From her years with the Los Angeles Opera to significant Broadway accolades, Peggy Hickey has a lot to be happy about in her career. But the most recent project bringing her joy involves driving to work in the shadow of the breathtaking red rocks at Tuacahn Center for the Arts and putting her directorial mark on a piece as beloved as Disney and Cameron Mackintosh’s Mary Poppins.

From the age of 4, Peggy Hickey knew she wanted to be in the theater.

It started with her love of dance and has grown to include opportunities as a dancer, dance captain, choreographer, and later as a director. She also has an extensive background in opera.

“I have been with the Los Angeles Opera from its infancy — almost 30 years,” Hickey says. “I started as a ‘baby dancer’, one of the young dancers in the group.”

Fast forward… well, we won’t say exactly how many years… Peggy is the proud recipient of a wide array of theater and dance accolades — including choreographing A Gentlemen’s Guide to Love and Murder and Anastasia on Broadway.

“I’ve always been west coast based, but I still made it to Broadway, which is kind of amazing,” Hickey says.

“I never get tired of driving in to Tuacahn,” Hickey says.

Although Hickey had been directing for years, she knew her extensive background in choreography was the most likely avenue to achieve her Broadway dream. Then even more doors began to open.

“Once you have that Broadway credit, you can work anywhere as a director,” Hickey says. “Anywhere,” includes multiple stints at Tuacahn Center for the Arts, such as her work last year on The Count of Monte Cristo and School of Rock, as well as bringing A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder to life at Tuacahn in 2019.

“I just love it, love it, love it at Tuacahn,” Hickey says.

If you ask her to expound on all the reasons why, it’s a lengthy list. At the top, is Artistic Director Scott Anderson as an “incredible nurturer of art.” Additionally, Hickey continues to be amazed at the resources available at a regional theater that rival those offered at the Broadway level.

“The technology they bring in is amazing,” Hickey says. “And having the costume shop, scenic shop and even the actors all on campus, it’s this magical place where everything is created here on property, which is so rare.”

And of course, there’s the natural background to consider.

“I never get tired of driving in to Tuacahn,” Hickey says. “The beautiful natural environment is a thrill for me.”

She’s also appreciative of the support she’s received from Anderson and others as she continues to work despite a breast cancer diagnosis that reared its ugly head again five years ago, this time at stage 4.

“I’ve been very lucky to have great doctors,” Hickey says of her cancer journey.

But it is her work that seems to be the most therapeutic thing in her arsenal.

“My job is like medicine to me; being among my fellow artists and my colleagues is one of the things that heals me,” she says. “It’s part of what keeps me going.”

Mary Poppins — magic and nostalgia

Having spent time as both a choreographer and a director, Hickey says the major difference between the two roles has to do with the scope of the responsibilities.

“Directing is really a wide-angle lens, more big picture,” Hickey says. “You are choosing and working with all the designers for sets, costumes, projections, sound, lights, everything. As a choreographer, your focus is more narrow, but you work side-by-side with the director.”

As the director for Mary Poppins, Hickey says she is incredibly excited to be working with Mara Greer as the choreographer because they each have experience doing the other person’s job.

“With Mara, we are two director/choreographers working together, so we’re extra special qualified,” Hickey says. “It’s a great partnership. We’re interchangeable in a lot of ways, so we can carry the load pretty easily.”

Having a strong partnership is always helpful, but especially when tackling an iconic musical like Mary Poppins.

“This is a big show,” Hickey says. “There are a lot of people, a lot of places, some of them magical, and we have some nice surprises in store for the audiences.”

Utilizing the state-of-the-art technology available at Tuacahn, Hickey says she can’t wait to transport audiences to another time and place using LED walls on all the stage’s portals.

“Most theaters can’t do that much LED. It’s a huge technical achievement,” she says.

Working with the video designer and the set designer to create a seamless transition between the two, Hickey says the result is going to be amazing.

“I know the potential we have here because we used the same kind of technology in Anastasia,” she says.

And with a story as close to her heart as Mary Poppins is, Hickey can’t wait for people to come and enjoy.

“It’ll be very recognizable, while being fresh in many ways because of our scenic design and our costumes,” Hickey says.

“Mary Poppins was one of the first movies my parents took me to see as a child. I have vivid memories,” Hickey says. “We had the record —back when we had records — and my siblings and I used to sing and dance around the house. I’ve known this music by heart my whole life. And I think most people have.”

Knowing the special place this story holds in the hearts of many, Hickey says the challenge as a director is to maintain the classic parts of the story, while still creating an original piece for this stage.

“It’ll be very recognizable, while being fresh in many ways because of our scenic design and our costumes,” Hickey says. “Plus, Mara’s choreography will be original to this show.”

Another key part in Hickey’s preparation involves bringing out the best in the actors.

“People think if you’re a director you just show up with a scarf around your neck and say, ‘how do you feel today?’ but there’s so much more than that,” Hickey says with a laugh. “We encourage artistry and encourage the actors to discover their characters, but the actors have to come prepared having studied the role.”

“Neither party can be so rigid that they can’t discover things in the room, that’s the beauty of collaboration,” Hickey says. “You have to come in prepared with a plan, but also be willing to take that plan and throw it away.”

But through all that collaboration, there is a schedule to adhere to. After all, there are only a certain number of days before the audience is seated and ready.

“A show is like an iceberg,” Hickey says. “The part the audience sees is like the tip on top, but underneath the water it is massive preparation. Hopefully what the audience sees appears effortless, but it’s months and months of work, endless work on our end. And I love it.”

Hickey says the mental partnership a director must maintain is a combination of art and science — a pairing she knows is compatible because she and her husband like to joke that they are art and science, since he is an engineer and she is in theater.

“I’d say directing is a little like being a good parent. Your job is to inspire the actors and make them feel safe, but you’re also driving the car,” she says. “You still have to arrive at the places at certain times, with homework done and shoes on their feet, but you have to inject joy into the process to allow the actors to enjoy the process and do it for themselves.”

It sounds like a job Mary Poppins herself might enjoy.

Mary Poppins runs May 20 through Oct. 22 in the Tuacahn Amphitheatre. Get your tickets to that and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and Wonderland in the Outdoor Amphitheatre, along with Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story and Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer inside the Hafen Theatre. Call the box office at 435-652-3300 or online at www.tuacahn.org