Welcome to Meet the Member, where TDF members let you know which shows they love
Today's member: Teresa Coico, who joined TDF in 2005. She currently lives in New Jersey and works at Community Education Centers, which runs programs to help prisoners reenter society.
--
Mark Blankenship, Editor of TDF Stages: Hi Teresa! Thanks for talking to me today. I'd love to know… when did you start going to the theatre?
Teresa Coico: My mom took me to see shows. I remember we used to go to the Radio City Christmas Show, and in high school, I remember I saw
Evita with Patti LuPone. And there were certain shows that struck me, so I'd go repeatedly. In the mid-nineties I saw
Grease a lot because the actor who played Danny Zuko I knew from my soap opera.
Mark : Do you still see your favorite shows more than once?
Teresa: Yes! I have seen quite a few shows numerous times. The last one I loved the most was
The Last Ship, and I saw that a lot with TDF. The cast was amazing. The story was about a love triangle and about the father and son, and I loved that. And I thought Sting wrote an absolutely beautiful show.
Mark: What it does it take for a show to make you a repeat audience member?
{Image1}
Teresa: Sometimes it's the actors or it just being a lovely show. Sometimes I wanted something that I enjoyed thinking about because I was tired of thinking about other stuff that was happening.
I remember specifically when Hugh Jackman was in
The Boy From Oz, I bought a ticket for my birthday in June. I was floored, and after it was over, I just went right around and bought more tickets. And then in August I lost my dog. And I'm a big dog person. After I lost him in August, I was at that show constantly until it closed in mid-September.
Mark: Based on the photos you sent me, it looks like you've met a few Broadway stars! Can you tell me how you got your photos taken with Hugh Jackman and
Andy Karl?
Teresa: Hugh and Andy both know me, as I have been their fan for many years. They know me by name, and I always get a hug and a kiss when I see them. I have been backstage to see both of them also!
Hugh actually let me pet his new dog, Allegra, during
The River. Hugh knows I'm a big dog lover, and when he started bringing her to the show, I asked if I could pet her. Someone on the staff usually rushed her in as it was so cold, but one day after I had seen him on the line going in, I never noticed the dog going in.
After Hugh passed me and went on to other people, all of a sudden he started calling me and told me to go inside. I was planning to go in anyway as it was so cold, and when I walked in there was a staff member holding the dog so I could pet her. He remembered and told me to go in!
They are both really wonderful men to all their fans, and they have been great to me.
---
Note: This conversation has been edited for length and clarity
Photos courtesy of Teresa Coico
Tickets
