When the music rises from the pit Friday night, it will be one woman’s job to make sense of the noise.

The ultimate embodiment of the show must-go-on spirit, Roberta Jacyshyn has brought harmony to chaos for 28 years as the music director of the Fine Arts Center Theatre Company. Jacyshyn will take her final bow with “Gypsy: A Musical Fable,” the first production of the FAC season.

Often referred to by critics as America’s “greatest musical,” “Gypsy” tells the story of Louise, who is forced by her overbearing mom Rose to become a striptease artist. Based on the memoirs of the famous ’30s striptease artist Gypsy Rose Lee, the play follows Rose’s vision to thrust her daughters into stardom. The story has become a legendary example of what it is to be, and have, the ultimate stagemom.

“Gypsy” opens the 25th anniversary main stage season at the Fine Arts Center. It is the seventh musical they’ve produced by musical groundbreaker Stephen Sondheim, who is a favorite of Jacyshyn’s.

“Sondheim is always a bit of a challenge for me. This particular show is something I really wanted to add to my portfolio,” says Jacyshyn, who also teaches music at Eagle View Middle School.

A graduate of The Berklee College of Music in Boston, Jacyshyn (pronounced Jackson) started her tenure as an accompanist on “Bye Bye Birdie,” the very first theater production at the Fine Arts Center. At this point she’s been involved in more than 90 FAC productions.

“I’ve seen it grow a lot. In the ’80’s, we were doing one musical a year. Now we’ve expanded into full plays and we get to bring in community talent in addition to equity actors,” she says.

It’s been a job done in the shadows of the spotlight. Jacyshyn has served in a variety of roles, including band leader, keyboardist and Jill-of-all-trades. After taking over as music director in the ’90’s, she earned two Denver Post Ovation Awards for Best Orchestra for 2007’s “Into the Woods” and 2010’s “Sweeney Todd,” both Sondheim musicals. She also served as leadership for the Fine Arts Center former Youth Repertory Theatre, a five-week intensive training program for students interested in a career the theater arts.

“She is a consummate musician,” says Fine Arts Center Artistic Director Scott RC Levy. “She has a deep love for teaching and the arts. The orchestra under her leadership has been fabulous.”

Levy goes on to say there are no immediate plans to fill the role of musical director after Jacyshyn’s retirement.

“This isn’t a position that’s needed for all of our productions. We’ve reached out to some people in the past to step in and we’ll do that again. Our next musical isn’t until the spring, so we have some time.”

Talk to Jacyshyn a while and you might get the impression she is shy to elaborate on her achievements — unless she’s talking about the musicians she’s worked with, some for years.

“I really think it’s important to remember the musicians, these guys are as good as anyone on Broadway,” she says. “The band is only as good as it is because of their caliber of talent.”

Why is she leaving?

“We’re ready to move on,” says Jacyshyn of herself and her musician husband. With Jacyshyn’s retirement as a teacher, the pair have decided to move “someplace that’s warm.”

On that last night, though, moving on might not seem so simple.

“It will be bittersweet,” she says of her last curtain call. “I’m sure there will be a few tears.”

Roberta Jackshyn Photo by

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