Tyler Woods
Artistic Director, Tyler Woods, in his office in The Columbian Theatre, Wamego, Kansas.
Tyler Woods’s office as Artistic Director of The Columbian Theatre in Wamego, Kansas is located in the theatre’s utilitarian basement, just past the costume closet, and seemingly a world away from the bright lights of the stages he so often frequents. Still, his office gives us hints of his life on and behind the stage. Gifts from casts, old props and items he has collected along the way adorn the walls and fill every flat surface available, decorating the space with the same unique flare that he puts into his wardrobe; a wardrobe defined by statement pieces, specifically chunky necklaces, indicative of his fashion icon, Iris Apfel, who he admires for her playfulness around texture, color and proportion. And just as Iris exemplifies what it looks like to dress eclectically, Tyler personifies what it looks like to live eclectically.
A sampling of the decor that brightens up Tyler’s basement office.
Initially drawn to the visual arts as a child, it only took performing in his first musical, Lil’ Abner, his freshman year of high school, to know that the stage was where he belonged. From there, he did every show he could through high school, participated in vocal contests, piano contests, forensics and debate; anything that gave him the chance to share his love of performance with an audience.
Tyler Woods as “Toad” (right) with Robbie Fowler (left) as “Frog” in a production of A Year With Frog and Toad, a Theatre for Young Audiences show that toured grade schools, produced by the Great Plains Theatre in Abilene, Kansas. In addition to performing, Tyler was also the costume designer for this show.
After high school, while attending Kansas State University, Tyler felt like he finally found his place. As one of only a few Black students throughout his entire time in school in Fort Scott, Kansas, it was a relief to find K-State’s Ebony Theatre. He served as Ebony Theatre’s president for two years during his undergrad work and two years through the course of his time in graduate school. During this time, while getting his master’s degree in directing, he was able to produce four shows, each with interesting historical ideals and commentaries; important work that wasn’t being done on the main stages at K-State. His final play at K-State, his thesis, Intimate Apparel, was not only memorable for its social commentary, but it inadvertently led Tyler into the world of drag.
Tyler performs “You Will Be Found” from the musical Dear Evan Hansen in his Phoenix Queen look in the 2019 K-State Drag Show. The K-State Drag Show features drag performers who were former K-State students as well as professional queens from all over the country. The proceeds from this event go to scholarships, the LGBTQ Resource Center and Little Apple Pride.
In his undergrad years, while studying musical theater, Tyler had played Aunt Ethel in Ebony Theatre’s The Colored Museum, but said it was, “the one time I thought I would ever do drag.” However, he says, “the more I saw it and the more mainstream it became, I thought, well maybe there is a place for me in this.” So, during promotional work for Intimate Apparel, Tyler decided to take the song that was included in the show and perform it in full drag at a local drag night. Because of this performance and the fact that he actually sings live (most drag performances are lip-synced) he was asked to be a part of the K-State Drag Show. As the drag performer, Ty Woo, he quickly became a popular fixture on the Manhattan drag scene, continuing to perform in the K-State Drag Show, in floor shows at Auntie Mae’s Parlor and as a frequent reader for Drag Story Hour at the Manhattan Public Library.
Ty Woo reads a book at the Manhattan Public Library as part of the Drag Story Hour.
Establishing himself as Ty Woo lead to a number of show-stopping drag roles through the Manhattan Arts Center, most notably, Margaret Meade in Hair, Matron Mama Morton in Chicago and Magenta in The Rocky Horror Picture Show. But Tyler’s theatrical resume is far more expansive, including work in summer stock, directing, internships with professional theaters around the country, teaching workshops, costume design and prop design.
Tyler’s solo as Magenta during the song “The Time Warp” from Manhattan Arts Center’s 2015 production of The Rocky Horror Picture Show.
Because of the breadth of his experience and knowledge, in his role as a director, he says, “I’ve been more involved in the full production process than a lot of directors; to me, it seems the only way to do it.” Even with being involved in the entire process, he knows that, “you certainly want every part of your team to have ownership over what they create, what they bring to the production, but you, also, as director have to have the overlying feel for the whole thing.” With his hand in every aspect of his productions there is a level of continuity that really shows. Whether he is directing shows through Manhattan’s Parks and Recreation, at the Manhattan Arts Center, at K-State or at The Columbian Theatre, he brings creativity, cohesion and class.
Tyler always envisioned himself working as a performer and freelance director, never expecting to end up in his current position as Artistic Director. Even with the new challenges inherent in having to balance creative integrity and financial necessity, Tyler has been able to make his own mark on this small community. “I grew up in a small town, so I do feel like I have a place in these communities,” he says. He knows that he can’t please everyone with the shows he brings to the stage, but through his work at The Columbian Theatre, both prior to and during his current position, he was able to produce two shows in particular that were popular and creative with powerful messages.
“What I like to do as a director is to incorporate social aspects that will make people think a little bit,” Tyler shares, “It is very important to be present and represent what is going on in our world.” So taking inspiration from drag queen, Pattie Gonia, who created a video bringing attention to the effects that plastics have on the oceans and oceanic life, Tyler used his first show as Artistic Director, The Little Mermaid, to make a subtle, yet powerful statement on this topic. By using recyclable material such as plastic bottles to make props he offered the audience a powerful visual image representing the prevalence of plastics in our oceans.
One of the many hats that Tyler designed and created for The Columbian Theatre’s 2020 production of The Little Mermaid.
The town of Wamego is known for its enthusiasm for The Wizard of Oz, demonstrated by its many Oz-themed establishments and museum. So, it is no surprise that there is a production of The Wizard of Oz each year. In an effort to shake things up, Tyler, instead, directed The Wiz. He was also costume designer, music director and probably had a hand in designing and creating a prop or two. He felt as if everything that had come before had been leading up to this show, remembering how impactful the movie had been on him in his youth: “there were only a handful of movies where you can say that Black people were not depicted as just gang bangers or servants or always fighting the oppressor.” The Emerald City sequence was especially impactful, “it was all these affluent Black people being boujee and being very…Wow!” He recalls thinking, “Really? That’s a thing? We can do that?”
And do that, he did, drawing fashion and costume inspiration from actors and singers, Tituss Burgess and Billy Porter, and fashion journalist André Leon Talley, saying, “It feels like finally someone looks like me,” and of Talley specifically, “I think he is terribly interesting. In fact sometimes I call myself the André Leon Talley of the Midwest.” And much like the aforementioned Iris Apfel, Tyler has an affinity for vintage, Dior, textures, fabrics and jewelry, and declares, “Half the time I can costume a show practically out of my closet.”
Tyler modeling the tentacles he created for the character of Ursula in the production of The Little Mermaid; made from mattress foam, wire and spray paint. Photo by Jamie Abner
Fashion isn’t the only area in which he delights, “I’m a sponge,” he says, finding inspiration in cartoons because of their visual aspect and the messages they can convey, and seeking poetry and writing as a creative outlet; channeling it all into the love he has for the stage, “My entire adult life has been devoted to theater and performing.”
“We should be opening ourselves up and seeing what’s out there and bringing it back here and honoring what happens here as well. We are part of the world and the world is part of us,” he muses. And as such, even the small town of Wamego has been touched by the same troubles as the rest of the world. Initially, the theater shut down completely with everyone working remotely from home. To keep the theater visible, Tyler started putting out videos on its Facebook page; about two each week for a few months. He would sing songs, both from the theater before shutting down completely and at home after, he had craft demonstrations and would do readings of books for kids. When it came to deciding how they would reopen and still keep the community safe, he admits that it was fraught with difficult decisions, “There are so many points-of-view to consider.” They were able to do Moana, Jr. over the summer, working with 60 kids split into two casts: 30 in the morning and 30 in the afternoon. Of course all participants were required to wear masks and encouraged to frequently wash their hands. In true Tyler fashion, he even crafted his own face shields out of shower curtains, duct tape and head bands. And for performances, when people order tickets, it will shut down the seats around them to allow for social distancing with masks being required of both the crowd and the performers. All of this prompted Tyler to declare, “There have been a few times in my life where I was like, if I can get through this, I feel like no one can question me.”
Using National Geographic magazines cut into strips to make a lion’s mane, Tyler demonstrated to kids, through the video campaign for the Columbian Theatre Facebook page during COVID lockdown, how to use household items to make costumes. After completing the lion’s mane, Tyler sang “Be A Lion” from The Wiz, a song that proclaims, “In your own way, BE A LION!”
It’s hard to question someone who is so devoted to his craft that he braves the rugged wilderness of South Dakota’s Black Hills, contending with herds of buffalo blocking the road, bats and a lack of just about everything, to work costumes for a show there, “If I can make theater happen out there, I can make it happen anywhere.” From the Black Hills to K-State’s Purple Masque Theatre, with it’s cats, ghosts and clanking pipes, to the mural adorned walls of The Columbian Theatre, Tyler Woods truly has carved out a place for himself. “Since 1999, when I came to K-State, I’ve been in this community doing something. Even if I wasn’t performing, I was here, working at Target, wearing a big chunky necklace, being friendly and being present, showing people this is a person in your community.”