Summer for singing on stage

Sarah Busic doesn’t treat her summer vacations lightly.

While many of her classmates are deepening their tans on Main Beach or catching up on “Heroes,” Sarah, 13, is about to appear in her second professional theatre production of the summer — Opera Pacific’s “The Star Child.”

Sarah plays the 1st Guard in the production, which runs next weekend after nearly one month of a related Opera Camp.

She will be an eighth-grader this fall at Thurston Middle School, and has performed with Gallimaufry Performing Arts and No Square Theatre in addition to Thurston’s Park Avenue Players.

She appeared earlier this summer in Gallimaufry’s “The Jungle Book,” and was rehearsing for it concurrent with her Opera Camp training.

This is Sarah’s first foray into the art of opera.

“It’s really exciting to get a principal role my first time,” she said. “Everyone’s nice about it. I was nervous when my mom told me I got one; I wondered, ‘What if people think it’s unfair?’”

Sarah said although the camp is stressful, she’s had fun learning the different aspects of an operatic production.

“I’ve learned more about opera in a general sense,” Sarah said; she has also learned to sight-read better.

“The Star Child,” which will experience its American and English premiere at the theater, is a family opera by Hans-André Stamm, based on a story by Oscar Wilde.

The title character, who appeared to fall from the sky as a shooting star, goes on a journey to overcome pride and learn self-sacrifice.

Students 8 to 18 participate in the production, which will run from Aug. 10 to 12 at the Claire Trevor Theatre at UCI.

About 40 students, who auditioned into the camp, were trained in singing, acting, dance, choreography, set building, lighting and costume design.

The students were taught by Nicola Bowie, an Opera Pacific director, and soprano Lynette Tapia in a series of master classes.

Andrew Nienaber, the company’s main stage production assistant director, produced and directed the three-and-a-half-week Opera Camp and performances.

The program began in 1999, and has many repeat campers, several of whom have later performed in the Children’s Chorus in the company’s mainstage productions; graduates have also attended schools like Julliard.

Opera Pacific, founded in Laguna Beach in 1962 as the Festival of Opera Assn., is Orange County’s only resident opera producing company. A few years later, the Opera League of Laguna Beach was founded to promote its expansion.

The original shows were performed late each summer at the Irvine Bowl on the Festival of Arts grounds, before the company moved out of Laguna around the time of the construction of the Orange County Performing Arts Center. Its first season as Opera Pacific after the company’s incorporation was in 1985.

Sarah also has expansive dreams: she envisions herself on Broadway when she gets older, and said her Opera Pacific experience has helped her get closer to that goal.

“I want to do some more summers here,” she said. “It’s really professional, so it will help me with musical theatre.”

Sarah said she has wanted to go into musical theatre ever since she saw her sister Rachel perform in “Grease.”

“She’s a really great dancer,” Sarah said. “She’s just amazing.”

Others feel the same way about Sarah. A friend of Rachel’s told Sarah she is the only person she knew personally who could make it all the way to Broadway.

To differentiate herself from her sister, Sarah has begun studying voice with Lagunatunes co-director Christin Cornell.

“I think focusing on singing has helped me break away,” she said.

She had her first opportunity to perform in the Park Avenue Players production of “The Music Man,” where she played Gracie Shinn.

“After the first show, I knew this is what I want to do,” Sarah said.

Sarah can’t wait until she gets to Laguna Beach High School, so she can perform in the school’s critically acclaimed musicals and plays.

“I hope I get to lead once while I’m there,” Sarah said.

Based on her track record, she probably doesn’t have to worry about that.

For more information on the camp, call (800) 34-OPERA or visit www.operapacific.org.