VALDOSTA – David Springfield considers it a compliment whenever he hears someone thinks the orchestration is recorded music for Peach State Summer Theatre.

His response may come as a surprise since Springfield is the PSST! musical director. He and a small orchestra of musicians spend nearly eight weeks each summer rehearsing and playing – live – for each of the nearly 30 performances of the season’s three musicals.

“I think most people know by now that it’s a live orchestra playing the music,” Springfield said, “but when I hear someone think we’re a recording, I take it as a compliment. If it sounds so good that someone thinks it’s recorded that means we’re doing our job.”

Since 2017, David and wife Maila Gutierrez Springfield have made Peach State Summer Theatre part of their job.

He as musical director. And she as a PSST! co-vocal coach, accompanist and keyboardist this season. They are members of the Valdosta State University Music faculty, teaching classes and performing in concerts here and at other venues the rest of the year.

While David Springfield plays piano live on stage with other musicians for “A Closer Walk with Patsy Cline,” he and the PSST! orchestra spend their time in a music room on the second floor of VSU Fine Arts Building, a story above the Sawyer Theatre stage, playing the scores for “Little Shop of Horrors” and “The Wizard of Oz.”

The PSST! orchestra plays in the second-floor room. A sound system carries the music from the upstairs into the theatre downstairs. Video monitors allow Springfield to see the action on stage. Stage performers can see Springfield on a monitor installed above the audience, near the lighting booth.

Springfield said the monitor is larger this season and some audience members see him as they are leaving the theatre.

“Some of the people seated in the front rows will look up after the show and see me,” he said. “I’ll give them a little wave (laughs) but hopefully they don’t notice me during the show. They should be looking at the stage, not the monitor.”

Springfield said orchestras were once regularly in a pit in front of the stage or arranged behind the scenery – the PSST! orchestra was once in the carpenter shop behind the Sawyer Theatre stage. Now, many playhouses, including ones on Broadway, place the orchestra in another room with sound systems presenting the music in the theatre.

“A separate room gives the music something of a studio quality,” Springfield said, adding Zach Cramer, this season’s sound designer, does an excellent job with the sound system. “We play the best we can but Zach makes us sound good.”

David Springfield is joined by Maila Gutierrez Springfield, and Ethan Ray Parker, who is a co-vocal coach, plays keyboards in the orchestra and performs on stage as Little Big Man in “Patsy Cline” as part of the musical team.

Orchestra members are Riley Carr, trombone; Trent Harper, bass/guitar; Jay Hicks, guitar; Brody Johnson, trumpet; Ajax McDonnell, woodwinds; Ryan M. Smith, percussion.

The Springfields took positions in 2002 at VSU. Many audiences know David Springfield best from leading the VSU Jazz Ensemble.

He grew up in the Poconos area of Pennsylvania.

“My parents weren’t musicians but Mom played the piano and so did her mother, my grandmother,” he said. “We had an upright piano in the house. Mom would sometimes play. … My parents had a great record collection. … Even though there were few channels then, you could turn on the TV and hear a variety of music. There were so many styles of music and that left an impression on me.”

He joined the band in school and his love for music grew.

He still enjoys a variety of music. Springfield praised Hank Rion, PSST! artistic director, and H. Duke Guthrie, PSST! managing director, for doing “such a great job of picking the shows. Such a great collection of styles this season. ‘Oz’ is filled with such classic music. ‘Little Shop’ is a comedy. ‘Patsy’ is a jukebox musical. There’s something for everyone and that makes it fun for us, the musicians, to play.”

Peach State Summer Theatre shows – “A Closer Walk with Patsy Cline,” “Little Shop of Horrors” and “The Wizard of Oz” – continue in rotating repertory through July 19, Sawyer Theatre, VSU Fine Arts Building, corner of Oak and Brookwood. Reservations, more information: Visit www.valdosta.edu/psst or the in-person box office, open 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays and noon-2 p.m. Sundays, VSU Fine Arts Building. The in-person box office opens one hour before announced start times for walk-up sales in the VSU Fine Arts Building.