WISHING ALL OF OUR VALUED CUSTOMERS A HAPPY AND HEALTHY PASSOVER!!! Craig Morgan poses in front of the ship — mid-construction — he designed for Titanic the Musical. Lance Luce Dream Boat Local engineer designs and helps build Titanic replica for stage musical. Suzanne Chessler Contributing Writer C raig Morgan thought he was giving up full-time work when he retired from Humanetics Innovative Solutions in Plymouth, athough he remains co-owner of the firm that makes crash-test dummies. Instead, he is again working full time, only without pay, as he designs and builds sets and props for Stagecrafters in Royal Oak. Morgan, who lives in Bloomfield Township, is putting the finishing touch- es on one of his largest projects, a replica of the Titanic, which will be seen April 13-May 6 in Titanic the Musical. "I've been a theater patron forever, and this is a ton of fun',' says Morgan, 55, who has not been associated with other community theater groups. "Four of us work every day with others coming in as helpers. The ship will be 20 feet long, 7 feet wide and 12 feet tall." The Tony Award-winning musical, with music and lyrics by Maury Yeston and book by Peter Stone, gives voice to passengers aboard the ship with the tragic ending. Rodel Salazar is directing. In addition to 14 scheduled per- formances, there will be a fundraiser Thursday evening, April 12, with tickets available for a presentation by Titanic historian Ron Bartsch of Dearborn, a silent auction and the final dress rehearsal of the musical. Morgan, 55, a graduate of Henry Ford High School before earning a degree in mechanical engineering from Wayne State University, enjoys the challenge of designing and building sets. He was encouraged to participate with Stagecrafters by his wife, Shari, who has played oboe, English horn and saxophone for musicals at Stagecrafters. The design of the Titanic proj- ect began last November with the final draft completed in January. Components were built until the mid- dle of February, with the final construc- tion at the theater. "I did the helicopter for the Stagecrafters' production of Miss Saigon," Morgan says of another major project in his 15 years behind the scenes at Stagecrafters. "I've also been the master carpenter for The Bad Seed and Legally Blonde." One major difference between responsibilities working in the real world and volunteering in the world of theater is deadlines. "There's the pressure of being on time for the opening of a show:' says Morgan, who enjoys the creative pro- cess. "At work, there usually was not a problem in pushing something back." Morgan, raised in the sphere of secu- lar Judaism, has no interest in perform- ing. He's happy with the behind-the- scenes tasks that relate to his lifelong interest. As a teenager, he liked working on cars and still has an interest in motor- cycles. Around the house, he is the repairman with rarely any need for assistance from the outside. After the run of Titanic the Musical, there will be a search for other theater companies that might want to use the ship made in Royal Oak. If there is no response to the search, the ship will be dismantled and the pieces used for other projects. "At Stagecrafters, we all feel the pres- sure of opening night because there are no second chances:' says Morgan, who has assisted backstage when necessary and even done some ushering. "What makes it all great is that everybody loves what they're doing." ❑ Titanic the Musical runs April 13-May 6 at the Baldwin Theatre, 415 S. Lafayette, Royal Oak. Performances are at 8 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays, 2 p.m. Sundays and 8 p.m. Thursdays, April 19 and 26. $18-$22. $30 for fundraiser: 7:15 p.m. Thursday, April 12. (248) 541-6430; www. stagecrafters.org . BIG ROCK c410P111011,Sr big rockchophouse.com GOT A DIAMOND CROWN CIGAR LOUNGE gotrockscigarlounge.com ----- • t I W s 4 *,ti, I' )