Interview: Summer Stern of FUN HOME at Uptown Players

Not many actors can say that they've been preparing for a role for over a year, but Summer Stern has been doing just that. Finally, on Friday, August 20, Stern will take to the stage as Little Alison in Uptown Players's production of the musical Fun Home, roughly a full year since the show's original opening was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The production runs August 20-29 at the Kalita Humphreys Theatre.

Based on cartoonist Alison Bechdel's graphic memoir of the same name, Fun Home tells the story of Bechdel's coming-of-age and coming out story, moving backward and forward through time as the adult Alison attempts to make sense of her own life as well as her troubled relationship with her volatile and secretive father. The musical was nominated for twelve 2015 Tony Awards and won five, including the coveted title of Best Musical.

With opening night just around the corner, I sat down with Summer Stern to talk to her about her own coming-of-age as an actress, her experiences working on such a popular and highly-anticipated show, and how she's been able to develop her craft throughout the pandemic.

So, Summer you were cast as Little Alison in Fun Home, which seems like a dream scenario for someone your age. But how did you get involved with theatre in the first place?

When I moved down here about six years ago, I tried sports like soccer and basketball, but they didn't feel right for me. Then one day my dad signed me up for a show at a local children's theatre, but I was so scared. I walked in and felt so nervous, like I was about to cry. But by the time my dad came back to pick me up, I said, "I love this! This is so fun!"

Did you have any training before you went into classes there?

I took dance lessons when I was living in New York, but I had never done acting before moving to Dallas. I never had any voice lessons either, but I was always singing. I was obsessed with "Poker Face" by Lady Gaga when I was little, and looking back she's actually someone else who is very theatrical and very performative who inspired me.

You started doing shows when you were eight or so. How many shows have you been in since then?

Seventeen, I think.

Oh wow! So that's about five shows per year?

Yeah, I hadn't thought about it like that.

And one of those shows was Denise Lee's first play Funny, You Don't Act Like a Negro over at Theatre Three early in 2020. Have you done anything else in the meantime during the pandemic? Any shows while waiting for Fun Home to return to the stage?

I did a Zoom staged reading through SMU of a play titled 38 Minutes by Holly Doubet. I also starred in a commercial for Service Experts, which was really fun. But this is my first "real" show since the pandemic started.

But you're also doing all of this while still in school. You're now a seventh-grader at Richardson West Junior High Theatre Magnet. How do you balance school and theatre and acting?

Well I remember back when I was in public school, I missed long stretches of classes because of other commitments, and the other students weren't too happy about that. And even when I could attend classes, the schedule was rough on me. Sometimes rehearsals would go until midnight, then I wouldn't get home until an hour later, then I would need to be up at six to get ready for school.

But after that, I was homeschooled through an online program for a while and that gave me the flexibility I needed to do theatre without sacrificing any of my education. Now that I'm at a magnet school that focuses on the arts, though, it's even easier finding that balance.

You seem a lot more mature than most seventh graders. Not everyone could juggle these responsibilities at once.

I think it helps that I've been really lucky to work with a lot of adults who always treated me as one of their own instead of just a kid, so theatre always felt like it was where I'm supposed to be, where I was held to a high standard without having to give up any part of myself.

Let's talk more about Fun Home with Uptown Players. This production already had a lot of excitement around it because it's a regional premiere and Alison Bechdel's work means so much to the LGBTQ+ community, which UP strives to serve. But what led you to audition for Fun Home in the first place?

Well, I did Nuncrackers with Uptown Players back in December 2019, and I had a great experience with them. On top of that, one of the big songs from Fun Home-"Ring of Keys"-has been in my repertoire for a while now. So when my dad told me that auditions for the show were coming up, it seemed like a perfect opportunity because this was a show I loved at a theatre I really loved working with.

And clearly it worked out because you're now playing Little Alison, or Alison Bechdel when she's a young child. What most excites you about this role or what challenges does it present that you're excited to take on?

Little Alison is this cute, little girl trying to find herself and understand her family, so the character has such an interesting journey throughout the show.

Yeah, in my mind, Little Alison is the most difficult role in the show to play. You have to balance navigating these really profound moments living with difficult parents, parents who aren't always comfortable showing their love, as well as these really bright, playful, imaginative scenes that really give the show a lot of its optimism.

It is a challenging role to portray, but I'm always up for a challenge.

One of those challenges is working with the actor who plays Bruce Bechdel, Alison's father. For those not familiar with the show, he's a really volatile character who can't often control his anger or his fear. As Little Alison, what was it like working with the actor playing Bruce? I imagine there needs to be a lot of trust between you two.

I actually worked with Duke Anderson, the actor playing Bruce, on Nuncrackers, and that was an amazing experience so it was easy to go into rehearsals comfortable with this guy playing my dad. There was already a lot of trust there. And he kind of acts like a dad too. He teases me and dances onstage with me, and he shares his snacks with me and always makes sure I'm not skipping meals.

And honestly everyone in the cast is super sweet like that. Leslie Collins, who plays Big Alison, is incredibly talented. We actually had a carpool going so we had a lot of time to bond and get to know one another. It also helps that it's such a small cast too. It was really easy to create a sense of family that's necessary for the show to be successful.

One thing I have to bring up because it's something that's constantly on our minds whether we like it or not is the pandemic. I know there are many people hesitant to go back to see live theatre, especially with this latest wave of cases. How has Uptown Players been ensuring the safety of their cast and audiences, and what would you say to anyone on the fence about coming to see the show?

That's a good question. First, Uptown Players is requiring masks inside the theatre for all audience members, and that's obviously for their protection as well as ours. And then for the performers, they've had us take our temperature every day and get COVID tests every week. And we've all been really careful in our private lives because we love this show and we think this is an important show to bring to the community, and we're willing to do what it takes to make that happen.

For those who do feel comfortable coming to see the show, it's such a beautiful piece that's worth seeing. It reminds us that what we see on the surface isn't always the reality, especially when it comes to families or loved ones. Fun Home reminds us that nobody's perfect, that everyone is fighting a battle we don't know anything about, and I think that's really important to keep in mind these days.

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