SummerStock Austin takes root

AUSTIN (KXAN) - As Austin grows, so does its theatre community. Many young performers and technicians, though, are drawn to try their luck in “big time” spots like New York and Los Angeles. They finish high school and/or college and take off and local audiences never get to see their work.

That’s where Summer Stock comes in. Begun in New England some eighty-odd years ago, the concept called for pairing young but dedicated and talented actors and behind the scenes people with accomplished and, in some cases, famous talents for a whirlwind schedule of rotating plays and musicals. The students grew their talent and audiences, often composed of traveling tourists, got some first-rate entertainment.

That concept came to Central Texas five years ago, with the founding of SummerStock Austin. It’s a project of St. Edward’s University and Zilker Theatre Productions. St. Edward’s Coordinator of Music, Michael McKelvey, severs as artistic director. His story is similar to those of his own students.

“I started doing theatre when I was a younger kid and always sang in boys' choirs and just always had music more than anything,” said McKelvey. “I really got serious about theatre when I was in high school and then I entered college as a voice major, actually, doing opera and things like that, but always found my way back to musical theatre.”

This year, SummerStock Austin is presenting Little Shop of Horrors in repertory with Sweeney Todd. One of the cast members of Todd is Austinite Kathleen Fletcher, who just graduated from the University of Texas.

“I’m moving to New York in September and gonna just be a gutsy go-getter,” she said, ”audition for anything and everything and hope for the best, take whatever I can get.”

If not for the local Summer Stock program, local audiences would never get exposed to her talent. The program boasts of considerable recognition for the talent it corrals, including four B. Iden Payne nominations and four Austin Critics’ Table nominations in 2008 alone.

For the students, whose participation is underwritten by sponsors, it offers up a slice of the real world.

“During the day, it's just really invigorating to, like, have that bulk of your energy and not have just come from classes or work, going into rehearsals,” said Fletcher. “It's like, this is your job.”

It’s a challenging job, indeed.

“Sweeney and Little Shop do have a darker side to them, but one is a rock musical, classic rock musical, very popular,” said McKelvey. “Sweeney's a much darker show, much more dramatic, exceedingly tough score by Stephen Sondheim, probably one of the toughest scores in musical theatre, next to West Side Story and Parade. So they're getting different kinds of challenges.

While the young people soak up the education, members of local audiences get to soak up their talent.

“They get to see some of the best young performers in Central Texas” said McKelvey. “When you see this much energy on stage, this much passion by truly some of the best students in this area, when you see what we do, I think you'll be amazed.”

SummerStock Austin’s season kicks off July 30th and runs through August 9th at the Long Center’s Rollins Theatre.