Two sold-out performances of “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” will take the stage Sep. 5 and 6 in the West Valley, marking a milestone for a community theater group that began just a few years ago as a small stage reading club.
Center Stage Theater Group, a Verrado-based nonprofit company performing at Agua Fria High School District’s Verrado High School, has steadily grown since director Sheri Castillo took over two years ago. Though not affiliated with the school, the group now fills its rented stage with sets, lights, costumes and a cast of about 20 performers, a mix of experienced actors and newcomers.
Castillo said her first show after stepping into the director role was a lot to take on, but kept her coming back.
“It was truly a baptism by fire,” Castillo said. “Immediately we jumped into motion with a massive production of 90 roles. It was ambitious but so much fun.”
Her own background in theater dated back to high school. After years spent focused on career and family, she returned to the arts, this time with her husband and granddaughter alongside her.
Sherri Castillo directs a dress rehearsal of "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow."
Mary Goldmeer\Independent Newsmedia
“I've loved the performing arts since I was a kid, they're just captivating and so good for the community. They're the purest form of escape.”
To help guide the young company, Castillo turned to actor, writer and director Helene Benigno, who mentored her through the first productions. The two now alternate directing duties.
This weekend’s production adapts Washington Irving’s classic ghost story, which follows Ichabod Crane, a schoolteacher who arrives in the quiet, superstitious town of Sleepy Hollow, New York. There, he tries to win the heart of Katrina Van Tassel while navigating tales of a ghostly Hessian soldier, the Headless Horseman, said to ride at night in search of his missing head.
Castillo said she crafted a framing narrative of children sharing ghost stories to bookend the traditional tale, a way to blend Irving’s classic with her own voice on stage.
For guitar instructor Mike Huang, who plays Ichabod Crane, this role represents both a personal challenge and a newfound passion.
“I just wanted to try doing something that scared me,” Huang said. “Now, three productions later, I’m the lead part. Faking it ‘till I make it, I guess.”
He said performing has been a way to push past stage fright and grow as a performer.
Mike Huang plays the lead role in his third theatrical production.
Mary Goldmeer\Independent Newsmedia
“It’s kind of like a bug,” Huang said. “You get into it a little bit, and you can’t get enough. It’s enjoyable learning to get over stage fright and getting to relax into and get to know your character.”
The transition from newcomer to lead actor has been helped by the group’s collaborative spirit, he said.
“Everyone’s been really great and giving me suggestions, and encouraging me to learn and watch,” Huang said. “It’s been a great experience working with this family now and getting to build something we’re proud of.”
Beyond the technical skills, Huang said the connections he’s made on stage are what keep him coming back.
“I found my people here,” he said. “It’s a bit strange, but I guess with actors we’re all the same, we all want to play, and you really feel welcomed here.”
Center Stage operates entirely with volunteers, relying on community support for everything from set building to lights and sound. Castillo said the theater is a passion project, not a paid endeavor, and one she hopes will continue to grow.
“We’re not just a community theater in that all of our actors are local,” Castillo said. “We do our best to get involved in the community too.”
She added that long-term, her hope is to bring more resources and opportunities for live performance to the area.
“Arts (in the West Valley) seem hard to come by. Having the ability to come together like this is just the start of our dream of having more hands and funding on board, or having a public performing arts center,” Castillo said. “One day I would love to have those pieces together to be able to put on a musical.”
After “Sleepy Hollow,” the company plans a holiday play later this year and a spring production, “My Brother’s Gift,” which Castillo describes as a companion story to Anne Frank’s diary.
Performances are announced through the group’s Facebook page.
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