I recently had the opportunity to attend Center Stage Theatre’s production of “A Grand Night for Singing.” Managing Director Carla Supersano Sullivan is not only a force behind the scenes but in front of an audience as well. Playing Victoria, Carla was a natural and it’s no surprise given her background. “I loved music from the time I was a small child, my parents certainly gave me that gift. My father was a piano player. My mother was a singer and she danced as well.”
Carla followed in her mother’s footsteps performing the Nutcracker and singing in churches. When she was a freshman in high school, she met Gary and Francesca Scarpa.
The Scarpas were Drama Club Directors at Shelton High School in Connecticut and went on to found a summer program called The Youth CONNection which highlighted the talents of high school and college students. Carla was cast in their musicals and continued to volunteer for productions. Once she had children, they began to perform as well.
Center Stage was loosely inspired by Oprah Winfrey. Carla tells us, “The story goes that when Fran turned 50, she went to see Oprah speak. Oprah inspired her audience to do anything they set their minds to. And Fran said, ‘Well, I really want to open a bookstore.’” The reactions from friends were mixed since everyone knew Fran from theater but not literary circles, yet she was determined, “Oprah said I can so I will!”
She fulfilled her dream renting a space in downtown Shelton. In addition to books and coffee, the space also included a small 75 seat theater. The bookstore and coffee shop closed, but the theater really took off. The Scarpas formed a non-profit organization and Center Stage Theatre was born. Now the organization has its home at its third location in a former elementary school that has been transformed. Carla tells us it is a, “fully equipped theater with lights, sound stage tech, dressing rooms, theater lobby concessions the whole bit. It’s a flexible space so we can fit about 180 seats theater style or about 150 what we call cabaret style tables and chairs. We have an office, we have a costume shop, we have a scene shop. We have classrooms, we conduct a full complement of classes year round, as well as camps in the summertime. And then we have storage for props.”
After performing in high school with the Scarpas, Carla went on to perform in the Fairfield University Glee Club and took a senior internship at the Shubert Theatre in New Haven. “I was sort of on an early track to arts administration. I didn’t end up going into that until later in life, after my kids were grown, but I’ve definitely always had a love of music and musical theater in particular.” While most of Carla’s volunteer and career experience was in non-profit organizations, her most recent position as Director of Development and eventually Vice President of External Relations at The Shubert Theatre New Haven paved the way for her current role at Center Stage.
Carla described herself as being “like a kid in a candy shop” when she worked at the Shubert. “Productions would come in, they’d set up, load in and I even thought the loading was exciting. I ended up putting up a breakfast for our donors to come and see the load because I thought it was so cool, the way they did the rigging and the many technical professionals it took to get it done quickly, I was totally awestruck.”
While she gained important experience, eventually Carla realized the creative part of the job would be limited in a theater made of mainly touring productions. Carla left the Shubert during COVID and when the Managing Director position became available at Center Stage, Carla applied and was hired. Having served as an early Board member at Center Stage as well as a performer, parent, volunteer and donor, she had significant knowledge of the organization and was thrilled to be hired. But though she loves her job Carla says, “There is no typical day. The world of the arts is not for the faint of heart, it’s not a nine to five job, it’s definitely nights and weekends. No two days are the same, which makes it very exciting. It’s the right place at the right time for me and for the organization.”
The performing arts continue to be challenged to return to pre-pandemic levels of operation and stability. “We really need to build and rebuild a solid and strong foundation as a nonprofit organization to be sure that we can sustain this organization into the future. Everything has changed post-COVID and it continues to change.”
One of the things Center Stage did early on was to start a subscription series, with many charter subscribers still attending today. “We were very fortunate to have loyal supporters and patrons, students and parents and volunteers that really sustained the organization when we were closed. But now that we’ve reopened it’s almost like starting over.” Each new production is a new beginning on its own. “It really is an amazing thing that we start with a blank stage and a script and we end with a fully produced musical. Then the next day, it’s all gone. You start all over again and you’re sad. There’s just a range of emotions that go with all of that but it’s also incredibly, incredibly satisfying to see it from start to finish.”
Carla auditioned as did all of the other participants and played Donna Sheridan in the 2020 production of “Mamma Mia,” alongside her husband and daughter. She thought that might have been her last time on stage but then “A Grand Night for Singing,” came through and she wondered if it might be time to get back onstage. “I auditioned, it was competitive. I got called back and I got cast. So it’s been a great process. It’s really been a joy! Am I looking to do the next show? I don’t think so. Maybe this will be my last, and maybe something else will come up that’ll speak to me.”
It’s also taught her a lot about what the performers go through. “This particular show has been so instructive and informative for me because I’ve gotten to see firsthand what we ask our actors to do. Our volunteers all work other jobs. So they work during the day, just like me, they come at night or on the weekends. They put the show together, they have to learn their harmonies, they have to memorize their blocking. They have to go through tech week, which is intense, and still do their jobs and take care of their families and then put on this show for our audiences. They have to be on time and they have to be in top shape. It’s a gift and a joy to perform, but a huge commitment.”
Carla remains committed to the mission of the Center Stage. “We are absolutely a community theater, but without any negative connotation. We put on an extremely professional production with attention to detail and period… and that’s right in our mission. We seek to do high quality productions at an affordable price right in your own backyard. I love Broadway and I love regional theater– I’ll go see whatever it is wherever it is, because I love that. But most of our patrons love that they can drive 10-15 or 20 minutes down the road and come in and at an affordable ticket price, get a really great experience and see people that they run into in the grocery putting on the shows. We are amateur, but we aspire to be a high quality experience for our patrons and our actors.”
For those considering a career in arts management Carla says, “You have to be flexible and always have a back up plan. Customer service experience is helpful and most importantly, you have to understand budgeting and numbers. There are many, many people who advocate for the arts for the sake of art and I totally appreciate that – it’s part of a well rounded person, a well rounded community. But this is also a business that employs people who depend on their income. You have to have a love and appreciation for the art but you have to balance that with a realism that says we can’t do what we do unless we are financially stable. We are engaging people to support the work as donors, sponsors, supporters and funders, and then we have an obligation to those people to use that investment wisely and to continue to put out a product that people want to see.” Again she reiterates it’s not for the faint of heart. “You could line everything up just right, you’ve got great sales, and you’ve kept your expenses down and then you’d have a snowstorm and wipe out two or three performances, or like all last year, we would have somebody get COVID and we had to reschedule… But I think that balance of a love and a passion and a real understanding of what it means to run a nonprofit organization which again, is a business just like any other business, just mission focused, is the right experience.”
When she’s not working at Center Stage, Carla enjoys listening to a variety of different artists especially Billy Joel. “We’ve seen him 10 or 12 times. I love him.” She also listens to the Broadway channel and “absolutely love, love anything Lin Manuel Miranda does.” She looks forward to when “Come From Away” is available to license for community theaters but overall it’s clear she isn’t too picky. “I love anything that’s good vocal music and song, Sara Bareilles and lots of good 80s Rock ‘n’ Roll I love so… Amy Grant, huge fan of Amy Grant for her whole career and I was thrilled to see her recognized with the Kennedy Center Honor this year, talk about crossover right?! Just an amazing career. So I love a good song, somebody telling a good story through song.”
Center Stage Theatre in Shelton produces 5 mainstage shows a year and has a subscription series for patrons. Next up is, “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” June 16-25, followed by the Youth CONNection’s 40th Anniversary production of “Catch Me if You Can” July 21-30th. Learn more about their 2023 season and purchase tickets at: centerstageshelton.org
