Super Summer shows already selling out as improved theater debuts at Spring Mountain Ranch

When theater lovers arrived at Spring Mountain Ranch State Park for Super Summer Theatre’s two-night “Hooray for Hollywood” opening performances May 13 and 14, improvements to the outdoor theater venue were apparent before anyone even reached the meadow.

Thanks to last year’s Donald W. Reynolds Foundation Thanks a Million matching grant fundraising campaign, the pavement on the walkway to the seating meadow has been extended to the parking lot.

“So when baby carriages and wagons come, they won’t sink into the stones,” said Adrienne O’Donoghue, Super Summer Theatre board president.

Other improvements this year include new siding on the outdoor stage and a cleanup of the smoking area in the back and the Rissman Area, a space between the concession stand and the handicapped parking area named for Alice Rissman, a founding member and longtime contributor of Super Summer Theatre.

Improvements set for next year include reseeding and possibly slanting the meadow so the seating will be on a slight incline. There are also plans to possibly add an orchestra pit, and down the road, the board may add a second walkway.

O’Donoghue said the board is intent on moving the light poles out of the meadow and over to the side next year. The poles are due for replacement anyway, and moving them should free up more room for seating, she explained.

That room could come in handy. O’Donoghue said last year Super Summer sold out 14 of 47 show nights with 11,000 or more in the audience. Remaining shows were packed with at least 700 to 800 theatergoers a night.

This year, the season is off to a brisk sales start, too. Sandra Huntsman, producer for the ranch’s first full show of the season, said she has been stunned by how swiftly “Beauty and the Beast” tickets are selling for the June 1-4, 8-11 and 15-18 production.

“We’ve already sold out every Saturday,” she said. “I don’t know if Super Summer has ever sold out this far in advance, 2½ weeks before opening. The whole show could be sold out before opening.”

Huntsman and her husband, Steve, were behind the hit “Tarzan” last year. They wear multiple hats as part of Huntsman Entertainment. He serves as director, costume designer and more, while she produces, stars on stage as Belle and constructs costumes.

Sandra Huntsman said having her husband direct her has been surprisingly drama-free.

“It’s our first time working together in that capacity,” she said. “He’s been directing for 10 years, and in spite of the fact that I have auditioned for him in the past, this is the first time he has selected me. I am enjoying it. I think he’s a wonderful director, and I have wanted to work with him. I felt like he could help me be a better performer, and I think he is. We just find ourselves talking to each other differently than we would to other directors and actors because we have a 17½-year relationship behind us.”

The Hunstmans and their cast also got input from a “Beauty and the Beast” expert when Paige O’Hara, the voice of Belle from the Disney animated feature, came to visit rehearsal with her husband, Broadway actor Michael Piontek.

Sandra Huntsman said working with O’Hara was terrifying but amazing.

Additional shows this season are set to include musicals “Memphis” July 6-9, 13-16 and 20-23; “Bring It On” Aug. 10-13, 17-20 and 24-27; and “The Mystery of Edwin Drood” Sept. 8-10, 15-17 and 22-24.

While most of the shows were seeking triple threats who could sing, dance and act, “Bring It On” director Troy Heard was looking for an added element for the teen flick-turned-musical: He wanted actors who could cheer and tackle complicated gymnastic routines, too.

“I know nothing about cheerleading,” he said. “It’s a crash course for me, but I have fantastic choreographers, a team. One focuses on hip-hop and dance, and the other is a championship cheerleader from UNLV’s cheer squad.”

Despite the quadruple-threat challenge, Heard said it wasn’t hard to cast the show.

“I had an abundance of riches on this one,” he said. “We had to weed through a lot of really good ones.”

Heard said aside from the athletic spectacle, “Bring It On” is an opportunity for audiences to get a taste of Lin-Manuel Miranda before “Hamilton” arrives at The Smith Center. The show features music and lyrics by the Tony Award-winning composer of “In The Heights” and “Hamilton,” with music by Pulitzer- and Tony Award-winning composer Tom Kitt and lyrics by Broadway lyricist Amanda Green.

But Heard said going to a show at Super Summer is about more than just what’s on stage.

“It’s not just about the shows; it’s about the community of people going out to see the shows,” he said. “It’s a different experience than going to The Smith Center or the Onyx where you sit in the dark and watch a show. You’re out there socializing. You could put anything on that stage, and the experience would still be memorable.”

Next season, Heard plans to test that theory with a benefit performance of “Oklahoma!” featuring acting roles up for auction. At this year’s gala, set for Sept. 11, Super Summer plans to auction off roles in the concert-style production slated to be the two-night opener next May.

O’Donoghue said the idea came from a board member who helped pull off a similar show in a Chicago theater. She said anything goes as far as casting.

“So suppose you wanted to be Curly, and you bid the highest price,” she said. “It doesn’t matter that you’re a woman; you can be Curly. It doesn’t matter that you can’t sing a tune; you pay, you get to be Curly.”

“It’s going to be lots of fun,” Heard said.

Performances for the first three shows this summer are scheduled at 8:05 p.m., while the start time for the final show is set for 7:30 p.m. at Spring Mountain Ranch State Park, 6375 state Route 159, about 10 miles west of the 215 Beltway.

Tickets are $12.95 in advance for Wednesdays and Thursdays and $15.95 for Fridays and Saturdays and $20 at the gate, if available. Children 5 or younger get in free. Guests can bring picnics and sit in a chair section or a blanket section. Chairs in the blanket section must be flat on the ground. Elevated sand chairs are not permitted.

Visit supersummertheatre.org.

Editor’s note: As of press time, all advance tickets for “Beauty and the Beast” had sold out, with a limited number of tickets to be available at the gate.

Contact View contributing reporter Ginger Meurer at gmeurer@viewnews.com. Find her on Twitter: @gingermmm.