Summer Repertory Theater is alive across the country, from California's Santa Rosa program to New Paltz's program in New York's Hudson Valley, and doing … so-so. At least that's the case with University of Missouri's Summer Repertory Theater (MU's SRT) program, now celebrating its 40th season.
Like many such programs nationally, MU's SRT was founded to give aspiring theater students professional experience during their summer breaks. Larry Clark started MU's SRT in 1969 with just that purpose in mind.
For many years, MU's SRT operated as a fully functional theme-driven repertory. The repertoire included a classic comedy, a well-known American play, and an avant-garde play. These three plays rotated in and out every night—meaning, each night after the show, the crew would pack away the set and pull out the set for the next evening's show. The cast would typically appear in at least two of the three shows.
Despite its 40th anniversary, SRT is presenting only two shows this season. This summer there is no theme. The plays chosen have nothing to do with marking the date, celebrating their founding father, or even coinciding with the summer season: Sanders Family Christmas, which is a comedy with music and a sequel to Smoke on the Mountain, and Cabaret, which, if you remember, is set around New Year's.
Times Have Changed
According to Mary Frances Hodson, costume technician at University of Missouri, the basic reason for these changes is economic.
"In the past, young people were expected to do slave labor for 60 hours or more a week for a set stipend. You'd get four hours of sleep a night, paint and sew costumes and earn next to nothing. You'd agree to live in flea- and mouse-infested housing for the summer." "We have to pay people minimum wage now, not the $2 per hour we used to pay; otherwise, the students would have to work at McDonald's just to survive," she said.
"That $2 is based on the actual time you spend in the shop. I figured it out once. If I calculated the amount of time I spent in the shop and the pay I was getting, I was making $2 per hour during the summer."
Now, with less financial aid coming in, students must earn money in the summer to pay for the rest of the year. "No one can afford to starve for their art anymore."
When Hodson was a supervisor in 1985 for the costume shop during the school term, she would never hire a full-time student with a second job. She'd look at them and say, "No, you're too busy."
"But now, all of them have another job either on campus or at an eatery," she continued. "It's the norm to have a part-time job, work on campus, and go to school full-time."
"There is no luxury of a bohemian lifestyle anymore. They can still live on Ramon soup, but they have to work in order to be able to afford that."
But on the bright side, even though the official season has only two shows, and even though the company does not recruit and audition out of state, or offer free travel and housing expenses anymore, Kerri Packard, SRT's managing director, says, "The actors and technicians are now paid more than they used to be, and that's a good thing."
Actually the summer season has not really shrunk in size. Also available in the summer is the Comedies Concert series. The series was inspired by MU Associate Professor David Crespy's Writing for Performance program. These short, locally written plays are rehearsed and performed the same day, and audiences love them.
The Quality Continues
Despite the changes in format and the times, the quality of the production maintains a high standard. Packard attests to the fact that the shows "are at a professional level in quality, and this has not declined over the years."
In fact, she explained, since the auditions are now open to the entire community, the quality of the talent may have risen.
Packard had recently attended a rehearsal for the Sander's Family Christmas, opening this Thursday. "Even without costumes, the run-through of this play was emotional. Set just after Pearl Harbor on Christmas Eve in 1941, the family's only son is in the service—with patriotic songs—it was really touching. I imagine that today's audiences, with so many families having loved ones overseas, will relate to this well-executed story.
James Miller, director of this season's Cabaret is very happy with the caliber of the performances, according to the Columbia Tribune. Most of the students hired for summer theater are at the top of their game.
So is Summer Repertory past its prime? "I wouldn't say it's declining," says Packard. "It's just evolving."
Don't count on the SRT folding any time soon. "Every year," according to Hodson, "they say, 'this might be the last summer.' But somehow when summer comes around again, they always keep it going."
Feeds