The Genius in the Shadow
Backstage at the theater, the arrogant lead actors were laughing at an elderly man in grease-stained overalls who was high up on a ladder adjusting a spotlight. “Must be sad to spend your life in the dark while we get the applause,” one of them mocked. But what they didn’t know was that this man was Arthur Vance, a legendary Tony Award-winning director who had chosen to go completely anonymous for this project. He wanted to see if the cast had true passion or just massive egos. Just before the show started, Arthur came down from the ladder, walked into the main dressing room, and dropped a folder on the table. It contained their contracts—and a notice that he was replacing the arrogant lead actor with an understudy who actually respected the crew. They learned the hard way that the man controlling the lights also controls the show.