Stilwell artist gets ‘the drop’ on theater debut

Sharon Nigus of Stilwell has always enjoyed her artistic talents and, after she graduated in 1976 from UMKC in studio art, painted small murals and created art objects she gave as gifts to family and friends.

“I’ve been a stay-at-home mom and grandmom and a 10-year cancer survivor. Now, at 63, I’ve reached the peak of my art career,” she said with a laugh. “Now I am a professional artist.”

Her life as a professional began last December after a show at Martin City Melodrama & Vaudeville Co. when she overheard director and owner Jeanne Beechwood tell her piano player that she need a drop painter for the next show, “The Wizard of Paws.” A “drop” is the painted stage backdrop, similar to a mural.

“I’ve always thought it would be fun to paint one,” Nigus said. “So I approached Jeanne and said ‘I’d like to paint a drop for you.’ She said, ‘Are you a painter?’ I said painting is what I do.”

The two met the next day so Nigus could show Beechwood some of her sketches.

“I was impressed,” Beechwood recalled. “Her work, in a word, was brilliant.”

Beechwood explained to her what drop painting entailed — each one is 22 feet by 9 feet.

“They’re similar to a mural but have to open and close and roll up like a shower curtain,” Nigus said. “To say the least, the size was a challenge.”

Nigus converted her kitchen into an art studio. She covered the walls and floor with plastic to protect them. She painted the drops on sheets of muslin fabric hanging from ceiling hooks. She used latex paint instead of oil because oil paint would crack.

“My kitchen walls are only 11 feet wide and the ceiling is 8 feet high so the drops had to be folded when they were taken off the hooks. Painting on fabric was another first for me. I used a dozen one-gallon cans of paint on the three drops,” Nigus said. “Because of our wall-size I had to paint a section, take it down, fold it then start on another one.”

“I soon got into a routine. I got up, had my morning coffee, then it was off to the kitchen and painting. The kitchen was cluttered but I still cooked and we managed meals. It was all part of my routine,” she said.

Nigus painted the drops in about a month, spending 50 to 70 hours a week on each. She also painted signs for scene changes.

“I did all the painting,” she said. “Shawn Nelson, my son-in-law, helped take the finished drops off the ceiling hooks and fold them. My husband, Monty, is an engineer and he did measurements for me.”

“It was fun. I was creating a giant cartoon. I can’t wait to do the next one,” she said.

“Jeanne was so encouraging. We were good for each other. That made it fun,” she added.

Beechwood loved the result of all of Nigus’s difficult work.

“She didn’t see the finished drops as a whole picture until she came to the theater when we hung the curtain lines from the theater ceiling,” Beechwood said. “Sharon is truly a professional. Neither of us realized she had these skills. She’s found a new calling. I’m definitely going to use her on a regular basis. She’s a gem.”

Said Nigus: “I guess you’re never too old for new discoveries. It’s been a thrill. I’m ready for more.”

This story was originally published March 29, 2016 at 10:58 PM with the headline "Stilwell artist gets ‘the drop’ on theater debut."