She was a dancer. She fell in love with a cowboy. She moved to a small western town and built a life full of dance, music, friends, family and theater.
It sounds like the plot of a Hallmark Channel movie. Instead it’s the story of Marva Craft, a woman who has spent decades shaping generations of performers in Sheridan.
Ryan Koltiska met Craft when he was about 6 years old as he prepared for the Stars of Tomorrow competition. Years later in high school, he played the lead role in “Crazy for You” under Craft’s direction. Their connection continued into adulthood, as Koltiska returned to the stage for multiple productions with Craft at the helm.
“I’ve always been impressed by how much time and effort Marva puts into shows and helping people grow and learn,” Koltiska said. “I’ve never seen her take shortcuts, and she puts everything she has into creating a great show. She is direct and she can push you as an actor, but it is all to help you become your best.”
Danielle Law, who will star in the upcoming production of “Anything Goes,” first worked with Craft as a high school performer in a show called “The Pajama Game.”
“I remember thinking that Marva was spunky and energetic and so knowledgeable,” Law said. “I wanted to soak up every word she told me and I’ve been trying ever since.”
“Anything Goes” will mark Craft’s final production as director at the WYO Performing Arts and Education Center, a theater she has championed for more than three decades.
“Marva has been a strong advocate for the WYO since the very beginning,” said Erin Butler, executive director of the WYO. “Serving on the board in its first full year of operations, helping to lead the WYO through the many changes and hardships that would come in those early years.
“Marva has been committed to providing the best possible performances through directing and choreographing the annual Gala and Premiere events,” Butler continued. “The hours she has spent at the WYO in the spirit of support are incomprehensible.”
Together with longtime music director Kathy McNickle and designer Jeannie Hall, Craft has set a high bar for the WYO’s annual productions.
“She doesn’t put up with people who aren’t willing to give the same energy she gives,” Koltiska said. “She leads by example on being prepared and putting your all into a show.”
AJ Longhurst, who is working alongside Craft for the production of “Anything Goes,” credits her with shaping a theater community that welcomes all.
“Everyone is welcome, whether they can sign or dance or act, she has a place for them,” Longhurst said.
For all her high expectations and carefully planned productions, Craft also brings a healthy dose of unpredictability to rehearsals, particularly where choreography is concerned.
Koltiska recalled rehearsals when Craft couldn’t decipher her own choreography notes and simply made up new steps on the spot. Longhurst has watched her revise choreography many, many times until every step felt just right.
“I love when she is teaching something and immediately jumps in, says ‘try it like this,’ does the move she has, only in her brain, perfectly and then waits for you to try it,” Law said. “It's a little chaotic and that works for me. Marva works in Marva's way. She loves to work on the big musical numbers first, then big scenes, then smaller songs, then smaller scenes, and then smashes them together and sees what happens. Her expectations are that you are doing the work at home as well and things come together quickly.”
Beneath the laughter, changing choreography and occasional chaos, Craft has a knack for seeing potential in performers before they recognize it in themselves. She pushes them beyond their comfort zones, challenges them to take risks and gives them room to try again when things don’t quite work. As Longhurst recalls, she has a habit of complimenting people behind their backs.
“I have worked with Marva longer than I have worked with any other director,” Longhurst said. “I would not have grown as an actor, director or person as much as I have without her in my orbit. The trust she has placed in me over so many shows has shaped the way I look at certain details of every production. I would not have had it any other way for the last 14 years.”
That influence even found its way into Longhurst’s vaudeville performances. He names his popular character, Marvelous Marv, after Craft.
“Marv will always remind me of Marva allowing me to try and fail, and to try again. Marv embodies try and try again in every performance. Marva will always be a part of those performances whether she knows it or not.”
For Law, Craft’s influence reaches beyond the stage. Her example helped Law see a future in which raising a family and pursuing her passions were both possible.
“I got married young and I had a hard time knowing that if I had a family, I would have to put my dreams on hold for a bit,” Law said. “But seeing that Marva did this and she came back and directed and followed her passions, I knew I could do the same.”
As Craft spends the coming weeks polishing (and likely changing) choreography for “Anything Goes,” those who have spent years working alongside her are preparing for a bittersweet milestone: one final production with Craft in the director’s chair.
“She’s truly irreplaceable in every, single, way,” Butler said.
Her influence won't leave altogether, though. It will live on in the performers she challenged, the confidence she helped build and the community she brought together, one production at a time. And chances are, you'll still hear her cheering from the audience when future casts nail a big musical number or scene.
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