By Setarreh Massihzadegan
THE ERICKSON TRIBUNE

A myriad of actors, musicians, and great minds regularly take to the stage at the Linden Ponds performing arts theater, but it’s the talent behind the scenes that keeps the theater in motion.

Since the performing arts theater opened last spring, Linden Ponds residents Chuck Clutz  and John Evans have done just that, filling the theater’s 263 seats.

Early beginnings
For Clutz, who helps set the scene for many of Linden Ponds’ large productions, the vision for theater came at an early age. As a young student in the Preparatory Department at The Eastman School of Music in Rochester, N.Y., he listened in on operas from  backstage and developed an interest in scenic design and lighting.

But it wasn’t until his senior year of high school when Clutz designed his second set that his work made it to the stage—a Norwegian scene for the senior class play.

“Nobody could believe that a student at the high school had done it,” Clutz recalls.

Following advice from his drama teacher, Clutz became a registered architect. Working for several Bostonarea architectural firms, he helped design three theaters, including the performing arts center at the University of New Hampshire at Keene, for which he designed the stage, auditorium, and equipment.

It wasn’t until he moved to Linden Ponds that he began designing sets again.

Preparing to entertain
“Chuck is an unbelievably creative guy,” says Lo Steele, who directs most of the community’s productions. Clutz works with Steele when designing the lighting and sets for performances at Linden Ponds. He then hands over his intricate drawings of scenery to other community members, who construct and paint them.

“A lot of people’s talents are being brought out as a result of this process,”  Clutz says. “I couldn’t exist without them.”