SPOTLIGHT: Spencer Weitzel

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE MAN WITH MANY ROLES, SPENCER WEITZEL, IN THIS SPOTLIGHT INTERVIEW!

Spencer Weitzel is an integral part of the IVRT community—he has worked with almost everyone at some point since he started with IVRT in 2013. He considers himself a “creative type”—meaning primarily an actor and writer. Over the past year, Spencer used his creativity to design, film and edit IVRT’s 2021 season of livestreaming performances.  Currently, Spencer teaches IVRT campers, acts in shows, guides team members through technical projects, and is always available to help brainstorm new and exciting ideas. Get to know Spencer more in the following interview! 

What is your role at IVRT?

“I have a position that doesn’t really have a title right now. I was a part of the transition during Covid. I did all the digital shows during the pandemic. I am also an IVRT member, so during lockdown we discovered this online hybrid theatre system and I have just sort of been in charge of sorting out how to digitize and reinvent during the huge shift to online.” 

Tell me how you first got involved with IVRT.

“In 2013! In 2013 there was a flyer for a show, Born Yesterday, and I auditioned, and I got the part. And that was that. I sort of found my way in with everyone pretty quickly. They either kept calling me back or putting on shows I was interested in. They are very infectious so I kept returning and returning. It's hard to not return, frankly, it's a great team to be a part of.”

Tell me about some of the people you’ve met while working with IVRT?

“Oh wow, I’ve met so many people. I made a thirty year, wrap up documentary, for IVRT’s show a while back and that's where I feel like I really met people because I was interviewing people. Interviewing the entire team and learning so much about where everything came from and how IVRT was founded gave me a really deep appreciation for all the behind the scenes work that goes on, and learning the individual roles of each team member was really special. 

Everyone is so aggressively nice, it’s hard to think of specifics. But one of the first people I met was Hope Kaufman. Met her during the auditions. She was a director of one of the shows. Just the kindest, warmest person ever. Meeting her was a really great way into IVRT. 

And then just working with the Minanos, you know Frank and Donna. It’s been kind of wild in the year of the camp being online, I’ve spent more time with them figuring things out and getting a chance to build trust with them. Doing the transitional stages of camp really gave us a unique set up for working together in confusing territory, so I’ve gotten the opportunity to get to know them in a really meaningful way. I think our friendship has been strongest this past year because of everything going on and all the time we’ve spent working together this past year.”

What would you tell someone who is thinking about getting involved with IVRT?

“I would definitely encourage it for sure. I would say at IVRT, it’s like the show is almost secondary to the amazing people that you get to interact with. It’s really about the people; the performers that you are going to watch, those you work with and learn from, and the people you get to perform with. Everyone who comes your way you gain insight and perspective from. It’s really an amazing group of people. And I love that it makes it, the whole experience of rehearsing and performing so much fun. It’s a really special place to be.”

How would your friends describe you?

“This is a funny one. Hmm how would my friends describe me…? I think my artistic friends understand me on a deeper level whereas my non artistic friends get me more on a surface level. I think most people generally think of me as nice and kind of funny. That's what people usually first think of, but I think also those people I work with know that I am thoughtful and open minded. A lot of my work involves being able to see different perspectives and points of view. So working with other creatives here is really fulfilling.”

What’s it like to work with IVRT?

“It’s good! It's just a balance of working for them but they are also all friends that I have come to love. So it’s sort of a win win.”

What do you do when you aren’t working at IVRT this summer?

“I’m an actor, so I have about ten thousand jobs. I do a lot of brand ambassador work, I’m working for a hologram company right now, and so I do a lot of online work elsewhere. And then I write! I write my own material a lot. I should plug my show actually, I have a web series, it’s on YouTube. It’s called Halloweeners: The Series. It’s best ingested during the fall. You should go check it out. It's pretty goofy, kind of like a love letter to Halloween.” 

Written By: Shannen Sulpizio