Last Call: Scott Rollison & Haley Wilson on Toasting Hangmen

Living near the theater district during the Broadway shutdown, photographer and performer Matthew Stocke has been haunted walking past the empty theater palaces sitting in repose, waiting for the lights and stars to return. In this new Broadway.com photo feature, he reunites members of the theater community with their Broadway home Away From Home.

Four-time Tony nominee Martin McDonagh's dark comedy Hangmen played only 13 previews at the John Golden Theatre prior to the Broadway shutdown; it had been scheduled to open on March 19. Sadly, it has been announced that the play will not return to the Great Bright Way as a result of the ongoing COVID-19 crisis. Production stage manager Scott Rollison, who has lent his stage managing talents to Tootsie, Falsettos, She Loves Me, On the Twentieth Century and more Broadway shows, and production stage assistant Haley Wilson, who has worked on The Cher Show and Pretty Woman, returned to the theater to reflect on the last day before the shutdown and their time in quarantine.

SCOTT ROLLISON
PRODUCTION STAGE MANAGER
"We were freezing the show. It was a really big celebration kind of day—until it wasn’t. There were so many Broadway debuts. People were just gutted. Since our show takes place inside a pub, one of our wonderful house heads brought up his collection of wine and booze, and we all gathered together on the set, pulled up the prop glassware and cast, crew, creative team all there, we had a big ol’ toast together. That part was nice...I’ve been Citi Biking all over this island. I’ve ridden about 50 miles a week seeing parts of the city I haven't before. I've also been helping nanny my two beautiful nephews who live down the street from me three times a week...It’s really shattering to consider how long it may take until things are back to 'normal,' whatever that will be. I just wanna do a show. I wanna be back in my corner where I belong. I want to hear an audience laughing or clapping or reacting to whatever we’re doing onstage."

HALEY WILSON
PRODUCTION STAGE ASSISTANT
"This production was damn good theater. It was incredibly artistically satisfying, and the relationships built were unlike any other. That 'strictly limited engagement' sign really hits hard. Shutting down Broadway was an incredibly tough day. We all tried to stay positive that we’d be back together at some point...I spent several months quarantined in suburban Connecticut with my family. It felt a little like I was on vacation instead of hiding from a pandemic. My dog loved all the open space; I’ve started volunteering and also fostering with Muddy Paws Rescue, which is where I adopted my dog Mushu from a year ago. I’ve also been using this time to educate myself on everything happening in the world. I want to be part of the solution, not an ignorant bystander...Theater is a life saver for some of us. It’s helped get me through every good and bad moment of life. To not have that right now is devastating. I want to be back doing my part telling stories as soon as possible."

Photos by Matthew Stocke/Matt James Photo NYC for Broadway.com
Additional reporting by Lindsey Sullivan