Buzz Extra spoke with Kathy Purvis, the Production Stage Manager of the National Tour of MARY POPPINS. Ms. Purvis has stage managed The Lion King, Wicked, Show Boat, The Pirate Queen, The Scarlet Pimpernel, Ragtime, The Wizard of Oz, CATS and Barbra Streisand's Timeless Concert just to name a few.

EXTRA: Are you in Chicago now?

PURVIS: Yes, we rehearsed, produced the show and did our first run in Chicago. Cleveland is our first move.

EXTRA: What are the responsibilities of a production stage manager?

PURVIS: I am the liaison for every department to every other department. In conjunction with all the crew heads, I am responsible for maintaining the artistic and technical elements of the show. It’s a big, catchall job.

EXTRA: What is the size of the total company of the National Tour, cast and crew?

PURVIS: I believe there are about 38 in the cast and another 35 or so on the crew, including the musical director and two associates who accompany the tour. We don't carry a full orchestra. We pick up local musicians in each city.

EXTRA: How many trucks do you need to haul everything?

PURVIS: Approximately 13 trucks from show to show and another two trucks arriving in advance. We have two sets of everything, one is at the theater where you are playing and another is being set up at the next theater.

EXTRA: Do you send people ahead of time, too?

PURVIS: We’ll send a couple of advance people, maybe a week before we arrive. But they don’t do everything. The bulk of it happens when we all get there. Most of the crew will be local from Cleveland. We couldn’t do this without local people.

EXTRA: So if you leave Chicago on a Sunday and arrive on a Monday, when do you usually open?

PURVIS: Friday night. We’ll have rehearsals, for the local crew that we’ve hired as well as for our regular traveling crew. We have to work out all the logistics.

EXTRA: Are you responsible for figuring out all those changes and communicating them to everybody?

PURVIS: Pretty much. But I have a team of stage managers, four including myself. So I have lots of help.

EXTRA: Are you going to tell us any secrets on how the magical things happen?

PURVIS: Mary Poppins flies out over the audience, and Bert dances upside down! It’s magic and fabulous to look at!

EXTRA: How many set changes are there?

PURVIS: About 35.

EXTRA: How many props and costumes and wigs and so on?

PURVIS: Tons. About 500 props, lots of costume changes, about 80 wigs.

EXTRA: What about laundry?

PURVIS: Tons of laundry, and we have one person who does nothing but laundry all day long. Washing, folding, and then distributing it.

EXTRA: Is this one of the largest shows you’ve worked on?

PURVIS: Yes, although I did work on Showboat for about three years, which is also huge. Biggest show I ever did, for sure.

EXTRA: After Cleveland, where do you go?

PURVIS: I won’t be with the show after Cleveland. I’ll be working on Spider-Man: The Musical in New York. But I can’t wait to come back to Cleveland. I’ve been there 16 of the last 22 years. Great theater and great town! Tell everyone to come because this show is a lot of fun!