Hairspray at the Hoogland Center for the Arts

November 13, 2026

Back in August, Gus Gordon did something pretty generous. He let me wander through a rehearsal of Hairspray at the Hoogland Center for the Arts in downtown Springfield with my cameras and capture whatever caught my eye. I’d only met Gus a few times, so I didn’t take that lightly. And here’s my confession right up front: I’d never seen the movie or the musical. I walked into the LRS Theatre with no idea what was coming, and honestly, that might’ve been the best way to see it.

Black and white view of the LRS Theatre seats at the Hoogland Center for the Arts as the Hairspray cast gathers before rehearsal

Walking Into the Hoogland for a Hairspray Rehearsal

It was quiet when I got there. A near empty parking garage, a mostly empty main hall, and that low hum you only hear in a theater right before a run. I’ll admit my nerves were going. I wasn’t sure if I’d be a welcome face or just one more thing for a busy cast and crew to work around. Probably a little of both, and that’s completely fair. So I found a spot, set my bag down, got my cameras dialed in and waited for things to start.

Looking out from the Hairspray stage over the orchestra pit and the cast seated in the house at the Hoogland, in black and white

Hairspray pit orchestra rehearsing below the stage at the Hoogland Center for the Arts in Springfield, in black and white

Why My Hairspray Behind the Scenes Photos Are Black and White

As you scroll through these, you’ll notice I split the night into two worlds. Everything happening in the seats, the wings and the orchestra pit is in black and white. Everything on stage is in color. That was on purpose. Offstage felt quieter to me, a little more raw and personal, and black and white lets those moments breathe. Then the lights hit the stage and everything bursts open, so I let the color do the talking there.

A Cast That Shows Up for Each Other

One of my favorite parts of the night didn’t happen on stage at all. When cast members weren’t in a scene, a lot of them were out in the house watching the ones who were, paying attention like it was opening night. You only get that when people genuinely care about each other and about the show they’re building together.

Hairspray cast members watching the rehearsal from the theater seats, black and white candid

Hairspray cast in costume seated in the house during a run at the Hoogland, black and white

The Rhythm Nobody in the Audience Gets to See

Here’s what really stuck with me. Somebody would call something out from the back and three people would react at once without a word said. A performer would come off stage and hand something to a person who was already reaching for it. The pit and the stage were in conversation the whole time. It’s like a second choreography running underneath the first one, and by the time an audience sits down, it’s completely invisible.

I spend a lot of my passionate career quietly reading rooms at weddings and events, waiting for the moment right before something happens. Watching this crew work felt really familiar, and I couldn’t stop following it with my lens. Hairspray at the Hoogland had a backstage rhythm as tight as anything happening under the lights.

Drummer in the Hairspray pit orchestra at the Hoogland Center for the Arts, black and white

Hairspray performer leaning over the orchestra pit rail to talk with the musicians during rehearsal

Then the Lights Come Up on Hairspray at the Hoogland

And then the run started, and it felt like I had my own private ticket in the front row. If you’re like me and didn’t know the story, Hairspray is set in 1960s Baltimore and follows Tracy Turnblad, a teenager with big hair and even bigger dreams who wants to dance on The Corny Collins Show and ends up fighting to integrate it. It’s bright, it’s loud and it’s got a whole lot of heart, and this cast leaned all the way in.

Tracy Turnblad with arms flung wide in a blue haze as Hairspray opens at the Hoogland Center for the Arts

Full Hairspray cast on stage under red and blue lights in front of a tinsel curtain at the Hoogland

Hairspray ensemble dancing with arms raised under blue stage lights

Wide shot of the Hairspray stage with the cast in bright sixties costumes and one dancer mid jump

Hairspray ensemble carrying shopping bags and hat boxes in a colorful Baltimore street scene

Hairspray performer with a vintage camera around his neck in front of a colorful storefront set

The Cast and Creative Team Behind Hairspray at the Hoogland

This production was co-directed and choreographed by Morgan Kaplan and Andrew Maynerich, with musical direction by Damien Kaplan, Meredith Crifasi leading the orchestra and costumes by Rene Blank. Sophie Carpenter played Tracy Turnblad, Craig Williams II played Edna Turnblad, John O’Connor played Wilbur, Colia Cole played Motormouth Maybelle and Matt Woodson played Link Larkin. And that’s only a handful of the names. There were a lot more people on that stage, in that pit and behind that curtain making it all work.

Corny Collins Show number in Hairspray with the host at the microphone beside a dancer in a red dress

Hairspray performer playing guitar under the Corny Collins sign while dancers pose around him

I was also really happy to see one of my photos from that week run alongside Mary Young’s review of Hairspray in Illinois Times. She called it one of the most vibrant productions she’d seen done locally, and after sitting in on that rehearsal, I couldn’t agree more.

Hairspray performer in an orange suit and blonde bouffant holding a clipboard

Hairspray performer in a yellow dress and blonde bouffant with hands on head beside a man in a white suit

Two Hairspray performers in red sequin gowns singing together

Hairspray cast in a line reaching toward the lights as a performer in a gold sequin gown leads the number

Why I Call the Hoogland a Place of Dreams

Everybody in that building has a whole life waiting for them outside those doors. Day jobs, kids, bills, all of it. And they still keep showing up to build something out of nothing for a couple of weekends, for audiences full of people they’ve never met. Nobody’s getting rich doing it. They do it because they love it, and you could see that on every face, whether they were under the lights or sitting out in the seats watching a friend. That kind of passion is something I relate to, and it’s what I’ll remember most about this night.

Motormouth Maybelle in a gold sequin gown and platinum curls, laughing on stage in Hairspray

Support Local Theater in Springfield, IL

Hairspray at the Hoogland has wrapped, but the theater keeps the stage busy all year long. If you haven’t been in a while, see what’s playing at the Hoogland Center for the Arts and go catch a show. There’s a whole lot of heart up on that stage, and about twice as many people behind it as you’ll ever get to see.

And if you’re part of a theater company or arts group in Central Illinois and you’d love rehearsal, behind the scenes or production photos that tell the whole story, I’d love to hear from you. You can see more of my event photography in Springfield here on the blog.

Thank you, Gus, for opening the door, and thank you to the entire Hairspray cast, crew and orchestra for letting me tag along.

Hairspray at the Hoogland Center for the Arts: A Night Behind the Scenes in Springfield, IL