25 Summers of Theatre

Lees-McRae Summer Theatre Celebrates 25th Anniversary

Story by Anna Oakes

Three of Broadway’s most popular musicals are coming to the mountains as part of Lees-McRae Summer Theatre’s 25th anniversary season. The show-stopping lineup includes CATS, showing Wednesday through Sunday, June 17 to 21; The Secret Garden, showing Friday, July 3, through Thursday, July 16; and Guys and Dolls, showing Thursday through Monday, July 30 to August 3.

All productions will take place at the Hayes Auditorium on the Lees-McRae College campus in Banner Elk.

Artist Director Janet Barton Speer (affectionately called “Doc” by her students) has been at the head of Summer Theatre throughout the history of the program.

“I was directing in other places and Dean Jim Stonesifer asked me to ‘stay put’ and direct shows at Lees-McRae College,” said Speer. “The very first season, we didn’t expect much and were wonderfully surprised. We were ‘in the black’ and doing well. It has been successful ever since.”

The first summer production series featured the plays I Do! I Do!, The Mousetrap, Coming of Age and Where Are Friends When You Need Them?, two of which were written by Speer. The productions took place in Hayes Auditorium, with 3,403 audience members in attendance the first year. In recent years, audience attendance has topped 6,000.

“I think the main evolution is in the quality that continues to grow,” Speer said. “We now have a network of some of the finest actors and designers in the country.”

To celebrate the 25th anniversary season, the Summer Theatre staff will host an Angel Reception for all donors on Sunday, August 2. Food will be provided, and actors will sing some of their favorite songs from this summer’s musicals. The 2009 Summer Theatre season also kicks off the fundraising campaign for the Hayes Renovation Project to make improvements to Hayes Auditorium.

Summer Theatre audiences voted CATS and Guys and Dolls as the “most wanted” musicals, and The Secret Garden is a personal favorite for Speer. “Its story reaffirms the important qualities of life that can emerge in difficult times,” she said in a Summer Theatre pamphlet mailed to patrons.

CATS, based on Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats by T.S. Eliot and with music by Andrew Lloyd Weber, tells the story of the annual gathering of Jellicle cats, when a special cat is selected to ascend to the Heaviside layer. CATS ran for a record-setting 21 years at the New London Theatre and for 18 years on Broadway. Galloway Stevens is the director and Ben Simpson is the associate director.

The Secret Garden is based on the novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett, with music by Lucy Simon and book and lyrics by Marsha Norman. An 11-year-old orphan returns to Yorkshire to live with an embittered, reclusive uncle and his invalid son on an estate that includes a locked garden. The girl, Mary Lennox, heals herself and those around her by tending the abandoned garden and forming caring friendships. Speer is the director.

Guys and Dolls is an oddball romantic comedy based on a story and characters by Damon Runyon, with music and lyrics by Frank Loesser and book by Joe Swerling and Abe Burrows. Set in New York City, the musical is about four characters: Sarah Brown, a woman determined to reform the evildoers of Time Square; Sky Masterson, a slick, high-rolling gambler who woos her on a bet and ends up falling in love; Adelaide, a nightclub performer who’s been engaged to the same man for 14 years; and Nathan Detroit, her devoted fiancé who is always trying to find a spot for his floating craps game.

This year, the Summer Theatre staff conducted all auditions by “reel”—through electronic submissions on YouTube, a website or a DVD. The casts are comprised predominantly of professional actors—many are Lees-McRae alumni—as well as faculty members and locals.

“Our alumni are so strong that they frequently make up a good portion of the company,” Speer said.

Tickets are $24 for adults and $13 for students and children. Matinee tickets are $19 for adults and $9 for students and children. Tickets for Southern Voices are $12, tickets for Don’t Hug Me are $15 and tickets for Charlie Brown are $12 for adults and $8 for children. The Summer Theatre staff recommends purchasing tickets early for better seat selection and to avoid standing in line.

The Summer Theatre program relies on patrons to support its operating costs; ticket sales pay for less than two-thirds of the expenses. The program recycles all materials used in set construction. In addition, Lees-McRae Summer Theatre provides tickets to local families who cannot afford to attend the shows.

For more information or to purchase tickets, call the box office at 828-898-8709 or click to www.lmc.edu/sites/SummerTheatre/.

Summer Theatre 2009 Schedule

A detailed schedule of the Lees-McRae Summer Theatre is provided below. As a courtesy to actors, do not bring infants to evening performances. For more information or to purchase tickets, call the box office at 828-898-8709 or click to www.lmc.edu/sites/SummerTheatre/.

CATS
Evenings: June 17, 18, 19 and 20 at 7:30 p.m.
Matinees: June 18, 20 and 21 at 2:00 p.m.

Secret Garden
Evenings: July 3, 6, 13, 15 and 16 at 7:30 p.m.
Matinees: July 5 and 15 at 2:00 p.m.

Guys and Dolls
Evenings: July 30 and 31, August 1 and 3 at 7:30 p.m.
Matinees: July 30, August 1 and 2 at 2:00 p.m.