Everything about Summer Stock Theater totally explained
» Summer Stock is also the title of a 1950 musical motion picture starring Judy Garland. For the Canadian conservatory, see
Summerstock Conservatory.
A
summer stock theatre is a
theatre that generally produces
plays only in the
summertime in the
United States. The name combines the seasonal aspect with a tradition of putting on the same shows each year and reusing
stock
scenery and
costumes. Some smaller theaters still continue this tradition, and a few summer stock theaters have become highly regarded
theatre festivals.
Equity status and pay for actors in these theaters varies greatly, sometimes resulting in sub-minimum wage pay for acting "
interns." Often viewed as a starting point for professional actors, stock casts are typically young, just out of
high school or still in college.
Summer stock theatres frequently take advantage of better weather by having their productions
outdoors. The reliance on stock often leads summer theaters to specialize in a particular type of production, such as
Shakespeare plays,
musicals, or even
opera. Some notable summer theaters include:
Calgary & Toronto Summerstock Theatre Festival,
Utah Shakespearean Festival,
Santa Fe Opera,
Williamstown Theatre Festival,
Berkshire Theatre Festival,
Glimmerglass Opera, and
Vancouver's
Bard on the Beach.
The
heyday of summer stock took place in the 40s, 50s and 60s, when a solid
circuit of indoor theaters in New England - dubbed the "straw hat circuit" - provided a training ground for the country's best actors and great, cheap entertainment for millions of vacationing East Coast urbanites.
Plays and
musicals that had closed during the previous season on Broadway would hit the circuit, which included the
Ogunquit Playhouse and Skowheg an Playhouse in Maine; Cape Playhouse in
Dennis,
Massachusetts; the
Woodstock Playhouse in upstate New York;
Falmouth Playhouse in Massachusetts; the South Shore Music Circus in Cohasset, Massachusetts; the
Cape Cod Melody Tent in Hyannis, Massachusetts; the North Shore Music Theatre in Beverly, Massachusetts; and the Bucks County Playhouse in New Hope (suburban Philadelphia), Pennsylvania. The
Westport Country Playhouse in
Connecticut, since renovated with the support of
Joanne Woodward and
Paul Newman, was also part of the summer stock circuit.
Stars of
Broadway and
television would regularly spend summers on this circuit. The
Council of Stock Theatres (COST) negotiated a special contract with
Actors Equity Association to cover the work of actors and stage managers. Touring companies would carry hand props and costumes to each venue, where sound, lights and set would be awaiting them. Engagements usually lasted a week (Tuesday to Sunday, 8 shows). A similar circuit was set up in
Florida during the winter. Venues included the
Royal Poinciana Playhouse and the
Parker Playhouse in
Ft Lauderdale.
John Kenley, a famous
Ohio-based producer, ran his own summer stock circuit in
Dayton,
Akron, and
Canton,
Ohio. Hardly a summer went by in America's mid-section when
Paul Lynde,
Gordon MacRae or
Patrice Munsel didn't show up to star in stock.
In
1949 St. John Terrell began a new experience presenting summer stock theatre under a
circus tent in
Lambertville,
New Jersey. It was called the
Music circus. Thus began a new period of outdoor theatre. Opening in
Cohasset, Massachusetts in
1951, the
South Shore Music Circus expanded the new experience on the
East coast. That same year this new style of summer stock made its way west with the addition of The
Sacramento Music Circus. The
Theatre in the round concept brought Broadway-style musicals to northern
California under a big top tent each summer. Original producers Russell Lewis and Howard Young presented their first production, "
Show Boat", the same opening production at both the Lambertville and the South Shore Music Circus. The original Lambertville theatre closed in 1970, and both the Sacramento and South Shore theatres continue to thrive today. In Sacramento, you can still enjoy live musicals in the round in its new permanent complex, The
Wells Fargo Pavilion. The South Shore Music Circus and Cape Cod Melody Tent now serve primarily as intimate settings for musical acts including popular singers, oldies groups, and orchestras.
In a song in the Broadway musical
The Producers, theatrical producer Max Bialystock states he was "the first producer ever to do Summer Stock in the winter", alluding to his desperation for hit shows. One of the original cast members,
Gary Beach, went directly into rehearsals for this record-breaking Broadway production after performing in summer stock theatre.
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