Merrily he rolls along

"There is a lot of struggle [in what I do], but I wouldn't be doing it if I didn't have a deep calling." What Peter Sampieri does is direct, and this calling has certainly brought him far. At age 25, he has a resume that reads like those of directors twice his age, and he is currently guest directing the Blackfriars Theatre fall production of Stephen Sondheim's Merrily We Roll Along—the most recent in a growing number of projects bearing Sampieri's name. Sampieri began acting at age 14, and directing shows at 18. After graduating from St. Michael's College in Vermont with a double major in English and Theater, he was accepted to Trinity Repertory Theatre's Conservatory, a three-year master's degree program. It was while he was attending the Conservatory that Sampieri had one of his best experiences to date: in May of this year, he was asked to direct Margaret Edson's Wit, making him the first conservatory student to direct a mainstage show while enrolled as a student. While Sampieri was honored to be given this landmark opportunity, he was also intimidated to be working with some of Trinity's most experienced company actors at such a young age. "Barbara Meek has been a company actor [at Trinity] for 30 years, and Anne Scurria was my professor in several of my classes, so it was strange at first to be directing them and trying to make them better actors," says Sampieri. "But once we began, the collaboration was just so easy." Sampieri may have less to worry about than others when it comes to age discrimination, however, simply because he has done so much in such a short time. "While some people feel they should separate their time in school from their professional career, I never did," says Sampieri. "Because I knew what I wanted to do, there was never a separation between my education and my work—I tried to put them together." This was certainly true of the work Sampieri did while in college and grad school. Some of his accomplishments include The Georgie, a one-man comedy Sampieri wrote and starred in as a senior at St. Michael's (and was asked back to perform this past summer as a professional). He also spent a summer while in grad school acting in Anton Chekhov's The Seagull at an Idaho theater owned by Bruce Willis and Demi Moore. Sampieri also views this project as a great experience, as it proved "you can do theater anywhere, not just in New York City. As long as you have the drive and the resources, you can have great theater." He also appreciates the acting experience he had there: "While I feel more comfortable as a director," says Sampieri, "I think that acting makes you a better director, and directing makes you a better actor… I just consider myself a 'theater person'." Sampieri comes to PC as a guest director this fall because of the work he did at Trinity. John Garrity, Managing Director of the Blackfriars Theatre, saw Wit, as well as Sampieri's Conservatory productions, and asked him to come to direct at PC. Sampieri notes that this may have been taking a risk on Garrity's part, as he is not only young, but also local. Asking guests to direct is something specific to PC, and Sampieri appreciates that they look for local talent, not just "names." On top of this, musical theater is not something Sampieri has a great amount of experience with, but he counts that fact as an advantage. "This is learning," he says, "and I'm learning a ton. Everything is a step forward – the best directors can do anything, and that's what I aim for. What I 'do' changes all the time, and that's what's so exciting." Merrily We Roll Along is playing Oct. 25-27 and Nov. 1-3 in Blackfriars Theater. Tickets are available at the Box Office in Harkins or at x2218.