All About Paul
Story by Greg Johnson
Portraits by Mary Baldwin and other photos courtesy of GVT and Paul Stancato
The Greenbrier Valley Theatre, unlike many performing arts organizations, was used to having an Artistic Director who stayed around for decades. Cathey Sawyer, who served as GVT’s guiding light from 1991 to 2021, set the standard. During her 30-year tenure the local theatre evolved from a summer-only operation in a primitive barn into the state’s official professional theatre, operating year-round out of a multimillion-dollar downtown complex. It took the community by surprise when her successor, Matthew Campbell, announced after three years at GVT’s helm that he had accepted a job at Virginia’s Barter Theatre.
As a result, in 2024, Greenbrier Valley Theatre found itself welcoming a new Artistic Director, Paul Stancato. It would be an understatement to say that Paul arrived with a diverse resume. Actor, dancer, drummer, circus aerialist, director of shows ranging from a touring Disney production to a Chinese water spectacle, and the husband of an established Broadway star, he’s obviously not someone to be underestimated.
The long and winding road that led Paul to GVT’s door began long ago in the Chicago suburb of Orland Park, where he grew up. He credits his mother with his interest in theatre, although genetic predisposition could have played a role: his father was a drummer and his maternal great-grandparents were vaudevillians. Orland Park lacked a theatre, so his mother wrote, casted, directed and produced shows at their church.
Paul discovered he had a talent for dance, and at age 16 he started driving into Chicago to take part in an apprentice program with a dance company. Around the same time, still in high school, he noticed a lot of empty air time on the local cable TV station, and he pitched himself to the station manager as someone who could fill it. He learned how to set up a camera and edit, and he became a talent scout, a 17-year-old Ed Sullivan, recruiting local teens to provide music, dance and comedy for his show.
As a result, in 2024, Greenbrier Valley Theatre found itself welcoming a new Artistic Director, Paul Stancato. It would be an understatement to say that Paul arrived with a diverse resume. Actor, dancer, drummer, circus aerialist, director of shows ranging from a touring Disney production to a Chinese water spectacle, and the husband of an established Broadway star, he’s obviously not someone to be underestimated.
The long and winding road that led Paul to GVT’s door began long ago in the Chicago suburb of Orland Park, where he grew up. He credits his mother with his interest in theatre, although genetic predisposition could have played a role: his father was a drummer and his maternal great-grandparents were vaudevillians. Orland Park lacked a theatre, so his mother wrote, casted, directed and produced shows at their church.
Paul discovered he had a talent for dance, and at age 16 he started driving into Chicago to take part in an apprentice program with a dance company. Around the same time, still in high school, he noticed a lot of empty air time on the local cable TV station, and he pitched himself to the station manager as someone who could fill it. He learned how to set up a camera and edit, and he became a talent scout, a 17-year-old Ed Sullivan, recruiting local teens to provide music, dance and comedy for his show.
When he headed to college at Western Illinois University, he planned to major in TV production and minor in dance. An acting class led him to pursue theatre instead. “I think I just wanted to belong to some kind of a tribe, and the theatre tribe attracted me,” he remembers. He fell in with a rock band, too, and he couldn’t decide if he was going to be a movie star or a rock star. He continued with the band after college, but after a year or two, there was no record deal in the offing, so on a snowy, windy day he packed up and drove south for grad school in theatre at the University of Florida.
Armed with his graduate degree he headed to New York, where he went to an open audition for the Blue Man Group, an avant-garde musical performance troupe featuring three bald men in head-to-toe blue paint. Hundreds auditioned, but he made the cut and became a Blue Man. “I discovered two great things,” he says. “I could make people happy by performing, and I could make a living doing it.”
As his professional life unfolded, he gained experience as an aerialist in a Circe de Soleil-type show, portraying the drummer in The Buddy Holly Story tour, and learning to choreograph dance routines. He wrote, produced and directed a musical about a rock band. By his early thirties he’d learned how theatre works on stage and behind the scenes, and what it takes to make it happen.
His first Broadway experience was as an assistant choreographer for The Wedding Singer. It was there that he met Felicia Finley, who was in the show. Felicia was already an established star who had been in four Broadway musicals, including the original production of Tim Rice and Elton John’s Aida. They married in 2007.
He went on to serve as resident director for the tour of The Lion King for four years. He had the good fortune to be mentored for the role by the director/designer Julie Taymor, who had won two Tonys for her stage adaptation of the show, and was the much-lauded recipient of a MacArthur “Genius” grant.
His willingness to travel for work led to what is undoubtedly his most unusual resume enhancer. From 2012 to 2014 he lived in the most densely populated place on earth, Macau, the Las Vegas of China, a resort destination known for its casinos. He was the Artistic Director for a large water show underwritten by the casino owners, with an annual budget of $30 million. The spectacle had a cast of 90 performers and a crew of 200 technicians, and featured motorcyclists, scuba divers and a submersible stage. While he was overseeing all this organized chaos, Felicia was on the other side of the world, playing Tanya in Mama Mia on Broadway.
Returning Stateside, Paul spent 5 years much closer to home as the Artistic Director at Timberlake Playhouse in Mt. Carroll, Illinois. “I learned how to program a season, how to raise money and how to become a member of the community, all good preparation for GVT,” he notes. His Greenbrier Valley connection came via Dana Iannuzzi, a friend who had directed GVT’s 2023 productions of Steel Magnolias and Murder for Two. Dana tipped him off that GVT was looking for an Artistic Director. “She told me it was a wonderful community and she thought I would be a good fit,” he says. “I researched it and decided to apply. By coincidence, David Dillon, the president of GVT’s Board, had worked at the Helen Hayes Theatre on Broadway and he was familiar with Felicia.”
Julie Cepec, Allyn Jones, Emarya Montgomery*, Dorothy Jo Oberfoell, Garret Shin, Josh Lapping, Mekhi Holloway, with the Greenbrier Valley Chorale; Jenna Sulecki, Director, Artistic Associate | Patrick Summers, Music Director | Barbara Lutz, Greenbrier Valley Chorale Director | Elizabeth Salisch*, Production Stage Manager/Company Manager | Mallory Topel*, Assistant Stage Manager | Richard Crowell, Set Designer/GVT Production Manager | Mary Leb, Carnegie Hall Production Manager | Jason Dow, Technical Director | Ashton Webb, Props Supervisor | Jenna Fawn Brown, Costume Designer/Shop Manager | E Tonry Lathroum, Lighting Designer *denotes member of Actors Equity Association Photos by Sheena Pendley
“GVT has some strong traditions,” he points out. “There’s the tradition of producing a variety of shows - comedies, dramas and musicals. There’s the education program that has raised up so many young people who have gone on to work in theatre and the arts. And there’s the amazing community support. GVT doesn’t depend on an Artistic Director to get the community behind it. They’re already behind it. They’ve kept it going for nearly 60 years!”
He feels fortunate that Cathey Sawyer still lives here. “Cathey is brilliant. She was a strong leader with a clear vision. She carried the theatre on her shoulders for years. She had what’s called a Founder’s Mentality, with a knowledge and command of the organization that’s impossible for anyone else to repeat. She was the face of GVT in the community and she casts a long shadow. She’s introduced me to people who have been staunch supporters, and as a result I feel like the community is accepting me. Actually, Lewisburg doesn’t really accept people so much as it embraces them. I feel at home here, and Felicia loves it. Her family lives in the Boone, North Carolina, area, so she’s familiar with Appalachia and small towns in the mountains.”
Arriving in May, he’s had a few months to settle into his new job and consider the theatre’s future. “I think we’ve come to emphasize our professional aspect so much that we’ve drifted away from our roots as a community theatre,” he believes. “I’d like to get back to using community members alongside professional actors and musicians. That was something Cathey did that was well-received, and people seem to miss it.”
“I’d like to see GVT become more of a tourist draw,” he continues. “Lewisburg was recently voted number one in USA Today’s Small Town Food Scene. Foodies have money and they’ll travel for a good meal. Why not convince them to combine it with a good show? And I think we’re a potential spot for playwrights to retreat and work, and partner with us to premiere new work.”
He’s also been giving some thought to audience-building. “Nationally, the average theatre-goer is over 45. We need to convince people that no matter their age or ethnicity or financial status, there’s a show for them. If we’re doing our job correctly, we’re also telling stories for audiences who might not want to see a Rodgers and Hammerstein musical, but who will see one based on other styles of music.”
He was pleased with the reaction to the theatre’s recent production of Million Dollar Quartet. “There’s an emerging scene of the actor-musician, actors who play their own instruments. I’d like to feature more of those performers here. The actor in Million Dollar Quartet who played the piano as Jerry Lee Lewis was just at the beginning of his career. I love the opportunity to hire hungry young actors who are just starting out. They work hard to rise to the challenge.”
He was also gratified by the reception received by The Hunchback of Notre Dame, GVT’s collaboration with the Greenbrier Valley Chorale and Carnegie Hall. “Matt Campbell conceived the project, and I’m sorry he wasn’t around to witness it. Jenna Sulecki, the Artistic Associate, deserves a lot of credit for developing the show and casting and directing it. It was a great success, and we’re looking forward to collaborating with the Chorale and Carnegie again, probably in 2026.”
He contemplates his new role at GVT philosophically. “I don’t think some people are aware of the day-to-day responsibilities that fall to a theatre leader–developing relationships with supporters, raising money, making sure the bills are paid, building and managing a team, and producing meaningful art. I only hope I can bring whatever talent and experience I have to the table and contribute to Greenbrier Valley Theatre’s impressive reputation and growth.”
