Tony as Billy Flynn in Chicago
A founding member of SPARE who’s always looking for ways to improve his craft, Tony DeLousia is a busy person this summer!
“I’m playing Billy Flynn in Chicago, producing Letter Writing, and helping out with some of the fundraisers going on,” he told us.
“Helping out” may be an understatement. He is the event coordinator for SPARE’s upcoming Barnes & Noble fundraiser, which he says is shaping up to be a fun day.
“We’re going to do a Princess and Pirate Day, geared more toward the youth that come into Barnes & Noble,” he explained as he ran us through his many responsibilities for the event.
Right now, of course, Tony is laser-focused on Chicago, which opens in under two days.
“It’s kind of hectic,” he said, “but when we get it going, it’s so much fun!”
His favorite part of the show so far? “I would say it’s just working with such an awesome cast. It’s been a blast.”
Beyond Chicago and SPARE’s day at Barnes & Noble, Tony is looking ahead to the company’s late-summer production of the new play Letter Writing. As his first show volunteering as a producer, he says the production has given him a new appreciation for all the moving parts that go into putting on a show.
“I think having a broader view has been really interesting,” he said. “Usually, I’ve been more on the acting side, so I only get to see the creative process, but not so much everything else that goes into it.”
In particular, Tony says working with the show’s performance space, the Cider Mill Playhouse, has been both challenging and rewarding.
Tony says he’s so busy with theater – “I’m a big theater buff!” – that he doesn’t have much time for other hobbies, but he did get to spend some time with family for the Fourth of July.
“I had a big get-together up at my dad’s,” he said, “a bunch of family, fireworks, bonfire. A nice night – good food!”
All in all, Tony says he is proud of what SPARE has become in its four seasons, and what it stands for.
“It’s been cool to see SPARE grow as a company, and to get new people in, and old people to come back,” he said, “to have everyone work together to get a set build done, or to fundraise, or just put up a show – which is what we do best.”