Jeff Hammock never meant to end up on the Landers stage. Long before his turn as Springfield Little Theatre Board President, Hammock was simply being a supportive father.

Like dozens of young girls, his daughter, Kathryn, dreamed of being cast in the 2012 production of ANNIE. The audition room was so crowded with orphan hopefuls that parents were asked to wait outside during their children’s audition – unless they were also trying for a part. Hammock sang for directors, simply for a chance to watch his daughter’s first-ever audition. Then, things took an unexpected turn.

“I was like alright, I’ll go up with you, and I’ll audition just so we can do it together, see what this whole thing is about and kind of learn,” Hammock recalled. “Of course, it was ANNIE, so there were eight million little girls and very few adults. So, I got a callback and she didn’t. But she handled it very well.”

Although his daughter had not advanced to the next step, Hammock saw his callback as a chance for the entire family to learn. He brought her to the final round of auditions so she could learn and prepare for the next opportunity. Almost by accident, Hammock ended up in the cast and the family began their SLT journey.

“So, I did the show, and from there, I learned that I knew nothing about the theater,” Hammock admitted. “There’s so much to it. I started going in and volunteering.”

The lesson Hammock tried to impart of persisting through rejection stuck, and Kathryn kept auditioning. Her onstage dreams came true the following season when they were cast in OLIVER! together. She continued performing at SLT in multiple productions and was a member of Y.E.S. Troupe. Today, Kathryn is a drama educator, shaping the next generation of performers.

As a volunteer, Hammock became fascinated by his new exposure to the production side of theater. He gained an appreciation for the complexity of preparing a show and became interested in all facets of the process.

“I have a State Farm agency. A lot of nights, a lot of weekends. But during the day, I’ve got a great team in my office, so I can get out of the office and go do stuff and volunteer,” he explained. “So, I went over and helped [technical directors] Chuck [Rogers] and Jamie [Bower] start building sets.”

Despite having experience with power tools, Hammock discovered that creating functional, movable set pieces was a different concept than building a fixed structure in a home. He enjoyed exploring the craft of set design under the seasoned expertise of Rogers and Bower.

“Learning about building a set wall is different than framing a house,” Hammock observed. “Two completely different animals. And lighting and making pieces fit and depth perception on pieces is a whole different world. There’s plenty to learn.”

As Hammock immersed himself in the world of theater production, he began dedicating resources to SLT’s cause. His State Farm agency began underwriting productions while he was performing and volunteering. His enthusiasm and dedication caught Executive Director Beth Domann’s attention. She proposed that he would be a perfect contribution to the SLT Board.

“Coming on the Board was eye-opening,” Hammock reflected. “It’s so different than running a business or working in the community. You’re taking a fiduciary responsibility and you’re trying to make sure that you’re doing what’s best for the organization as well as the team that works there.”

Hammock’s six-year tenure fell during the most ambitious expansion in SLT history since the group made the Landers Theatre their permanent home in 1970. He served during the kickoff of the Next Stages Campaign, which funded a structurally necessary renovation of the Landers and expanded the education department into its own building.

“The first act was preserving the Landers, which included tuck-pointing the entire building, inside and out, and addressing water infiltration issues,” Hammock detailed. “We reinforced the third and fourth floor rehearsal studios; redid the offices; among so many other things.”

Under the guidance of Education Director Lorianne Dunn, the education programs had exploded. To better accommodate all the young performers, Act Two of the Next Stages campaign was focused on identifying a new location to house the rapidly expanding Education Department. That search resulted in the purchase of the old McDaniel School Building that was transformed into the Judith Enyeart Reynolds School of the Performing Arts. Lovingly nicknamed The Judy, the building was perfect with multiple classroom, studio, and performance spaces.

“I was President during that and the kickoff. I got to actually sign the contract to lease The Judy the first time, and I signed the contract to buy it, and that was an honor,” Hammock smiled. “I don’t want to say it was easy, because it was not easy, but it was very rewarding work. The only thing I had to do for the Board was get their heads wrapped around saying, ‘Yes.’ Because as soon as we said, ‘Yes,’ to do something, I knew the team at SLT was going to accomplish it.”

Reflecting on his impactful time at SLT, Hammock laughs that he didn’t even know how to execute a jazz square when he started in ANNIE. He readily admits that on stage skills provided the sharpest learning curve, but after being involved in performance, technical, and fundraising aspects of theater, he made a surprising pivot to playwright.

During downtime amid the COVID pandemic, Hammock and artist Dan Duff came up with an idea to write their own interactive show. Hammock had recently underwritten the classic TONY ‘N’ TINA’S WEDDING and invited Duff. The duo was inspired and decided to develop a Halloween themed version, which ultimately became VAMPIRE FUNERAL. The show sold out at The Judy and raised nearly $25,000 for SLT.

“[Dan] is a local artist who is fabulous,” Hammock praised. “He’s the one who did the word art painting of the Landers. I invited him to see [the immersive shows I had underwritten] and we were like, ‘Hey, this is fun.’ It was COVID, we lived close to each other and could work together. Both of our spouses worked at Cox together. We started writing. It was going to be a little more serious, then we ended up writing VAMPIRE FUNERAL. Just out of nowhere, it was like, let’s just try and do something.”

Hammock is always on the lookout for the next opportunity to stretch his creativity and support SLT. He recognizes that not everyone can invest as fully as he has, but he encourages people to contribute what they can. After developing new skills and establishing new friendships, he has seen his efforts paid back to him in rich experiences. The SLT elevator pitch that he honed as Board President may be the best way to sum it all up.

“When you’re talking about the Little Theatre, there are three amazing things that suck everyone in once you get involved down there,” he shared. “One is the volunteers. They have the best volunteers on the planet. The people who volunteer down there love it. You like to be around them. They’re fun people. Then the team – Beth, Lorianne, Chuck, Jamie. You can’t help but like them, and you want to be around them, and you want to help them succeed because they want the community to succeed. It’s so easy to work for them. Then that building, you just fall in love with The Landers. It is so beautiful, such history, and so many great things have occurred there that you just fall in love with the place.”

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