Touring Broadway productions don’t travel light. They move with trucks of sets, costumes, audio and lighting equipment. When they arrive at Madison’s Overture Center, a load-in process begins — John Penisten, Overture’s director of production, calls load-in days “chaotic,” as costumes and props are organized backstage, while huge sets and equipment are rigged onto the Overture Hall stage.
A show like Hamilton — running at Overture from Jan. 6-18 — takes two and a half days to load-in, says Penisten, and a scenery- and costume-intense show like The Lion King can take up to four.
Of course none of this is visible when audiences take their seats to enjoy a Broadway show at the Overture Center. They see professional actors clad in intricate costumes and vivid sets on stage. What they don’t see is the extensive behind-the-scenes work by Overture staff to bring Broadway to Madison, season after season…