Surprise on-stage marriage proposal in Columbus sparks Springer standing ovation

The large, boisterous crowd attending the Springer Opera House fundraiser Thursday in Columbus from applause, to silence and finally to cheers as they realized the scene unfolding in front of them wasn’t a skit.

It was real life — a surprise marriage proposal.

The proposal happened near the end of an evening of performances at TEACHaret 2025, a fundraiser for the Wise Investment Fund, which provides scholarships for students attending the Springer Theatre Academy.

Larren Woodward, an instructor at the academy and a Springer resident actor, was leaving the stage after a performance when her scene partner motioned for her to stay. As Woodward turned around, Walter Pigford, the Springer’s technical director, walked onto the stage.

As they approached each other, the audience quieted. Shouts rang out as they held hands. Pigford reached into his right pocket for the ring and dropped to one knee. When she nodded her yes, the crowd jumped to their feet, erupting in cheers and applause.

“That first time that we ever hung out felt like I’d been struck by lightning,” Pigford told the Ledger-Enquirer. “It’s just never really gone away.”

Both are actors by trade.

“We met in passing at an audition, a cattle call audition, nine years ago,” Woodward told the L-E. “Then the theater world does what it does, scattered us to the winds.”

Woodward said they didn’t meet again until Pigford took a job at the Springer four years ago, and the relationship blossomed from there.

“He’s home,” she said, “He’s everything that feels safe and comforting and warm, and I feel like I can do anything because of him.”

Pigford said he has been planning the surprise proposal for a few months. He said proposing at TEACHaret fit with Woodward’s love of teaching.

“Getting to do it in front of our best friends and her students, who she loves more than anything,” he said, “it seemed like the natural choice when to do it.”

“This night is so special already, “ Woodward said, ”and to know my friends also were playing part of the ruse and made it so special because this man is special. He could have done it at the back of a Wendy’s, for all I care. To be in a place that brought us together with people who love both of us, it means a lot.”