Hard work pays off in 'Summer Circle' performances

For the past two weeks, the area along Red Cedar River behind the Auditorium has been filled with audiences attending the 49th annual Summer Circle Theatre produced by the MSU Department of Theatre.

“I think it’s pretty amazing Summer Circle has been going on for this length of time,” said George Peters, chair of the Department of Theatre. “It’s a sign that summer theater is well loved here in town and patrons here tend to enjoy it. It’s an important function to engage with the community in.”

Preparation for the several different plays is an eight weeklong process. The first five weeks is spent memorizing lines and learning the different characters and the last three weeks is spent performing for an audience. The most challenging aspect of the production was cramming all the stuff to learn in before taking the stage, music composition sophomore Seth Burk said.

“There was a lot to learn in a short amount of time because we had to learn the three shows in a little over one month,” he said. “‘Leading Ladies,’ for example, had a full tango to learn. You had to learn your lines, learn the blocking, learn everything else, work out the characters and manage to keep the blocking and character working separate between everything that you’re in when you’re working on all that simultaneously.”

During the Summer Circle Theatre last year, Burk was part of the audience. This year, Burk joined the acting company for the first time. He said the major difference is understanding the hectic schedule it takes to pull the shows together.

“When I watched it in the audience, I had no clue how much chaos is going on to keep everything running in this very hectic setting,” Burk said. “You’re memorizing lines and doing all these insane changes backstage before you go on, while trying to hide from the audience who can see most of the way back there.”

Even though Burk attended the Summer Circle Theatre last year, the crowds this year are larger and more supportive of the theater than he anticipated.

“I was actually really surprised by how many people were in the audience,” Burk said. “During the second show, I was planted in the audience until the second scene. People noticed me and everyone had nothing but nice things to say. I ended up talking to people in the audience as I was waiting for my entrance and everyone just praised Summer Circle. It was amazing to see how much this program reaches the community.”

Despite the hot and humid weather, the plays still receive between 400 to 500 audience members a night, which amazes Peters.

“It’s a sign of how much they enjoy theater,” Peters said. “It gets cooler in the evening, but before we start, it can be hot down there. I admire their fortitude.”

For Joel King, who has ample acting experience, this was his first year participating in the Summer Circle. King’s favorite part was the closeness felt among the cast.

“If everybody isn’t working together, then it doesn’t work,” he said. “I’ve always felt that theater was like a team work thing, but it’s especially true in a setting like this.”