Penn State’s Center for the Performing Arts is bringing one graduate back to campus on Thursday alongside the hit Broadway musical, “Waitress”.
The show’s assistant audio designer, Alex Pregel, graduated from Penn State in 2021 with a bachelor of fine arts degree in design and technology and joined the crew for this year’s tour. We sat down with him to learn about his experiences with “Waitress” and his time at Penn State.
Before getting to know Pregel, though, you’ll want to get to know the show. Based on the 2007 film of the same name, “Waitress” tells the story of a waitress and pie-maker who’s longing to get out of her small town and toxic marriage. Looking for ways out, she sees a pie baking contest and its grand prize as her chance. The show features original music and lyrics by Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Sara Bareilles and a book by screenwriter Jessie Nelson.
Pregel has always loved theatre and sound design, and Penn State gave him the tools to pursue both interests. He studied sound design and production and worked behind the scenes for a handful of productions at Eisenhower Auditorium and the State Theatre in downtown State College.
“Hands down, the football games and bar crawling would be some of my favorite [experiences], as well as my time with the School of Theatre and Music,” he said while reflecting on his time at Penn State.
“Waitress” began its current U.S. tour with a stop in Erie for shows on Tuesday and Wednesday. After hitting Happy Valley, the musical will make nearly 50 stops across the country along the East Coast and as far west as Texas and Oklahoma.
Pregel said traveling with the show on tour is one of the most enjoyable parts of his current gig.
“The biggest part is all the traveling we do and the lifestyle of being on the road, going place to place,” Pregel said. “It’s a combination of seeing a lot of country and all the people I get to do it with.”
The production team and cast are constantly on the move, going city to city with only one day off each week. However, that doesn’t bother Pregel.
While working the show, Pregel is ultimately responsible for keeping its audio equipment and production in check. He helps adjust the show’s sound for each unique venue along its wide-spanning tour.
“My job consists of preparing all the microphones, unloading the audio equipment, and essentially taking the show’s design and integrating it into new venues,” Pregel said.
He said that his work now is what he was already used to when he went to Penn State, though on a much different scale.
Audio equipment aside, “Waitress” also lands differently in each venue thanks to the audiences who watch it. Pregel said one interesting aspect of putting the production on is seeing how different crowds react to its jokes and music.
Pregel and the rest of the “Waitress” crew visit Penn State on Thursday, for a one-night-only show at 7:30 p.m. in Eisenhower Auditorium. Tickets are currently available online.
