At left, Larry Starrh (in vest) performs alongside Jason Gauthier, left, Dan Carrion and Chloe Boozer. Below, Starrh shares a scene with Ashleigh Janzen and Bethany Rowlee.
Performance photos courtesy of Joseph Lara
his daughter, Michelle Crawford, wrote the music, and Crawford—a music major—did the arranging. The play was staged at the Colours Festival in February. Starrh said he’s talked to a friend about staging the play again elsewhere, and also plans to post a video online. That video might be the only way to see “The Big Secret” for a while. Less than a month after producing the play in Shafter, the COVID-19 pandemic prompted the state to issue a shelter-in-place order that banned large gatherings, including theater audiences. Starrh said he considers himself blessed that he was able to stage the play when he did; another production he was planning for April had to be called off. To Starrh, the pandemic and ensuing quarantine serve to reinforce his message. “If there’s a good thing that’s going to come out of this, I hope it is that we value family better and more now,” Starrh said. “Like the play, the idea that cherishing where you’ve come from and what’s really important is family.” All the farm’s a stage Starrh has long been a man of many hats. Though he grew up the son and grandson of farmers—his grandfather George Starrh settled in Kern County in the 1930s—he studied theater in college, attending
Fr e sno Pa c i f i c Un i ve r s i t y a nd Ca l ifornia State University, Fresno, simultaneously. He then worked in theater for a while before his father asked him a question. “I remember Dad calling me and asking me, ‘Well, you ready to quit playing?’” Starrh said. “I was ready. You start itching for a family.”
So he went to work back on the farm with his dad, brother and brother-in-law. Where once there was cotton, alfalfa and other row crops, and chickens, Starrh now grows almonds and pistachios. But the passion for theater never left him. In addition to launching the arts festival, the family converted an old auto dealership in Shafter into a 300-seat theater. Starrh now has about nine plays to his credit. “The Big Secret,” he said, is “about a farmer and farming”— the tough times his dad went through, but also the joy of life. “Most of all,” Starrh said, “the play’s a tribute to remembering those who have come before us.”
Kevin Hecteman khecteman@californiabountiful.com
www.californiabountiful.com 33
Powered by FlippingBook