The Connection

Carol St. Germain of Burke has theater in her blood. She and her husband met working on productions at Lynchburg College, she followed him as he pursued a career in theater design and together, they’ve worked to bring shows to life with the Good Shepherd Players for the last three decades.

“We’ve always loved theater,” said St. Germain. “Once you get it in your blood, it’s part of you.” St. Germain teaches English as a Second Language at The Church of the Good Shepherd, the company’s home base.

The Players are celebrating their 35th year with a production of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s old frontier-themed musical “Oklahoma!” opening this weekend. St. Germain has been in the chorus or specialized in prop decoration for 33 of those 35 years.

St. Germain remembers trying out for “Fiddler on the Roof” in the Players’ second year. The next year, for “Music Man,” she won a lead role. “It’s been downhill ever since,” she joked. But in all seriousness, St. Germain is excited about the professional-level rotating set piece in this “Oklahoma!” that doubles as a farmhouse porch on one side and a rustic smokehouse on the other.

UNLIKE PURELY PROFESSIONAL productions, many members of the Good Shepherd Players have performed alongside one another for years. The group is inclusive of multiple generations and, as of two years ago, amended its bylaws to invite performers from outside the church to participate.

“It’s just people who enjoy theater and enjoy being with a group,” St. Germain said of the Players, which now includes a variety of faiths in addition to Episcopalians from Good Shepherd, such as Catholic performers from Church of the Nativity in Burke.

Brian Walsh of Burke performed with the Players as a teenager, over a decade ago. He was in “Into the Woods” at Lake Braddock Secondary School and appreciates the opportunity shows with the Players give many students who compete for fiercely contested roles in school productions.

“It’s a chance to give those kids who might not have had a chance otherwise to be onstage, to have a part,” he said. As the church’s youth minister, Walsh gets to see the impact of students’ participation firsthand. “It’s really special for them, for the families.”

Walsh now has a head role in “Oklahoma!” as Curley McLain, the love-struck cowboy trying to win the heart of farmer’s daughter Laurey Williams, set against the historic backdrop of 1906 Oklahoma Territory. The classic work of American theater canon first opened on Broadway in March 1943.

As an adult, Walsh has come full circle and enjoys performing across from people he’s known most of his life.

“You almost get to start a new relationship with a lot of people who you knew,” he said. “It’s being treated like an equal by people who knew me when I was eight years old. It’s like performing with my family.”

Fourth-year director Nancy Lavallee of Springfield said the familial dynamic is what makes Good Shepherd Players stand out from other theater companies.

“We form our own community and support each other through thick and thin,” she said, “through adversity, trouble. It’s family in a way I don’t think professional theater really is.”

With a cast of 40 performers whose experiences span professional musicians to people who’ve never set foot onstage before, Lavallee said having a helpful, communal culture is key to being successful.

“We all support and learn from each other, which makes for a really special production,” she said. “I think you’ll see that onstage. A lot of us been working together for a decade or more -- you’ll see the joy we have of being together, doing this for the audience.”

“OKLAHOMA!” opens Friday, Feb. 26 at 7:30 p.m. at The Church of the Good Shepherd, located at 9350 Braddock Road in Burke. Tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for students. Additional shows are Saturdays, Feb. 27 and March 5 at 7:30 p.m., and Sundays, Feb. 28 and March 6 at 2 p.m. For more information, visit www.goodshepherdplayers.com.