Many young people hoping for theater careers accept menial jobs that pay the rent while allowing them the flexibility to take theater work when they can get it. Steven Brewer, manager and artistic director of The Old Opera House Theatre Company in Charles Town, was a lucky man. His family owned an insurance agency in his native South Carolina, where he worked and still had freedom to participate in theater.

“I could go to New York for five or six weeks at a time and come back and still have my job,” he said.

Brewer holds degrees in theater and English from the State University of New York and Clemson University. He has put in over 30 years in community and professional theater, spending 20 years in the insurance business simultaneously. He has been with the Old Opera House for five years, finally able to devote full time to theater.

Over his career, Brewer has acted in 40 to 50 plays, and directed between 80 and 100. “In college, I saw myself as an actor,” he said, “but I found that directing was more satisfying for me.”

Brewer wears two hats at the Old Opera House. As manager, he deals with finances, business activities, and maintenance of the historic building. As artistic director, he is responsible for overseeing all productions. He assists directors in auditions, and may help them direct productions, depending on their experience. “I have to see that the overall quality of the productions is consistent for the Opera House,” he said. “The trick is finding good people so I don’t have to spend time looking over their shoulder.”

A non-profit corporation operates The Old Opera House Theater Company. Patrons and ticket sales are the primary support, with some funding from the city, state or county. Brewer and the part-time box office manager hold the only paid positions. Everyone else is a volunteer. There is a small stipend for directors and musicians. Said Brewer, “It probably only covers gas money for some,”

Brewer said that most volunteers do it for enjoyment, although “a growing number have professional aspirations. This is a great training ground.”

He noted that our area has many actors with some professional background and credits, as well as directors, designers, and others with college degrees in theater. “We get students from Shepherd, Shenandoah University, even from Hood College and Towson,” he said, “but the Opera House accepts volunteers with no experience or background.”

Retirees are a strong part of the volunteer base. Brewer observed that it is more challenging to get people who are actively working. They must make time to volunteer, and many commute to Washington, making for very long days.

The Old Opera House has six main performances each year, plus one for children in the summer. “Those are our bread and butter,” Brewer explained. “There’s also an art festival in June, sometimes some extra performances here and there, and we have an art show in August.”

Brewer and a committee of four select the performances. “We look at hundreds of plays,” he said. “We also survey audiences, actors and directors—their input is invaluable. We try to please patrons. If you like the Contemporary American Theater Festival, if you like the Broadway stage, we’ll try to give it to you. You probably won’t like everything we do, but someone will [each production], so we do an eclectic collection of plays any given year.”

Two musicals are featured each year, in fall and in spring, Brewer said. “This year we have Bye Bye Birdie—it’s family entertainment and very high energy—and The Full Monty which is more adult with contemporary music.”

Brewer admitted that it is sometimes a challenge for a community theater to find the right people for roles. “Some roles require a specific look or talent,” he said.

Since he has been with the Old Opera House, Brewer himself has been on stage twice. “I’ll go on stage if the role is right or we’re missing someone to play a character. And I have to throw myself into the pool of actors and audition like anyone else.”

He played the male lead in the musical Gypsy—Herbie, the long-suffering husband of stage mother Rose in the story of burlesque queen Gypsy Rose Lee. He also played The Typesetter in Personals, a musical comedy about dating through the newspaper personal ads.

Asked if he had a favorite production, Brewer replied, “We did Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. We put lots of time and money into it and were very proud of it. But my favorite is always what’s coming next.”

Brewer’s wife, Christine, is also active in the theater. Their one-and-a-half-year-old daughter Caroline made her stage debut in Beauty and the Beast.

 

Spring has Sprung

By Noah French and Paige Conrad
Spring  has sprung this time of year.
Everyone is happy right now and here.
With all the flowers growing, you know spring has come.
All the baby animals are born and you can hear the insects hum.
I think you can’t wait, I think you’d rather not.
That’s why spring beats the whole entire lot.
And spring will help you find your way,
Through the terrible winter and down to May.
So spring is good for many things is all we want to say!

Flowers

By Paige Mendzela
They bloom so gently, quietly, and sweet.
They’re beautiful, colorful, interesting, and neat.
All they need is water and sun.
So plant some flowers.
It is lots of fun!

Spring is My Favorite Time of the Year

By Aaron Di Lima
Spring is coming
Purple flowers are blooming
Robins are singing
I saw a bluejay
Naughty weeds are pulling at my crop
Great gardens are coming.

The Magic of Earth

By Dmitri Hunter and Emily Askew
Cougars, tigers, and other wild animals are on Earth with us. We must take good care of the environment and all the animals on Earth with us.  Stop littering.  Start recycling. Let’s do this before some animals become extinct. We already hurt millions of animals. Please do your part to keep the environment healthy!

 

A Mother’s Day Gift

Hi Mom,
It’s Mother’s Day. I got you a present. No, it’s not a fancy car. It’s not a trip to the spa. It’s something you will treasure more than these things. It is something that you will treasure most of all. Let’s get closer, let’s get warmer. No, it’s not a dog!  
Yes! It’s me and your family. It’s our love. Have a happy Mother’s Day, Mom!
Love,
Jasmine Edwards

Mother

by Tatianna Evanisko-Long, Paige Mendzela, and Josie Valentine
Magnificent and marvelvous
outstanding and original
tremendous and terrific
happy and helpful
exciting and enthusiastic
radical and right
super and sincere!

Jokes

by Sam Yates
Teacher:  Ellen, give me a sentence starting with “I”.
Ellen:  I is...
Teacher: No, Ellen. Always say “I am.”
Ellen: Alright, I am the ninth letter of the alphabet.
What would you get if you crossed a karate instructor with a wheelbarrow?
A chopping cart!
What flower is in between your nose and your chin?
Two lips!

What do frogs eat with their hamburgers?
French flies

Mother’s Day
by Lucia Valentine
Mother’s Day is special
Mother’s Day is fun!
If you gave her a hippo,
It would weigh a ton!
Or maybe just some flowers.
That would also do. 
Or maybe, just maybe a bottle
Of  two-in-one shampoo!
You can go on a picnic
Or frolic through the park.
Now you know she’ll always love you.
That is from the heart!
So make her day real special.
Make it one she’ll never forget.
It only comes once a year
so make it one you won’t regret!
Happy Mother’s Day!

The Mysterious Benedict Society

Book review by Evi Hammer

This story is about Reynie Muldoon, who is an orphan at Stonetown Orphanage.  One day Reynie and his teacher, Miss Perumal, were reading the newspaper when Miss Perumal caught sight of an ad that said, “Are you a gifted child looking for special opportunities?” Reynie answers the ad and soon finds out he needs to take a series of tests.  Along the way he meets Sticky, Kate, and Constance, who are also taking the test.

Sticky knows everything about everything.  Kate likes to be adventurous.  Constance is quite crabby.  Together they win the contest. Their prize: to be sent on a very dangerous mission to the Learning Institute for the Very Enlightened.  Their mission is to stop an evil mastermind and save the world.

Who will finish the mission?  How dangerous will it be? Will anyone get hurt? Will Reynie be a winner?  I recommend this book to children ages10 to 12.  If you like mysteries and puzzles, I think you will enjoy The Mysterious Benedict Society.

Written by Trenton Lee Stewart; Illustrations by Carson Ellis. Available at The Four Seasons Book Store in Shepherdstown.