In the season of their spring musical, the Manhattan College Players have another important task to address: the matter of their leadership for the upcoming year.  Standing at the helm of the Players’ Board is the role of the Producer.

This year, only one standout student submitted an intent to run for this prestigious position: freshman English major Gabby Kasper.

Kasper submitted an intent to run earlier this month, in which she stated her commitment to serving as the club’s Producer, as well as future hopes and visions for the Players’ increased growth.

Kasper wrote in her intent to run, “I consider myself to be a leader and would truly enjoy the challenge of running Players.  I believe in the importance of this group and would like to take advantage of the position of Producer as a means to strengthen and expand our community.”

Kasper has been an active member of Players since arriving at the college in the fall, appearing in their fall production of “12 Angry Jurors” as Juror Number Eight, the breakout role in the production.

Kasper is also currently serving as the social chair of the Players’ 2016 Board.

“I really like leading things and I always seem to find myself in leadership positions,” Kasper said.  “I really love this club and wanted to lead it.”

In addition to Players, Kasper takes part in various other performing arts clubs on campus such as the MC Singers and the Manhattones acapella group.

The producer’s main and most essential duty is organizing the productions staged by the club, which include two mainstage shows each year: a fall drama and a spring musical.  There are also multiple second-stage, student-directed shows for which the Producer is also responsible.

“Throughout the year, the Producer is on top of making sure these productions happen.  So, that’s organizing all the different aspects of the productions, from licensing to figuring out the production staff,” said Andrea Lopilato, the current Players’ producer.  “On a day to day basis, it’s keeping on top of Players and working closely with the rest of performing arts and student engagement to keep everything moving.”

Lopilato has been the producer of Players for the past two years, and it is evident that Kasper has some big shoes to fill.

“It’s a really big transition year for Players because Ange [Lopilato] has been on top of things for a while now, and she’s done an amazing job,” Kasper said.  “It’s going to be a big change to lose Ange.”

In spite of the extensive duties of the producer and Kasper’s underclassman status, Lopilato remains optimistic for the future of the Players under Kasper’s leadership.

“It’s very rare that someone starts freshman year and comes in as a sophomore to this position,” Lopilato said.  “She’s really stepped up, and it’s good that she really wants to do it, that’s very important for a position like this.”

The remainder of the Players’ seven-person board will be elected and announced in the weeks to come.