A key cast member in an upcoming production of “The Second Hurricane” is a Jewish St. Louis actor and musician. Bryn Sentnor will play the role of Gwen in the youth opera by Jewish composer Aaron Copeland. It will mark Sentnor’s first time performing with Stray Dog Theatre, a south St. Louis theater company that operates out of a former abbey at 2336 Tennessee Ave.
Stray Dog Theatre is known for showcasing local talent. “The Second Hurricane” is a youth opera, a type of theatrical production that generally features performers whose ages range from 8 to their early 20s. Sentnor, 24, plays one of six high school students who make up the core cast.
“We volunteer to help flood victims after a hurricane,” she said. “The student I’m playing is the first person to volunteer. She had taken a nursing course, and she really wants to go.”
The plot focuses on rescue efforts on an island in the fictitious town of Two Willows Hill, when the students become stranded during a second hurricane. The volunteers, who come from different backgrounds and locations, must pull together and work as a team to survive.
“They have to rely on each other because that’s all they have,” Sentnor said. “It has a really charming and heartwarming and uplifting happy ending about sticking together and having courage in the face of danger.”
Copeland’s collaborator in creating “The Second Hurricane” was Edwin Denby, who wrote the libretto. It debuted in New York City in 1937 and was directed by Orson Welles.
Performing the work on stage required the cast to rehearse a complex score. They began working in earnest in early July.
“This is not easy music,” Sentnor said. “There are some funny rhythms. It’s syncopated, then it’s straight, then syncopated. It’s like switching from a march to a waltz. That is how Aaron Copland writes, and it takes a lot of work. It took us a long time to get through all the music.”
Fortunately, Sentnor, a member of the house band at Central Reform Congregation, is an experienced musician. She also teaches a weekly Zumba class at the Jewish Community Center. Guests at b’nai mitzvah celebrations that feature the Utopia Experience also are likely to see Sentnor encouraging everyone to get out on the dance floor.
“I was singing and dancing before I could talk,” she said. “My parents put me into the JCC youth theater program when I was 6 years old, and I never stopped. I think I sang the blessing over the Shabbos candles before I was talking. I would put on my little purple tutu and dance around the living room and put on performances for my family.”
After weeks of rehearsal, Sentnor is looking forward to the opening of “The Second Hurricane.”
“Once you put in the work and you know your part, you can work on styling it musically,” she said. “It sounds beautiful. That is what is really rewarding.”
Gary Bell, Stray Dog Theatre artistic director, said Sentnor brings a solid combination of theatre skills to the production.
“She is an amazing singer by far, a dynamic opera singer,” Bell said. “It was a joy to find her and these other young people who can sing opera. That’s not an easy task for a young person because usually you study that skill and over time you become better at it. She’s a standup performer.”
“The Second Hurricane” will run Aug. 7-30. Additional information and tickets are available at straydogtheatre.com.
