The man behind the sounds of the season
By Zandra Wolfgram
Wayne “Pez” Marrier called his wife, Brenda, to tell him about his first visit to the Emerald Coast, but before he could make a sound she had one question: ‘When do we move?’
It was music to his ears.
The New England couple was in their early 20s. Marrier was ready for a change after years of touring on the road with a band. The Sunshine State seemed to promise exotic adventure … and most likely why he remembers it so well.
“It was June 20, 1990 at 6:20 p.m.,” the 56-year-old veteran production engineer quipped in a Boston accent.
And though they didn’t have jobs or a place to live, the adventurous couple loaded up their truck and headed south to Pensacola. Today, they live in Navarre. Marrier recalls his first production gig was at The Landing in Fort Walton Beach. “The equipment was begged and borrowed, but I just kept adding to it,” he says.
Today, he marvels that he has had a 40-plus-year career has amassed a storage facility loaded with thousands of dollars worth of equipment. “I count myself fortunate I’ve found what I love to do,” he says.
Through his company, Shofar Stage Productions, Marrier provides a host of production services ranging from staging, lighting and even supplying props for productions large and small from Pensacola to Panama City Beach. “I’ve done sound at Golden Corral and I’ve produced events for 20,000 at the Choctaw [High School] Stadium,” he says.
If you haven’t heard of Marrier, he’ll take that as a compliment. “I am usually the first one in and the last one out, but no one needs to know me,” he says.
But, in fact, many do. After handling the production for the Mattie Kelly Arts Foundation’s (MKAF) Concerts in the Village for the past 25 years, he has become vital to the staff and fans of popular summer concert series that has grown from 50 to upwards of a 1,000. Recently, The Beachcomber named the Cultural Arts Village Best Outdoor Music Venue (2016).
“Personally, it is one of my most favorite places to do production,” Marrier says. “Marcia and Deb and the whole Mattie Kelly crew have a vision and they work like crazy to make it happen. The people who attend the shows there are awesome. They are friendly and have a good time.
“It’s community based, people come from everywhere, and I think that’s why it’s so successful,” he says.
MKAF CEO Marcia Hull says the organization’s long-term collaboration with Marrier is part of the series’ long-term success. “For more than two decades Pez has traveled along MKAF’s cultural journey … from the early concerts at the Kelly Plantation Outdoor Theater to the Mattie Kelly Cultural Arts Village, he continues to be an integral part of MKAF’s music tradition and a valuable partner in the arts!”
Keeping productions glitch free and helping performers sound their best is when Marrier is in his element. “I get my chills when they walk out the lights come up, the cues start and the audience screams and yells,” he says.
4323 Commons Drive West (next to Grace Lutheran Church)
Sept. 24 The Bonhoeffers
Oct. 1 Pickled Pickers
Oct. 3 Shania Twin (Shania Twain Tribute)
Oct. 4 Zach Williams & Big Daddy Weave
Oct. 8 Emerald Gold
Gates open at 6 p.m. Shows start at 7 p.m. Bring a blanket or beach chairs and a picnic supper or purchase dinner and wine at the event. Tickets are $15 per person. MKAF members and children 12 and under are free. Proceeds benefit MKAF’s cultural arts programs. For a complete list of events at the Cultural Arts Center, click here.
