Playmaker

At the Walnut Street Theatre each evening, the actors earn well-deserved applause for their performances in "Finian’s Rainbow." But there is also a behind-the-scenes star. She gets no audience recognition, but without her, the show could not go on.

As stage manager, Debi Marcucci is the all-around coordinator for every aspect of the production — from lighting cues to sound effects to entrances and exits and much more.

"I’m the hub of communication," said the South Philly native.

Her command post is a booth in the back of the theater. Here she sits with a headset and microphone, intently watching the monitors that show the onstage and backstage action. Holding a script with detailed directions, she signals cues from start to finish and gives instructions as needed.

She’s the one who calls, "Lights … one … go!," the signal for the lighting board operator to activate the first cue. She calls out all the other lighting cues, too — an estimated 300 in this rarely produced musical comedy.

"Everything the audience sees, I’m doing the cues," the 32-year-old said. "I figure out the whole scheme and how to make it work."

It’s quite a challenge, especially for a full-scale production like "Finian’s Rainbow," which has a cast of 33. The two-act musical has 10 scenes, each with their own set, props, costumes (more than 50 in all), sound effects and lighting.

Then there are the special effects, including a spell-casting leprechaun.

"The script says he ‘magically produces’ these tricks and we had to figure out how to do each trick," Marcucci said.

For example, the leprechaun makes someone fall asleep in order to change his personality. The audience sees three blasts of smoke and, when it clears, the character has changed. Marcucci said the illusion is created with four smoke pots.

"One blast sends a big puff of smoke that makes it look magical," she said.

MARCUCCI’S ROLE BEGINS long before the curtain goes up. During pre-production, she works closely with the director, set designer, lighting designer and stage crew. For "Finian’s Rainbow," the set designer gave her photos and preliminary plans for his vision. She, in turn, developed a blueprint and used it in the rehearsal room, using tape to mark off every item’s position on the set. She also laid out the plans for the stage crew.

"They need to know what to move and when and how," she said.

The actors go from rehearsals to the actual stage for "tech week." At this point, all the technical details are ironed out prior to previews.

It’s always an intense time with everyone working 12-hour stints, but after all the weeks of planning and rehearsals, Marcucci’s primed for the move.

"That’s what I love," she said. "The best part is when the show comes to life from paper to stage and I’m in charge. It’s a real high."

Even after 13 seasons with the Walnut, she still gets nervous before opening night.

"I do get jitters," she said. "I want everything to be perfect and, when it’s not, I get really mad."

Despite the best planning, things can go awry and that’s when Marcucci springs into action.

"In the theater, you’ve got to think quickly and get things done because the show must go on," she said. "And when stuff goes wrong, I really get to think on my feet."

That’s what happened during "A Chorus Line" several years ago. During the opening number, the actor playing Bobby fell. He finished, but then left the stage.

"His knee had swelled up like a balloon," Marcucci said, "and I had only five minutes to figure out what to do."

With the actor’s understudy already playing a role, Marcucci quickly selected another performer. Luckily, he was acquainted with the character. With just two minutes left, he changed costume and hit the stage. At intermission, Marcucci made the announcement about the role change.

"That was so scary, but it was also a blast because in the end, it worked out so well," she said.

A high-energy type full of dramatic flair, Marcucci seems a natural as a performer, but she prefers behind-the-scenes drama. Her career path has had its own unexpected plot twists.

A longtime animal lover, she planned to be a vet. After graduating from St. Maria Goretti, she went to Penn State, where she majored in biology.

She never planned on a career in the arts, but while at college, she joined a theater club and started working backstage.

"I really got bitten," she said. "It was just so exciting to be backstage, knowing I was helping to make it all happen."

By the time she transferred to Temple University the following year, she had decided to major in theater. While there, she began working part time at the Walnut as a dresser, which helps actors get into costume.

After graduation, she became an apprentice stage manager for Mainstage productions and soon was promoted to stage manager at the small Studio Three Theater. Three years later, she was promoted to stage manager for Mainstage. She’s now in her eighth season in this position.

She’s delighted to have found her true calling, but Marcucci hasn’t lost her love for animals. At her home in the Girard Estates area, she has two dogs, two cats, a recently rescued 5-week-old kitten plus two rescued water turtles. Her dogs were rescued from the Morris Animal Refuge and she found the abandoned kitten right on her corner. She even has a tattoo of a paw print on her shoulder.

"I want everyone to know that animals can walk all over me," she joked.

She is also a diehard sports fan who confesses to turning on ESPN whenever she has a break.

But there is plenty of room in her heart for the theater and she looks forward to each new production.

"I love putting together all the pieces of the puzzle," she said. "And I feel very proud when I finally see it on the stage. It’s great to know I’ve helped create something that started with a script on paper and then became this magical reality on the stage. And I’m the one who starts the magic every night."

"Finian’s Rainbow" at the Walnut Street Theatre, Ninth and Walnut streets, continues through Oct. 23. For tickets or information, call 215-564-3550 or visit www.wstonline.org.