BUENA PARK : She Sets the Stage for Theater Careers

For 13 years, Ruth Walp has directed productions of Buena Park Children’s Musical Theatre, and her backstage performances without pay have largely been a one-woman act that is hard to follow.

“One reason why I started it and why I continue it is because music and the arts have been cut from the schools,” said Walp, who taught for 38 years before donating her time to the Children’s Musical Theatre. “They don’t get the music or cultural programs that I feel they need.”

Walp directs two musicals a year, one in June and the other in December. She says it’s a labor of love to spend hours rehearsing with her young casts or sewing and designing costumes for her plays.

Walp’s next production is the “Sound of Music,” set June 11-20 at the Buena Park High School Performing Arts Center. It features a double cast of 58 young actors who have been rehearsing for five months.

Over the years, Walp has guided hundreds of youths, ages 9 to 18, and some of her students have gone on to become television and movie actors.

“Mainly, I encourage them and give them confidence,” Walp said, adding that when young people become involved in theater arts, it gives them an avenue to express themselves and develop talent.

“I just love to hear the kids sing and watch them dance. They have such a sense of accomplishment . . . they shine,” she said. “The shyest children come out of their shell, and those with discipline problems learn to control themselves.”

Young performers from around the county said Walp’s productions have helped them tremendously, from building their confidence to developing new friendships.

“At first it was just a summer thing to do, and then I liked it, so I stuck with it,” said Matt Morrison, 14, of Cypress, who plays Capt. Von Trapp in the “Sound of Music.” “I like performing in front of audiences, it makes me feel good.”

The city of Buena Park helps fund the theater, but it’s the parents of the young actors who keep the productions going. “No way could we do it without parent involvement,” said Joane Evans, a recreation supervisor.

This year, Evans said, the city gave $3,900 for two productions, while parents organized fund-raising activities such as carwashes, doughnut sales and roller-skating parties. For the “Sound of Music,” parents raised $1,600, enough to help pay for a small orchestra.

Parents also sell tickets, make costumes, build and paint sets, and help with music, lights and props.

“It’s a lot of work,” said Steve Smith of Buena Park, a set designer whose wife, Sandy, pitches in to paint sets and assist the director. “It’s not just children’s theater, it’s family theater.”

Smith’s daughter, Summer, 13, has been with the children’s theater for four years.

“When you finally see the kids on stage and hear the response from the audience, we all get teary-eyed backstage--because to see one smile on that one kid’s face and their pride, makes it all worth it,” said Sharell Martin, a costume designer and assistant stage manager whose daughter, Lindsay, 10, is an actor in the program.