A Dec. 7-8 production of “Mamma Mia!” memorialized three cast and crew who died as the stage musical was preparing for production. The names of Aaron Parker, Shawn Stimson and Neil Durco were inscribed in Greek characters on the side of a prop boat used in the show.
“We were devastated,” said Barclay Kopchak, the musical’s producer and director. “We discussed it as a group and thought that we could most honor them by following through. We had put in six weeks of rehearsals at that point. We would show everybody that we would carry on in the best of the spirit of community.”
Aaron Parker, a stage carpenter who had worked on a previous production with Kopchak, was the first member of the production to sign up, Kopchak said. Parker later died in a July 8 barge fire in Whittier. Shawn Stimson, who had been cast in one of the leading roles, dropped out before rehearsals due to illness and died weeks later. Neil Durco, who had also joined the cast, went missing while hiking in the Chugach Forest and was found deceased Oct. 13.
As a result, performances of “Mamma Mia!” were pushed back from October to December. Assistant Director Amber Nolan took over for Kopchak while Kopchak was out of town for several weeks. In spite of these many challenges, the show was well received during its premier at the North Star Theatre, Kopchak said.
“Mamma Mia!” involved over 50 cast, crew and other workers.
“It’s a big undertaking to do something like this,” Kopchak said. “It was thrilling to see so many people stepping up to be a part of this.”
