Prescott Fire Chief moonlights with role in Yavapai College’s Guys & Dolls

Photo: Prescott Fire Chief Holger Durre in his office. Chief Durre is currently performing in Yavapai College’s production of Guys & Dolls at the Jim & Linda Lee Performing Arts Center in Prescott. Photo provided by Yavapai College.

If you’d like a word with Fire Chief Holger Durre, he will happily oblige you. But you’ll have to keep up with him first. “I’m just out from a singing lesson,” Durre says – through his iPad, in the car. “Headed back to the office.” He sounds comfortable, even upbeat, shouldering such a busy schedule. Which is fortunate, because in addition to being Prescott’s Fire Chief, Holger Durre is also Arvide Abernathy, the loving grandfather and Mission Band bass player in the musical Guys & Dolls, opening Nov. 6 at Yavapai College’s Jim & Linda Lee Performing Arts Center.

If that sounds like a giant workload, well, it is. But Durre, a 51-year-old firefighter and father, has crafted his theatrical work to fit between the demands of his captaincy. “I’ve cleared everything with my boss and made sure to take a role with a manageable line and singing load.” These days, Durre bounces between two personas – Fire Chief Durre and the affable, singing Arvide – determined to play both roles well. “I’m grateful that I’ve gotten support on both sides,” he says. “It’s nice to have the tribe I’m working with.”

Inspired by a collection of Damon Runyon short stories, Guys & Dolls shares a world of gangsters, hustlers, do-gooders and ne’er-do-wells with a comic sensibility and Runyon’s distinctive street slang. It premiered on Broadway in 1950, ran 1,200 performances, earning a Tony Award and a film adaptation with Frank Sinatra and Marlon Brando. The show’s collection of tough-but-captivating characters, and classic songs like “Luck Be a Lady Tonight,” “I’ve Never Been in Love Before,” and “Sit Down, You’re Rockin’ the Boat,” have made it a classic of American Musical Theatre.

For Durre, the show is even more than that. Though firefighting has always been his calling, his strong tenor voice led him to college choirs, and singing the occasional national anthem, “but I never did Theatre before I came to Prescott in 2022.” A turn at Prescott’s Dancing for the Stars fundraiser introduced him to Footlights Theatre Director (now Yavapai College Theatre instructor) Ben Naasz, who got Durre onstage in Spamalot and Something Rotten. “I’m really enjoying myself. I never thought I’d be doing this. This is the first time, even with choir, that I’ve ever taken voice lessons. And my son, Ben, is in the show. This is the first time we’ve been onstage together.”

You might think that firefighting and stage acting are completely different skill sets. Durre found, to his surprise, that this is not true. “Public speaking comes naturally to me. It’s not as intimidating for me, personally, to step in front of a crowd. But there is a bit of crossover. One of the things that makes firefighting work is that all the firefighters bring different life skills to the table. It’s all about leveraging those skills for the benefit of the team. [Guys & Dolls] has given me a chance to influence from a distance. That’s why it’s rewarding to me – to contribute to the show as part of the ensemble.” It models a team mentality to other performers, he says, and shows there’s more to firefighters than you might think.

“The other benefit [of performing] is that it forces you to mentally switch.” He says. “I can be knee-deep in a Fire Department problem. But when I step onstage, I have to let go of it. That keeps me more balanced. It helps with stress and coping skills. Having those outlets can make life more sustainable.”

It can make for a busy October, too. Durre has been known to crack open a laptop and tend to Fire Department business during breaks. But the time spent – with Ben, and the ensemble – have made Guys & Dolls a worthwhile endeavor. “Life has a way of keeping you going,” he says. “I’ve enjoyed this kind of co-creation, and I look forward to opening the show and running with it.”

Tickets for Guys and Dolls start at $40 and Youth tickets are just $11. The show runs Nov. 6 – 8, and Nov. 13 – 15 at the Jim & Linda Lee Performing Arts Center on the Yavapai College Prescott Campus, 1100 E. Sheldon Street, in Prescott. For reservations or more information, call the Ticket Office at (928) 776-2000, visit us online at www.ycpac.com.

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Yavapai College operates seven campuses and centers throughout Yavapai County and offers more than 100 degrees and certificates, six baccalaureate degrees, student and community services, and cultural events and activities. To learn more about Yavapai College, visit www.yc.edu.