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Carole Mikita ReportingA member of the stage crew who was seriously injured last night at Hale Centre Theatre remains hospitalized, but tonight's performance will go on.
Will Phillips had surgery after suffering face, ear and jaw injuries about an hour and fifteen minutes into "Aida". As he was taken by AirMed to the University of Utah Medical Center, the show was cancelled for the night.
Cast and crew at Hale Centre Theatre are used to drama, but the 'make believe' kind. Last night, one of the stage technicians, Will Phillips, got stuck in a moving piece of machinery that sliced through part of his face and broke his jaw.
Barry Squires was in the audience, when a theatre manager suddenly announced an intermission. Squires began talking with a friend, who is an EMT, then they noticed cast members running out of the building.
Barry Squires: "And he said, 'I've gotta run.' And he ran and I followed him and he said, 'I'm an EMT, do you need any help?' And I looked to the left and saw a girl and she appeared to be sick."
The production of "Aida" presents a technical challenge for the crew, with scenery that revolves and moves up and down through the floor of the "theatre in the round'.
This is certainly not the first time Hale has produced a huge show. 'The Scarlett Pimpernel' called for constantly moving sets. And 'Big River' brought literally tons of water inside. The tech crew built walls and a tank below stage to hold it. That is where last night's accident happened, underneath. The audience saw nothing, but the crew did.
Most of them are not professionals; this is a community theatre with no union rules or regulations as other theatres have.
Mark Dietlein, Exec. Prod. Hale Centre Theatre: "We feel confident with their abilities and the safety procedures and policies that have been implemented. In seven and a half years, we haven't had any incident of this nature where there's been an injury tied in with the stage."
At 6 o'clock this evening, Will Phillips's wife will meet with all of the cast and crew of "Aida" to deliver a message from him that he will be fine, he will be back, and 'the show must go on'.
