he brought videos into the productions. The rest as they say is history. He started his own video production company. Which brings us to today and his amazing video gift to QP.
