Director Penny Maas brings Elvis back with "All Shook Up"

It's 1956.

The Russians were still a year away from launching Sputnik.

President Dwight Eisenhower was serving his first term.

Closer to home, Amon G. Carter Stadium has been expanded and could seat 47,000 and the Horned Frogs football team went 8-3, beating 8th ranked Syracuse in the Cotton Bowl.

Oh, and a little artist named Elvis Presley rocked the Billboard charts with three No. 1 hits: “Heartbreak Hotel,” “Hound Dog” and “Don’t Be Cruel.”

The vision behind it all

Director Penny Maas is no stranger to the stage as a director, choreographer and/or actress. Maas has a B.F.A. in musical theatre performance from Illinois Wesleyan University and an MFA in theatre pedagogy from Virginia Commonwealth University.

Maas has been working as a professional actress, singer, and dancer in New York and in the DFW metroplex for quite a while. Maas was a part of three Tony award winning shows, the original cast of “Crazy for you” where she is featured on the album, the revival of “Damn Yankees” with Jerry Lewis and the revival of “Cabaret.” Her work in New York led her to work alongside stars like John Stamos, Brooke Shields and Neil Patrick Harris. She is also featured on the off-Broadway album of “Swingtime Canteen.”

“I love being a director, but nothing beats that part of my life, being in New York,” Maas said.

Her directing and choreography resume is extensive, working off-Broadway with Second Stage, the National Yiddish Theatre, and winning the Broadway World DC Award for Best Direction of a Dinner Theatre Show.

Most people at TCU know her as “Penny,” only recently holding a full-time professor position, where she teaches Musical Theatre Performance. She can always be found chatting it up with students and is known for her contagious smile.

“My first vision for the show was to have the town that Chad visits to be black and white, a lack of color. Then when Chad shows up, everything becomes colorful,” Maas said. “The stage has old traffic signs to signify being on the road…that’s one of the themes. "All Shook Up" is about being able to love who you love”.

The costumes also tell a lot of the story.

When asked about the costumes, Maas talked about costume designer Murell Horton. Horton got his master’s in theatre design at Rutgers and has an extensive career in costuming, collaborating in shows put on by The Juilliard School and Shakespeare Theatre Company in Washington, D.C.

“The costumes are in period yes, but Murell does a great job of also making them unique,” Maas said.

Horton has collaborated with Academy Award-winning director Michael Kahn, known for his frequent collaboration with Steven Spielberg.

The dance influence

Precision and blocking. This is what Maas emphasized.

“As a dancer it’s all about space,” she said. “I think I use that a lot in this production especially since this is a dance heavy show.”

There are 18 ensemble members and four swings in the show showing a heavy emphasis on the dance and music.

Maas co-choregraphed the show with TCU student Gabriella Yarbrough, a junior musical theatre major.

“I was frequently the director and choreographer,” Mass said. “TCU is really nice because I’m able to collaborate with student choreographers such as [Gabriella], where I’m able to focus on the directing aspect. Being both director and choreographer can be a lot sometimes so this is so nice.”