Directing
Tammie Huntington received her Doctor of Arts degree in Voice Performance from Ball State University in 2008, where she produced and directed the world premiere of Fifty-Third Street, a new American opera by composer Jody Nagel. Huntington has since presented her work on Fifty-Third Street at the Hawaii International Conference on the Arts and Humanities in 2009; the International Congress of Voice Teachers (poster presentation) in Paris, France, in 2009; the National Opera Association Annual Convention (poster presentation) in San Antonio, TX in 2011; and at the National Opera Association Annual Conference, Sacred in Opera Session, with scenes performed by then-current BSU students, in Cleveland, OH, in January 2020.
Dr. Huntington has co-directed the Lyric Theatre at Indiana Wesleyan University since 2007, directing both mainstage and outreach program productions. Directing credits include Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte and The Impresario; Copland’s The Tender Land; Menotti’s The Telephone, The Old Maid and the Thief, Amahl and the Night Visitors; Stephen Schwartz’s Godspell; Dan Goggin’s Nunsense; Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel; Ahrens & Company’s Schoolhouse Rock Live!; Arlan’s Meanwhile, Back at Cinderella’s; Kichoff’s Scrapbookers; and Seward’s Juliet. Additionally, Huntington has collaborated as Musical Director on Gesner’s You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown; Howland’s Little Women; Campbell’s Anne of Green Gables – The Musical; and Hammerstein’s The King and I.
Dr. Huntington endeavors to create an artistically collaborative atmosphere, believing that that magic happens onstage through the synergy of talent, backgrounds, and unique perspective that each cast and crew member brings to the production. She constantly seeks creative ways to make every work accessible and engaging for new patrons and seasoned theatre lovers alike.
Die Zauberflöte, by W.A. Mozart, PPAC Auditorium, Spring 2009
Set Design by Dr. Greg Fiebig
My concept for this beloved opera was that it appear as if the characters stepped right out of the pages of a fairy tale. While often shaking his head and muttering, ‘You’re killin’ me, Smalls,’ Greg did a fabulous job of creating the stacks of opera scores that would roll over various trap doors in the stage for the Queen of the Night to magically appear. He even granted my wish that the large Zauberflöte score have actual pages which we turned to create the various scenes. The effect was truly stunning, creating the illusion of action-figure-sized characters and doll-house-like furniture next to the giant books.
The Tender Land, by Aaron Copland, PPAC Auditorium, Spring 2014
Set Design by Dr. Steve Wood
While this opera takes place during the Great Depression, I wanted the landscape to be beautiful and warm, representing the joy and allure of Americana, and Laurie’s desire to break away from home and explore beyond the horizon. The production was performed with the IWU Orchestra under the direction of Dr. Jason Thompson, and we chose to mic our undergraduate singers for the 1200-seat auditorium to discourage over-singing.
Godspell, by Stephen Schwartz, Baker Recital Hall, Fall 2019
In our modern take on this 1970’s classic, I chose to set it inside a fictional IWU Division of Music and Theatre storage area, in place of Schwartz’s original junk yard. It was a particularly trying year for our division, with several layoffs of beloved singing professors, and I wanted both the cast and the audience to feel as if Jesus had just walked in and met us exactly as we were.
Nunsense, by Dan Goggin, Baker Recital Hall, Fall 2021
At IWU, we desire for our students to have experience in both large- and small-ensemble casts, so we often use our recital hall for the smaller productions, which we then endeavor to take out into the community. Since Nunsense takes place in a school auditorium where the students are preparing to stage the musical Grease, it was an ideal choice for us.
Hansel and Gretel, by Englebert Humperdinck, Baker Recital Hall, Fall 2022
Set design and build by Caleb Huntington
As part of our lyric theatre outreach program, I desired our production of this classic fairy tale to be portable and versatile; therefore, I set it as a pop-up storybook with cardboard-like cutouts that could be (fairly) easily transported to other locations. We used a colleagues’ family to record an original vocal skit, ‘Tell us a bedtime story, Daddy!’ to open each performance.
Schoolhouse Rock Live!, PPAC Auditorium, by Ahrens & Co., Before Spring 2024
Set Design by Dr. Steve Wood
My goal for this production was to create nostalgia for the parents and grandparents in the audience, while also engaging our modern 21st-century teens and children. The minimal set was designed around a giant television, which, together with the on-stage rock band and extensive lighting design, helped to create the feel of a live interactive rock concert.
