Behind-The –Scenes at “Pump Boys”

Welcome to backstage at The Grand Theatre. This is a behind-the-scenes look at the show I’m in, “Pump Boys & Dinettes.” It’s a musical revue filled with down-home country music and apple pie!

Have you ever wondered what actors do before they take the stage? Wondered what the house looks like from the stage? Or wondered what they actors look like underneath all that stage make-up? Click here to watch the cast getting ready and see a clip or two of “Pump Boys.”

Don’t forget to register to win tickets on the KOSY home page or you can call the Grand Theatre box office at 957-3322. The show runs nightly at 7:30p until the 23rd (except Sundays), and we have a Saturday matinee at 2p.

Lasting Legacy

I got a call from my mom last week telling me that my Kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Abegglen had passed away. Though it’s been decades, my mind went instantly to the classroom – brightly colored, toys on the low shelves to the left, the communal kitchen on the right and all of our little tables in the middle. Mrs. Abegglen was a wonderful teacher who taught me to wait my turn (over-eager during show-and-tell), taught me that adults can still hear me when I’m not shouting (see above) and taught me not to touch things that don’t belong to me (a swift swat on the bottom – lesson learned).

Mrs. Abegglen also guided me through my first kiss. Apparently, chasing boys, throwing them to the ground and kissing them was not appropriate behavior (still isn’t, turns out). My mom tells the story of receiving a phone call at home requesting that they talk to me about taking it easy during recess. Who knew?

But most importantly, Mrs. Abegglen’s legacy lives on every time I open my mouth to sing. As I sat on the floor, crossed-legged during singing time, Mrs. Abegglen was observant enough to notice that I loved it. She noticed that I knew all of the words to all of the songs, and sang my heart out. She told my mom to put me in singing, “She’s a little songbird.”

Thank you Mrs. Abegglen for seeing that in me. You’ve given me immeasurable joy throughout the years simply because you cared enough to notice, and cared enough to tell my parents. I’m sure many of your students would have similar stories. I was lucky to have you as a teacher and to this day and 2 college degrees later, you are still one of the most memorable.

A Little About Me

I’m a local girl; born and raised in SLC. I know the school songs of all my alma maters (Jackling Elementary, Kennedy Jr. High, Skyline High and The University of Utah). Yes, they all had songs and for some reason my brain is wired to never, ever forget a song (ask me about the Pythagorean Theorem).

I’m one of six kids; 5 girls and 1 boy. Please don’t feel sorry for him, he’s very well taken care of. We still get together and do things. Sometimes it’s a chick-flick for the girls; sometimes we all gather at the folk’s kitchen bar, baking, laughing and telling stories.

I’ve been married for just over 8 years to my sweet husband, Mark. We don’t get a lot of time together (some say that’s why we’re still happily married). We love to bike, hike or snowshoe in the great Utah outdoors.

We don’t have any kids yet but we do have a wonderful little dog. We found Ginger, our lab/terrier mix at a super-adoption in the PetSmart parking lot about 1½ years ago. She’s the perfect mix of playful/rough-houser and sweet cuddler.

After 5 years of working as a traffic reporter on TV (for KTVX and KSL), I wanted something new and that’s when Scot came calling. We became partners 6 years ago. Through 3 different stations and almost as many name changes (anyone remember Dexter and Mercedes?), we had settled into KOSY and we loved it. KOSY listeners are the nicest around! Unfortunately management didn't agree and we were both fired within a few months of each other.

Between all of that, I like to dabble in semi-professional theatre. In the past 5 years I’ve been in 12 shows and I love it. I’m lucky because I’ve been able to play my ‘dream role,’ Patsy Cline in “Always… Patsy Cline.”

Anyway, that’s me in a nutshell. Keep checking back and I’ll keep you posted on my latest show, my latest Ginger or Mark story and of course, anything else you might have heard me talk about on the air.