Casey Baltes Charts a Path from Y.E.S. Troupe to Tribeca

Casey Baltes can trace her success as Vice President at Tribeca Enterprises back to her training at Springfield Little Theatre. Baltes was first exposed to the performing arts as a fifth grader when she enrolled in an improv class taught by a “very young” Beth Domann.

“Most of my childhood – starting from that class through high school – was shaped by the Landers,” she recalled fondly. “I basically lived at the theater from that day on. The education route, of course, was a gateway to being involved in Landers. From that I actually ended up being in one of the earlier incarnations of Y.E.S. Troupe.”

The original production CADDIE WOODLAWN, which made it’s world premiere at SLT, marked Baltes’ first audition and mainstage performance. As she continued to develop her skills, the opportunities at SLT revealed pathways that Baltes hadn’t previously considered.

“I did a lot of the tech,” she explained. “At that time, you had to get Y.E.S. Troupe points. You basically had to accumulate a certain amount of volunteer hours to continue to participate in Y.E.S. Troupe.”

This requirement helped many young artists find their calling. While exploring various roles in the theater, Baltes took a break from Y.E.S. Troupe. “I did tech for a lot of shows. ANNIE and WIZARD OF OZ. A bunch of others.”

Yet, the pull of Beth Domann’s mentorship drew Baltes back to performance. “Beth ended up taking over [Troupe]. At that time, I was helping her work on the Summer Education Series. I rejoined Y.E.S. Troupe with a group of people and continued to do Y.E.S. Troupe all the way through high school into my senior year.”

Y.E.S Troupe has served as a coming-of-age for hundreds of young performers. Many alums across generations share similar fond memories of traveling for performances, learning from upper classmen, and the special opportunity to spend time inside the Landers Theatre.

“There were times where we would do sleepovers at the theater,” Baltes recalled. “The fabled stories of the haunted lore were etched in my memory and trying to see if we could discover the ghosts that live in Landers. Those were very fun memories of being granted a night to sleep over at the theater in the dark.”

After graduating, Baltes knew the arts were her passion and she moved to make them her profession. She enrolled in Missouri State (formerly SMSU) for musical theater performance.

“I quickly realized that was not the path for me,” she admitted. “After I decided to transfer out of SMSU as a musical theater performance major, Beth said, ‘I think you should go to school to be a stage manager, and I think you should go to Stephens College.’ I said, ‘Yes and yes.’ I honestly didn’t really know what a stage manager did, but I said, ‘If you think that’s the path for me, I’ll take you up on it. I’ll do it.’ So, I did, and I ended up getting my degree at Stephens in stage management. Then I ended up getting my masters in stage management.”

Baltes now manages interactive media for Tribeca Film Festival. She specializes in events featuring video games, extended reality, 3D and other immersive experiences on an international stage. “I moved to New York as a stage manager. I loved it. I loved every minute of it. It’s sort of what I do now at the festival even though it’s not fine performing arts.”

Although Baltes’ arts career has carried her to distant and exciting places, she still enjoys relationships that began at SLT.  “My closest friend – Brianna Firestone. I met her during one of the summer education programs that we were working on. She ended up being in Y.E.S. Troupe with me. We also went to Stephens together. We’ve been friends since high school and she’s still my best friend.”

Baltes confirmed the profound impact that SLT has had on her life and career. The opportunity to explore all aspects of theatre production and Beth Domann’s mentorship at SLT has provided a foundation in “most” areas of her life and career.

“Landers and Beth have been formative,” Baltes reflected. “I always will answer her call and jump in when I can.”