Reflecting on 44 years with Piedmont Players

By Debbie Hubbard

I have been performing since I was 8 and doing musical theatre since high school. My relatives would come over when I was young, and I would sing or tap dance or twirl my baton and they would put money in a jar. But that was nothing compared to the thrill I got from performing for them.

My first show with Piedmont Players was Gypsy in 1980. I was in my early twenties and had just moved to the area. I had left behind a beloved community theatre group and was on the lookout for a new group where I could find my people and share my joy and passion for performing. I saw the audition notice and knew this was where my people were. I auditioned and was cast as June.

At that time Piedmont Players ran their productions in Keppel Auditorium and Hedrick Little Theatre, on the campus of Catawba College. One of my favorite roles while there was Prudie Cupp in Pump Boys and Dinettes. Our new director, Reid Leonard, had hometown connections with one of the show’s creators. All the music was played by the actors onstage, and we used handheld mics with long cords. That was a challenge. That, and playing percussion on pots and pans.

One of the most valuable pieces of advice I’ve ever gotten about musical theatre came from Reid. It’s easy to just think OK, I’m going to sing a song now. But each song furthers the plot. “Just tell the story,” he said. “Tell the story in the song.” It changed everything.

Another favorite role was Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady. I like playing strong women, and Eliza is one. It was also the first time I’d done a legit dialect. We were lucky to have an English gentleman, Len Clark, in our cast, and he was instrumental in helping us all get comfortable with a new way of speaking. I love a good character arc, and Eliza’s transformation was a valuable learning experience.

Evita was the most physically challenging role I’ve ever done. The show is a nonstop whirlwind of music and dance. Though musicals often don’t have deeply sketched characters, with this one, there was a lot to work with. There was a great deal of excitement around the guest actor playing Che Guevara, Scott Holmes. He was fondly remembered from his time at Catawba College and the shows he performed there. He was, at the time, known for his role in a daytime television show. He was very kind and considerate to me.

In 1995 for the inaugural performance of PPT’s new Meroney Theater, I played Mary Magdalene in Jesus Christ Superstar. I was also employed as the Facilities Manager there and helped assemble and hang lighting instruments and put the finishing touches on the new space. It was very exciting that Piedmont Players finally had its own space after so many years.

And now, in 2024, here I am in The Music Man again. The first time, in 1981, I was in the youth ensemble, a dancer. Today I play Eulalie Mackecknie Shinn, the mayor’s wife. This current production, directed by Tod Kubo, is going to be a joy to see and hear. My continued delight in performing comes from finding those little touches that make a character more realistic and believable.

Theatre, like many arts, holds a mirror to our world and shows us who we are and who we’re capable of being. It gives us a chance to experience many different stories and ranges of human emotion. It promotes empathy and understanding and might even offer us a new perspective. As I reflect on my life in theatre, I am grateful to have been able to pursue something that’s given me such pleasure and that brings value to our community. It’s been quite a character arc, from ingenues to crazy old ladies. And… I’m not done yet!

The Music Man runs at The Meroney Theater until November 3. Tickets can be purchased at PiedmontPlayers.com.