'GREAT RUSSIAN NUTCRACKER'

By DEBORA SHAULIS
ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
Greg Clepper has earned a reputation around Youngstown State University Theatre, and he realizes it. "I guess I can be known as very demanding," said Clepper, YSU's theater production manager. "I don't baby my students. People who are in the scene shop want to be there."
It's that exacting work ethic that has endeared him to Moscow Ballet's dancers, who will return to Youngstown next month to perform "Great Russian Nutcracker" at Edward W. Powers Auditorium. Clepper is touring production manager for one of two Moscow Ballet companies that will crisscross the nation this holiday season. He's also the producer of the ballet's local performances.
Both jobs require Clepper to be organized and attentive to details. He's up to those tasks. "When we know Greg is in charge, nothing will be wrong -- nothing," prima ballerina Natalya Getman said.
Dedication: Dancers come and go within the company, but Clepper has been a constant for eight years. He's made many Russian friends by virtue of his professionalism.
"He knows everything about ballet, about a dancer's life," Getman said during a visit to Youngstown in October. "We don't have to be worried even a little bit if he's with us." She compared the times when Clepper hasn't been around to "having no hands."
Not only has Clepper learned what he calls "survivalist Russian" language in the p ast eight years, he's gained respect for these dancers because of their discipline and dedication. He's their advocate on and off the stage. For example, Buffalo, N.Y., is an annual stop on the "Nutcracker" tour. If the dancers want to see Niagara Falls, Clepper will find a way to get them there.
"If I ever get to Russia -- and I want to -- I would be shown the same hospitality, I'm sure," Clepper said.
Finding his calling: Clepper grew up in Sharon, Pa., and studied theater at Penn State University in State College. He worked at Pittsburgh Public Theater before his wife, an employee of U.S. Steel, was transferred to Chicago. There he got a job with Candlelight Theater, where he worked for 11 years.
His wife had grown up in Meadville, Pa., and was ready to move closer to home. They settled in Hermitage, and Clepper found work as technical director at the Cleveland Playhouse.
Several years ago, Clepper saw Moscow Ballet perform in Baltimore and was "literally floored by the talent" of the Russian dancers, he said. He contacted the producer and asked to work with the company. At the same time, Clepper was applying at YSU for a job as technical director. Eventually, he was hired by both entities.
Working both jobs has required some compromise on Clepper's part. He takes vacation from the university to tour with the ballet. He'll celebrate his 45th birthday this month on the road. He'll spend this Christmas at home with his wife and four children for only the third time in eight years, he said.
Hands-on approach: At YSU, Clepper supervises students in various aspects of University Theater productions -- including set construction, use of props and development of sound and lighting cues. The atmosphere is more lab than a lecture, which suits Clepper. "I've ... always learned by doing," he said.
Clepper's experience with Moscow Ballet enhances what he teaches at YSU. There's always something new to be learned with the ballet, such as new ways to "fly" pieces of scenery, he said.
Clepper works as many as 18 hours a day during the "Nutcracker" tour. A typical day begins at 7 a.m. at the site of that night's performance. Clepper said he arrives ahead of the stage crew to look around. Once the crew arrives, it takes about eight hours to install the set and its components. Clepper coordinates and supervises. By the time the dancers begin warming up, the crew is putting on final touches.
Moscow Ballet uses as many as 60 local children in each community to perform small roles. The children will have about three hours on performance day to work with the professionals. That's also the only time the production staff has for costume fittings, Clepper said.
Rehearsals end around 6 p.m., and the curtain usually rises around 7:30 p.m., which leaves about 90 minutes for the crew to address any last-minute details.
"The show is actually the easiest part of the day," said Clepper, who gives cues to the performers.
It takes a little more than two hours to tear down the set and pack it into the company's 53-foot truck. Then everyone travels to the next city, and the cycle is repeated.
Local performances: That Clepper works and lives here will have little bearing on the quality of the local performances; Getman cautioned: "If you're professional, you have to perform everywhere the same."
Still, Youngstown will be a special stop on the ballet's tour. That's especially true for Getman. She made advance visits for the last two years to audition Ballet Western Reserve students for "Nutcracker" roles. She has many friends here now. "I think Midwest people are the friendliest," she said.
The dancers were treated "like royalty" on their last trip through the Mahoning Valley, Clepper said. "Youngstown was the talk of the tour last year, the northern tour."
The Russians were equally gracious, dancing and mingling with the locals at last year's opening night party despite being tired from traveling and performing. They know how close to home these performances are for Clepper. "I think there's more effort on their part to put on a good show -- not that other shows aren't good. ... You can see them going the extra mile," he said.