Starlight
Community Theater’s production of “The Last Five Years”
will be a little different as well. The theater is
known for much larger productions like “The Music
Man” and “The Sound of Music” which are performed
in Boulder Creek High School’s Performing Arts Center.
But Starlight will now take a big step into a smaller
space, presenting “The Last Five Years” in the school’s
“Little Theater,” set up auditorium style.
“It’s
the perfect place to try smaller plays,” observes
Oesterle, who is co‑founder of the theater and
well as a frequent creative force.
He
directed theater in Calif. before moving to Arizona
and, with the help of Pat Bennett, starting a youth
theater in Anthem where there was none with a production
of Stephen Sondheim’s “Into the Woods” in early 2005.
When Paul and Betty Towne and some other theater lovers
joined them, Starlight Community Theater took shape
and took off. Now, the theater has a solid body of
work behind it and an exciting new season ahead with
a schedule that includes “The Wiz” and “Jesus Christ
Superstar.”
“This
season our talent pool continues to grow,” says Oesterle.
“People are coming from all around the state to audition
and we’re working with large casts. We’re reaching
out to the community.”
Recently
completed auditions for “The Wiz” yielded a cast of
70 children from a pool of 120, according to Oesterle,
and rehearsals have already begun in preparation for
opening night on Nov. 3.
Jackie
Stewart Hammond, who plays Cathy in “The Last Five
Years,” will also provide the vocal direction for
“The Wiz,” which Oesterle will direct. Both work at
Gavilan Peak School in Anthem–Oesterle as assistant
principal and Hammond as a Kindergarten teacher and
reading specialist.
Adam
Vargas, who plays the role of Jamie, springs from
a similar scholastic mold, has a degree in vocal music
education from University of Arizona and has performed
and toured locally and internationally.
Hammond
says it’s a challenging acting job taking her character
backwards from the end of the troubled relationship
to the beginning.
“As
soon as the lights come up,” she says, “I have to
be there at the worst possible moment in her life.
It’s a difficult emotion to get through right at the
start. It’s easier to get sadder than to get happier.”
It
may be a challenge, but it’s one she asked for. It
was Hammond who approached Oesterle with the idea
of doing “The Last Five Years,” because it was something
she and Vargas had wanted to do for a long time. The
idea was received with open arms by the Starlight
board because it had already been toying with incorporating
smaller productions into its schedule.
“The
timing worked out really well,” Oesterle says. “We
wanted to do some lesser known plays we think have
value, to create a more intimate venue to see theater
and to get the audience more connected and involved
in the shows.”
There’s
at least one way audiences will be more involved in
this show, and it’s a sweet one. Keeping with Hammond’s
original idea, “The Last Five Years” will be presented
as a kind of “dessert cabaret,” with coffee and dessert
served prior to the performance, to get people ready
for a comfortable evening of intimate theater.
Mmmm,
sounds good.
“The
Last Five Years” will be presented at 7 p.m. Sept.
15 and 16 at Boulder Creek Performing Arts Center
Little Theater, 40404 N. Gavilan Peak Parkway in Anthem.
Tickets may be purchased for $20 (including dessert
and beverage) at the Anthem Community Center, by calling
(623) 566‑7991 or by visiting www.starlightcommunitytheater.org.
Dinner/show deals with Franco’s Ristorante are available.
