“It’s quite an obsession, I fear, but it gives me so much joy to create these programs”
— Mitzi Goldsmith, Director
Mitzi Goldsmith’s love of music, coupled with her creative writing and directing talents, led her to her present position as the director of Vaud-Villities’ Holiday Road, coming Dec. 2-4 to the Matesich Theatre, at Ohio Dominican University. Her dedication to excellence has made her an incredible asset to the Vaud-Villities family.
Peggy: How long have you been involved in the creation and direction of community shows? Where did you start?
Mitzi: I’ve been creating and directing community shows since 2009, working with Worthington Chorus and Vaud-Villities.
Peggy: What is your favorite part of the creative process?
Mitzi: I love taking songs everyone knows and finding different arrangements of them and interweaving them into a storyline of my own creation. Making them flow so that a cast member and audience can follow along on a journey through music and dance for a few hours and enjoy themselves. Taking that concept from the creation all the way through execution on stage, bringing it to life. I watch singers, dancers and actors toil at their art for weeks perfecting their numbers to make my vision come to life just as I imagined. It takes my breath away on opening night and makes the journey so worth it.
Peggy: What inspired you to become a musical show director?
Mitzi: The love of the music and wanting these community groups to continue. What was it I could contribute to help them thrive and grow? It was a way for other like-minded people to come together and sing and have fun; we are a family through music.
Peggy: Why did you choose to become part of Vaud-Villities Productions?
Mitzi: I was asked to help direct their first Christmas show in 2012, then I came out to audition as a singer in 2018. I worked on sets and helped wherever I could as well as sang, and when the position as director became available, I applied. Vaud-Villities was to me the epitome of the best in Columbus; it was what you strived to be a part of and now I am.
Peggy: Is there something you wish others knew about you?
Mitzi: This is truly my biggest creative outlet. I hear a song and think of how I would place it in a show. I have notebooks filled with ideas for future shows. While watching a television program, I will jump up to write down an idea that comes to me. I spend hours researching music, lighting techniques and how tos on building props and sets. It’s quite an obsession, I fear, but it gives me so much joy to create these programs. Watching the cast come to life singing and dancing their hearts out and hearing an audience laugh in the right places and applaud at the end of a show is worth it all.
Catch Vaud-Villities’ Holiday Road Dec. 2-4 to the Matesich Theatre at Ohio Dominican University. More info and tickets available at vvshows.org.
Columbus Makes Art Presents is a bi-weekly column brought to you by the Greater Columbus Arts Council – supporting and advancing the arts and cultural fabric of Columbus. The column is a project of the Art Makes Columbus campaign, telling the inspiring stories of the people and organizations who create Columbus art. Learn more about local artists, organizations, public art and events at ColumbusMakesArt.com.