The term "apprentice" conjures up images of youngsters toiling away in the background, simultaneously helping a master while learning a craft. To a certain extent, that pretty well describes the upcoming summer for Rebecca Mellinger, Rachel Guth, Caroline Clark and Molly Flynn. The craft they'll be studying? Theater.
The four girls are New Canaan's contingent among the handful of local students in the Summer Theatre of New Canaan's Intensive Apprentice Program. The youngsters will help with behind-the-scenes work on the Summer Theatre's productions in Waveny Park this year. They'll have their hands in all aspects of the company's plays. "They're just invaluable," creative director Melody Libonati said. "They could already run the show."
The program will give the apprentices a taste of all aspects of putting on a stage production. They'll tackle the creative side by performing and assisting the director. They'll get a look at the technical side by helping the stage manager and costume designer. And they'll even work on the business side, selling tickets in the box office and working with Libonati.
At the same time the girls will get training in ensemble building, voice and movement, acting, improvisation, Shakespearean verse, directing, clowning, self-discovery and musical theater. Like all apprentices, the students are working with seasoned pros.
Libonati herself worked on Broadway and other gigs for 15 years before coming to New Canaan to raise her family. And the Summer Theatre's productions draw professional talent from all over the country. The apprentices will get a chance to work with Broadway actors, members of Harvard's American Repertory Theater, and Chicago's Filament Theater Ensemble. "They come to work as well as teach," Libonati said of her actors. "It's their gift to the Summer Theatre. They're really committed to teaching."
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