5/26/2009

Colby classmates follow native son Sam Ramey into show business

By GARY DEMUTH

Salina Journal

COLBY -- Samuel Ramey isn't the only Colby native to make it in show business.

The world-renowned operatic bass is just the most famous.

Three other graduates of Colby High School also work in the entertainment industry, albeit in different areas.

Sue Anschutz is an orchestra conductor and pianist for Broadway and off-Broadway musicals; Robbie Young is a stage manager for Broadway musicals like "Jersey Boys," "Phantom of the Opera" and "Ragtime;" Kat Likkel is an actress turned writer who started her career writing for a Saturday morning cartoon based on a Japanese video game and now writes episodes of the sitcom "My Name is Earl."

The trio, who graduated from Colby High School in 1981, have been friends most of their lives and manage to keep in touch even while living on opposite coasts.

Anschutz and Young both work in New York City and see each other frequently. They often talk about Colby, where Anschutz's mother, a retired ninth-grade math teacher, still lives.

While growing up in Colby, the classmates had dreams of a life in the arts. An inspiration was native son Ramey, who left Colby after high school, followed his operatic dreams and performed in opera houses throughout the world.

"Sam Ramey was a legend around Colby," said Anschutz, 45. "He was quite a bit older than us, but we looked up to him. Knowing he could do it probably helped us a lot."

Anschutz said she wasn't that close to Young and Likkel during high school. She was focused on piano lessons and performing in the school bands, while Young and Likkel spent the majority of their time in the drama department.

"Sue was really respected as a fantastic musician," Likkel said. "No one was surprised she made that a career."

After graduation, Anschutz pursued a music education degree at Fort Hays State University and then earned a Master's degree in piano performance from Arizona State University.

Anschutz moved to New York City in the late 1980s, with hopes of working in the theater.

"I was very naive," she said. "I thought I could make it out there, so I bought a ticket without a job or an apartment to go to."

After several lean years, Anschutz got her first professional theater job in 1994 -- as a pianist in the Broadway revival of the classic musical "Showboat."

"Since then, I've done about 35 Broadway shows," she said, both as a pianist and as an orchestra conductor.

She's played in the orchestra pit for the musicals "Wicked," "Chicago" and "Ragtime," and has conducted the hit musical "Mamma Mia."

Anschutz usually is called in as a replacement or fill-in for primary pit musicians taking vacation, a leave of absence or performing in other shows. Some engagements have lasted months, others just one night.

"Most of these shows were long runs, so you had a different make-up of musicians every night," she said. "The level of musicianship in the pit is astonishing, so you really have to be on your toes."

She renewed her friendship with Young when both worked on a revival of the Leonard Bernstein musical "Candide" in 1995. Anschutz played piano in the pit, while Young was a stage manager.

"It was thrilling to have someone there in New York that has known me since kindergarten," she said.

Young said that while he didn't become good friends with Anschutz until they ran into each other again in New York, he and Likkel remained close pals through the years. After high school both attended Emporia State University, where Likkel spent most of her time onstage while Young opted to work backstage.

"I went to school as a business major," he said. "Kat wanted to be an actress."

Young enjoyed working backstage as a stage manager and production supervisor and decided to pursue it as a career. He did internships in Sarasota, Fla., where he got his Equity Union card, and then began working in Chicago theaters.

After moving to New York City in 1989, Young got his first Broadway job in 1994 working on the musical "Kiss of the Spider Woman" with legendary dancer/singer Chita Rivera.

"It was so great to work with someone that inspiring," Young said.

As a production manager, Young is responsible for maintaining a show once it opens and the director is no longer around.

He's worked on several popular Broadway shows, including "Rent," "Phantom of the Opera," "Jersey Boys," "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" and the revival of "Gypsy" with Bernadette Peters.

Young said he and Anschutz had lived in New York City for several years before they ran into each other during the Broadway production of "Candide."

"I don't know if we would have ever met again if we hadn't worked together in 'Candide,'" he said. "Now we're good friends."

Likkel may have began her career as an actress, but she said she always wanted to be a writer.

"While at Emporia State, I took creative writing and playwriting classes," she said. "I was always writing while I was acting."

After graduating from Emporia State, Likkel moved to California, where she attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in Pasadena. After graduating from AADA, she started a children's theater company with some acting school pals that included French Stewart (later of TV's "Third Rock from the Sun" fame).

After several years of trying to make it as an actress, Likkel had what she called "a crisis."

"I wasn't having any fun anymore," she said. "My life was so focused on acting that I didn't know of any alternative. But writing had always been a constant for me. I gradually realized that's what my real passion was about."

Likkel took writing classes at the UCLA Film and Theatre Department and submitted scripts to writing contests. She got her first break writing for an animated TV show, "Dark Stalkers," based on a Japanese video game.

"It was a crazy show, but they were willing to give a brand new writer a shot," she said.

She also wrote scripts for other TV shows, including Nickelodeon's "Rug Rats" and the TV adaptation of the popular family movie "Honey, I Shrunk the Kids."

She teamed up with her husband, John, also a writer, to write scripts for the sitcom "Hope and Faith." Both were hired to write scripts for "My Name is Earl" during its first season and have continued to write for the show for four seasons.

"It's a great show, a consistent show, and it's been great for our careers," Likkel said.

Whenever Likkel, Young and Anschutz manage to get together, which is not often considering their busy schedules, they often talk about Colby and how lucky they were to fall into show business careers.

"We were all lucky in that we wanted to pursue our dreams, and we were super determined and had the vision to go for it," Likkel said.

nReporter Gary Demuth can be reached at 822-1405 or by e-mail at gdemuth@salina.com.