Having the time of her life — Blumey Awards Best Actress Winner Arella Flur Comes Home with the North American Tour of Mamma Mia!

Five years ago, Arella Flur — then a high school senior — stood on Belk Stage accepting top honors as Best Actress at the Blumey Awards. This summer, she’ll be back there again in a new behind-the-scenes role, working as assistant company manager for the 25th anniversary North American tour of “Mamma Mia!”  The show comes to Charlotte June 17 - 23.

(Arella Flur's Blumey Awards Best Actress acceptance speech at the 2019 Blumey Awards) 

Flur, a Charlotte Latin School alumna, who excelled academically and on stage, is used to juggling a lot at once. After high school, she went on to earn a BA degree from Northwestern University (‘23), majoring in theater and minoring in Business. During her time there, she also took on several internships and helped produce multiple theatrical shows.

All of those skills and experiences serve her well now as part of the production team behind “Mamma Mia!” She’s been on the road with the company since last fall.

Blumenthal Arts caught up with her in Kansas City, her 15th stop on the tour, where she talked about what it takes to be a successful company manager, the best parts of her job, and her advice to young people considering a career behind-the-scenes.

Organization is key

Flur is part of a two-person company management team that handles many of the logistics and administrative aspects for the 57 people who travel around the country as part of the “Mamma Mia!” company. She and the company manager have to be on the same page with one another at all times. That’s because they are not only managing everyday details for their current city, they also are planning and coordinating for the future.

“I think the fun challenge of the role is that you are always keeping so many balls in the air at one time, and I think good company managers know how to keep it organized,” Flur says. “So you can hone in and say ‘okay we're in Kansas City this week, I'm going to make sure that everything is running on the ground properly, everyone on our team has what they need.’ But at the same time I always have an eye to what's coming next down the line in two weeks, three weeks, four weeks, six months, a year…”

Company managers also need to be adept at code switching, she says, as they communicate with so many different people involved with a production — from producers to stage crew to box office staff and, of course, the actors.

The best parts of the job

Flur says she’s fortunate to work on a show with such a positive vibe.

“We are so blessed that this is such a joyous show and to be able to bring a show like ‘Mamma Mia!’ around the country with everything that is going on in the world. … [Y]ou come in and you know you're going to laugh and dance and sing and have a great time.”

Even when she’s problem-solving behind-the-scenes, Flur says the experience is more rewarding because she’s part of a team that’s bringing that joy to audiences.

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Arella Flur (@arella.flur)

She says the company has been “shocked” by the intensity of the audience response.

“The lights go down and people are cheering before anyone even walks onto the stage. I have never experienced that.

“And to see that excitement from all generations,” she adds, “where you have the people who have known ABBA and…  ‘Mamma Mia!’ since it started and then there's my generation, who grew up on the movie, who grew up on ABBA music on TikTok — and so there really is this multigenerational thrill to get to experience this show live on stage.”

Another great part of touring is having the opportunity to explore new cities. She especially enjoyed the company’s stops in California last fall since it was her first time on the west coast.

“I got to spend a week in San Diego, we got to spend three weeks in Los Angeles and it's my first tour so I'm still excited to go visit all these places, do all the touristy things. … I did the Universal Studios tour and I went out to La Jolla — got to see the seals. So, it's really a blessing each city we get to go to that there's always something new to do, always new food to try, always something new to see and that's one of the greatest gifts of getting to go on the road… part of your job is to go see the country.”

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Arella Flur (@arella.flur)

And even though there are regular routines on tour, such as traveling on Mondays, loading in on Tuesdays, handling payroll, settling with the box office to make sure all money has been accounted for, and packing up after an 8-show run on Sundays, live theater also means there’s always the thrill of the unexpected.

Like the time during opening week in Denver on a perfectly clear night, when about 30 minutes into the show, all the power in the building suddenly went out. As Flur and others rushed around backstage trying to understand what had happened (it was a citywide issue) and ensure everyone’s safety and whereabouts, the audience spontaneously broke into song.

“They're singing ‘Dancing Queen’ and they're singing ‘Mamma Mia!’ and some of our cast start to go out and to encourage them on, keep them entertained,” Flur says. “And fortunately we were able to get the power back up about 30 minutes later and resume the show but it was just a beautiful moment… Even as we're having to hold them in their seats, they can't go anywhere [and] no one knows if we're going to be able to even continue the show, we have almost 3,000 people just singing and having a great time together.”

She’s looking forward to bringing the show to Charlotte soon, a city that has meant so much to her and getting the chance to see family, friends and former teachers.

Flur grew up in Charlotte watching touring shows, attending the Blumey Awards, then participating in them. Then when she realized her passion and skills aligned best with a career  in producing and the business side of theater, Blumenthal helped that interest blossom.

“Tom Gabbard and Blumenthal have consistently been my biggest cheerleaders,” Flur says. “…Tom was one of the first people who volunteered to sit down with me, walk through the possibilities, and make introductions to theater managers across the country. The summer before I went to college, Blumenthal created a unique apprenticeship for me to work with and shadow every department in the organization, giving me a strong knowledge base that I have carried into every role since.”

(Blumenthal President Tom Gabbard with Arella Flur following her Blumey Awards win in 2019)

Thinking about a career in the theater? Here’s a cool life hack!

Whether your interests are on stage or behind-the-scenes, Flur says there are many meaningful ways to be involved as a theater professional. And you might be surprised to learn of all the specialized skills, too, that are needed: from engineering to law to accounting. Here’s her suggestion for tapping into the whole range of possibilities that exist for a career in the performing arts.

“Anytime you go to a show, open your playbill and turn to that back page where you see hundreds of tiny little names. All of those people have full-time careers working to bring the show that you're seeing on stage to life. What you see on stage is only a tiny portion of so much work that happens behind the scenes…

“I started looking at those names and then trying to find those people, just to ask them what they did, because what it taught me is that there are so many opportunities if you love this business and you love theater… Really take time to learn about all of the pieces that make theater happen.”