Interview: Sacramento Theatre Company's Miranda D. Lawson Talks PETER AND THE STARCATCHER and the Reorganization of STC

The Sacramento Theatre Company (STC) is one of the oldest theatre groups in the region, bringing professional productions to the city since its switch from community theatre in the 1980s. Last season’s finale of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time garnered rave reviews and showcased the quality that has been woven through the very fabric of STC’s productions, which made the news that the fall season had been put on hold even more alarming. With theatres shuttering across the nation and most seeing a drop in attendance, it’s become a struggle for local theatres to keep their doors open. STC decided to take this season to reorganize and concentrate on its outreach and educational programs. Their School of the Arts has been a successful Sacramento staple but a rehaul was needed to catapult STC into next season and beyond. BroadwayWorld spoke to STC’s Education Program Manager, Miranda D. Lawson, and the STC Education staff about the new and improved program.

STC is looking different this fall! The focus is on education this year. Can you tell us why you’re rebranding the School of the Arts?

We are rebranding STC Educate as more of an outward showing of our internal recommitment to our Education departments. We had an incredible summer at the Eagle Theatre with Rock of Ages: Teen Edition and we are wrapping up our super popular summer camps! Our recommitment comes from many reasons but mostly from listening to our community feedback about the accessibility of classes and performance opportunities. So, we are opening the gates wider and creating more opportunities for our community to join us.

Traditionally, students would have the chance to audition for Main Stage shows. What will you be offering them in lieu of that opportunity?

We have an incredible Artistry Series we are about to announce in the next week. We are elevating our cabaret series to include more live musicians, dancers, and strong actors as we do scenes, songs, monologues, and dance! We are committed to continuing our mission statement of integrating professional theatre with theatre arts education. We will have and need many professionals from the community and surrounding areas onstage this season.

The theatre community is curious as to the state of the Main Stage productions. Is STC planning to bring those back in the future? 

We are already looking toward that future as we plan our current offerings! STC isn’t going anywhere and those of us on staff here have been and are working on being the change we want to see at STC. It’s hard work to change and move forward, but STC realizes it must refocus and make some internal and systemic changes in order to adapt to our new future. The staff is very excited about what we can and are offering the community.

You mentioned that there will be a new “Artistry” series to look forward to, featuring cabaret and a holiday show. Could you expand on that program for our readers?

When we roll out the official brochure in the next week, we will have an in-depth look at the themes for these. We will pay homage to our family favorite, A Christmas Carol! Audiences will be transported through the holiday season as seen through many plays and musicals over the years, with scenes and songs from some of your holiday favorites. Come spend a great night at the theatre with your whole family!

 Auditions for your next show, Peter and the Starcatcher, begin on August 17. What can you tell us about that show? Are auditions open to the public? 

Peter and the Starcatcher is a Tony award-winning show that is a prequel/origin story of Peter Pan! It’s a beautiful and creative telling of a classic story! We have community auditions this weekend and already have a bunch of new students coming! They are open to the public to students in the 6th through 12th grades.

 Your education program includes adult classes, as well. What are some of the choices being offered?

We are rolling out our new Education Course brochure as we speak and have a ton of listings for our fall courses! Improv, multiple acting classes with different focuses, adult dance classes, and I’m teaching a vocal techniques class for adults as well as our students in the community.

 How has the reception been for the revamped School of the Arts? Are you seeing an increase in the number of students?

We are seeing a ton of interest and sign-ups for our first student community show, Peter and the Starcatcher. We already had orientation a week ago and our families are super excited about everything coming up! We are anticipating a huge influx with the release of our course brochure for all students to sign up! We are very optimistic. Most people don’t know that this plan for education was already in the works last year before the most recent changes, so we are thrilled to finally see this becoming a reality.

What does the future look like for STC?

The future looks exciting! Transition is hard. Self-reflection is hard. But our staff is tough and passionate and our community deserves the new perspective STC is going to take! We are all in for the future!

Auditions for STC’s next youth production, Peter and the Starcatcher, run from August 17-19. More information may be found on STC’s website, www.SacTheatre.org.

 

 

To post a comment, you must register and login.