This is the fifth edition in my Profile Series of individuals who contribute to the theatrical community, but seldom or never appear in front of a curtain. I begin this article by quoting one of the many pieces of advice my late father passed on to me, "Son, behavior indicates a person's personality and character. Watch a person's actions on a daily basis because that will tell you everything you need to know. Now go mow the lawn!"
In Spring of 2011 I had my very first studio assignment with 5th Avenue Theatre in Seattle. I was understandably nervous for two reasons, it was my first publicity session with a brand new client, and the shoot was for Disney Theatrical's production of "Aladdin." Casey Nicholaw, the director of "Aladdin" who had just won the Tony Award for "The Book of Mormon," and Thomas Schumacher, the head of Disney Theatrical, were scheduled to be in the photo shoot. Gulp ... can you say "heady company" in the session gallery?
Tracy and I had planned well for the session, but like any new venue we were unfamiliar with the building's layout and space. Several questions and needs presented themselves almost immediately, and it seem that just as I was thinking "Oh No, where do I get sandbags and extension cords?" a woman named "Mo" appeared out of nowhere as if she could read my mind. She approached me with a big and sincere smile as she held out her hand and said "Hi, I'm Mo, do you need anything?" At that moment, this little wisp of a woman appeared ten feet tall to me. I would later discover that despite her diminutive stature, she is indeed ten feet tall. For the rest of that first visit, it seemed that Mo was everywhere, anticipating my every need just a moment before I realized what I needed. And after asking her for this and that she magically appeared with what I had just requested.
I was in love!
I can count on three fingers the number of people I've met in my lifetime for which no one has an ill word to say about them. Mo is one of those rare individuals. As I got to know more and more 5th Avenue staff members, whenever I asked for or talked about Mo - to a person each and every one had nothing but praise and stories of having their butts saved by Mo in one way or another. Nicknames like "Magic Mo, Mighty Mo, Marvelous Mo" are common whenever I mentioned her name. I was obviously not alone in my admiration for this remarkable woman.
The only time Mo cannot be located is whenever she thinks she may be in front of the curtain or the center of attention. The VP of Marketing once asked if I could grab a photo of Mo backstage, but he warned "Fat chance she'll ever allow you to get a photo of her." He was right, but since I can be an expert at grabbing a shot of the most elusive individual, I did manage to capture her on film, but it was under the auspices of "working." And when I had mentioned that I wanted to do a Profile on Mo, the same VP simply said, "You'll never get her to do that!" Yup, pretty much everyone knows Mo is someone who can be counted on 100% of the time, but never put her in the limelight ... well it's about time she gets her time in the sun.
Born Maureen Chapman, Mo's first round of siblings include her older sisters Patty and Kacie. Her father later remarried and she picked up three new siblings - Mindy, Kathy and John, moving her from the youngest to the middle child. She and her siblings all grew up in Tacoma, Washington. It was during her high school and community college years that Mo appeared briefly in front of the curtain. Yup, little Mo was an aspiring actress. She recalled her first time performing when one of her cast mates actually had to trick Mo into appearing on her mark since she had decided she "just couldn't do it." Gently guiding her through a door on stage, the spotlight found her and once she uttered her first line, she was golden.
When Mo began attending Western Washington University, she made the decision that a role behind the curtain was tailor-made for her, and that's where she found her home.
In 1984 Mo made a move to Berkeley, California, to work at Berkeley Rep Theatre. After just a year at Berkeley Rep, she moved to the warmer and sunnier part of the Bay to take a job in Sunnyvale at California Theatre Center. From there, Mo moved to the City of Sunnyvale and ran the theatre facility utilized by CTC. Mo made her final move (to date), back to the state she calls home, for Seattle Children's Theatre, where she took on the role of Stage Manager. Then in 1991 she was hired by 5th Avenue Theatre as a kid wrangler. The rest, as we say, is history.
Because Mo lives out of my own residential area (about 807 driving miles to be exact!) my interview with her was not as convenient as those who are local. Whenever I am up in Seattle we are both extremely busy, since my sessions are always just a flurry of activity, and Mo has 1,000 things going on at the same time. So although we had planned on sharing a meal during one of my visits in over a year and a half, just once did we have time to share a meal. During dinner between laughing and getting to know each other as people outside of work, we agreed that when she came to San Francisco we would make time to get together. That lucky time came for me during the weekend of October 11, 2012.
Mo is a runner. Both the half and full marathon type. It just so happened that she and several friends had entered the Nike marathon held in gorgeous San Francisco, my town! I had never known that Mo was a runner, but she loves to participate in the sport and feels much gratification in "giving back" to causes for which she believes. It's what she does to relax. Just a few of her other relaxing activities include scouring the coastline for beach glass (in her words, "Saving the environment one piece at a time") as well as spending time with her nephew - which by her expression, that may indeed be her favorite past time of all. "Auntie Mo's rules apply when we're together, not parent rules." The perfect aunt attitude!
At the very beginning of this article I quoted my father's sage words to me about deeds versus words. After watching Mo in her work life, listening to universally positive peer and coworker's feelings about Mo, but finally having her in my own home overnight and sharing some time with her, I can only say that my father was right. Mo is a giver as well as a doer. That combination is something I both admire and hope to achieve to her level someday. We are all blessed by having someone like Mo in our lives, I know with all of my heart that I am.
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