A ‘Rough’ show

Young Chang

The short stairway leading to South Coast Repertory’s Second Stage is

as dark as a hole when a show’s not running.

It’s hard to see the steps and how many there are. But 15-year-old

Farrell Roth, who sways an airy red and orange cape around her shoulders,

bounds swiftly down.

She knows the building well. She’s accustomed to the hollowdarkness of

an empty theater and the adrenaline of a packed house. And she’s seen

parts of SCR that few teens -- much less adults -- have.

For this Estancia High School freshman, whose life includes tennis,

water polo and swim meets, her role at the Repertory is something she

works hard not to compromise.

“Sometimes I have to miss games for rehearsal,” the actor said. “But I

don’t miss rehearsal for games.”

Farrell and other students in the theater’s Teen Players program, part

of SCR’s Young Conservatory division, make choices like these everyday.

Many of the actors, like 15-year-old Evan Hirsch, have multiple school

plays, homework and exams going on all at once.

They’re experts at multi-tasking -- Farrell tied about 50 silver baby

bells on her chiffon cape during an interview this week because her

character is supposed to jingle -- and hopping from school to the stage.

The Teen Players cast will perform “The Weather Started Getting Rough”

today and Sunday on the Repertory’s Second Stage. Director Sheila

Hillinger adapted “The Tempest” to create the story, which is about

characters from Gilligan’s Island acting out the Shakespearean work.

“We’re really committed to doing the classics,” Hillinger said. “We

just thought it’d be a wonderful opportunity to have a presentation of a

Shakespearean play, but in a mode our students could relate to more.”

Evan portrays Thurston Howell III -- the millionaire on “Gilligan’s

Island.”

Off stage, the freshman maintains a 3.8 grade-point average at Corona

del Mar High School and serves as the layout and design editor for his

school’s yearbook club. He admits his is a tough schedule.

After school, he grabs a quick cookie and glass of milk from home. His

parents drive him over to SCR, where he practices until about 9 p.m., and

then goes home to eat, do homework and rest. He goes to bed between 10

p.m. and midnight, depending on his study load.

During school, he can be working on as many as three productions at

once.

“My parents, they say I’m burning the candle at both ends,” Evan said.

“But this is what I love doing, so it’s worth it.”

Just last week, he studied up on the digestion of analids (little

worms, he explains) for a biology test in between rehearsing scenes for

“The Weather.”

He studied in a remote corner backstage, where he retreats only when

he really needs to concentrate.

“I went from the digestion of analids to digesting Shakespeare,” said

the performer, who was studying Arthur Miller’s “Death of a Salesman”

this week.

But Evan doesn’t study his lines at school because he’s auditory and

needs to say his words out loud.

At times, he’s caught himself play-hopping between lines. “Arsenic and

Old Lace” just wrapped up at his high school last week and “Random”

closed the week before. Earlier in the year, he played Mr. Frank in a

school production of “Anne Frank” while also performing in a series of

short scenes at SCR.

“I’d get my lines swapped,” he said.

But he welcomes the load. It’s the only way he can fulfill his dream,

which is to teach history in school and teach acting at a conservatory.

Most importantly, it’s what he loves.

“Drama is my life,” Evan said.

Farrell understands.

“It’s rewarding to know you can do it,” she said.

FYI

WHAT: “The Weather Started Getting Rough”

WHEN: 1 and 4 p.m. today and Sunday

WHERE: South Coast Repertory’s Second Stage, 655 Town Center Drive,

Costa Mesa

COST: $5

CALL: (714) 708-5555