‘Sister Act’ returns hometown actress Emily Kay Shrader to the Gallo

Turns out, you can go home again. And, if you’re Modesto native Emily Kay Shrader, you bring your new sisters with you.

The 2010 Enochs High School graduate returns to her hometown for back-to-back shows of “Sister Act” on March 27-28 at the Gallo Center for the Arts. Shrader, 23, has been in the cast of the Broadway musical’s nationally touring show since October, in the role of Sister Mary Robert.

The Youth Entertainment Stage Company alum said returning to her Central Valley roots with the show is a dream come true. This is her first professional job since graduating from Marymount Manhattan College with a degree in theater arts in May.

“Oh, my gosh, when I first got the schedule and saw we were going to Modesto, I couldn’t believe it. I said that was too good to be true,” Shrader said in a phone interview from the road. “And to perform at the Gallo Center – I grew up performing there ever since it’s been open (with the YES Company, which performed at its groundbreaking). But to be able to come full circle now means more to me than I can say. I’m looking forward to revisiting a theater that holds a special place in my heart and reuniting with family who have supported me throughout.”

Shrader has a long performance history in the region. She got her start at Oakdale’s Hutton’s Hamlet and then joined YES Company, a performing arts program for area students run through the Stanislaus County Office of Education, when she was about 9 years old. She was part of the group’s YES Kids program before graduating to its summer program for teens, where she landed several starring roles, including Dorothy in “The Wizard of Oz,” Kim in “Bye Bye Birdie” and Penny in “Hairspray.”

She also played Beth in a Sierra Repertory Theatre production of “Little Women” and Ado Annie in a Modesto Junior College staging of “Oklahoma!” – all while still in high school.

But she said it was the YES Company experiences that made her truly fall in love with the stage.

“I can’t speak enough about YES Company. That’s where I grew up – both with theater but also some of my best friends,” she said. “YES Company is just an amazing program to me. You get a very well-rounded theatrical experience. You get the technical aspects but also the importance of respecting each other. Everything I learned about theater started with YES Company. All those experiences both on stage and off have shaped my love of theater and who I am as a person. I owe a lot of gratitude to YES Company and (its founder and director) Melanee Wyatt.”

Indeed, Wyatt plans to be in the audience for Shrader’s return to Modesto. Wyatt said she’s thrilled to see another of the program’s alumni succeed in performing arts and that Shrader’s talents were evident from the start.

“She has always had a passion for the theater and just comes alive when singing and performing,” Wyatt said. “Not only does she have a natural gift – she has a beautiful voice – as she grew and got older, she gained the capability of expressing her talent and connecting with the characters and her audience.”

Wyatt said she is proud of Shrader for taking the leap after high school and moving to New York for college. She is the second recent YES Company alum to come through the area with a nationally touring show. In 2012, Beyer High graduate Louis Jones performed at Turlock Community Theatre in a touring production of “Damn Yankees.”

“It’s a gift that she trusted me enough to work with us and grow and become just an incredible young woman,” Wyatt said.

“Sister Act,” based on the 1992 movie comedy starring Whoopi Goldberg, is Shrader’s first nationally touring show. Her character, Sister Mary Robert, is a young postulant – or nun in training – at the convent where nightclub singer Deloris (played by Kerissa Arrington) goes into hiding after witnessing a murder.

Shrader said her Sister Mary Robert begins the show shy, withdrawn and naive about the outside world. But by becoming friends with Deloris, she blossoms and “discovers her voice – figurative and literally.”

The young actress also has learned about the demands of a large production like “Sister Act.” The cast of about 30 actors performs six to eight shows a week, traveling between performances on buses. The crew of about 20 travels on another bus, and trucks bring the sets, costumes and the rest in a caravan.

“It’s been amazing. I can’t tell you how many states we’ve been through. It’s been kind of a whirlwind. It’s been a fun, crazy adventure,” she said. “There is always something new, and that helps me stay in the moment on stage. You really have to be aware. It can be extremely tiring, but you have to learn how to build stamina and get enough rest. You really have to find it within yourself. This is your job; people are counting on you and excited to see the show.”

The national tour runs through May, and then the cast will reunite for three weeks of performances in Japan in July.

Shrader said that after “Sister Act,” she is keeping her options wide open – for musical theater or anything else that may come up. Her dream since moving to New York at age 18 has been to perform on Broadway.

But before that, she has that all-important homecoming show to perform. Besides Wyatt, other YES Company friends, Sierra Repertory Theatre colleagues, assorted family – including her parents, grandparents and siblings – all will be in the audience cheering her on.

“That’ll be very special to get to share that with people who have shaped my career and who I am. This is not just my own doing. I had amazing teachers, professors, theater directors who helped me along on this journey,” she said. “I am hoping there will be some younger aspiring theater performers in the audience who will be encouraged and be motivated to know that they can be an actor, they can come to New York. People from small towns can sometimes get discouraged. But this is my journey and it’s unfolding. I hope they can be encouraged that their dreams can become a reality, too. I’m grateful to play any kind of part in that.”

This story was originally published March 18, 2015 at 5:00 PM with the headline "‘Sister Act’ returns hometown actress Emily Kay Shrader to the Gallo."