Andrew Burkhart is the guy at the center of Praying for Rain, a drama that has teens, guns, boredom and bad choices at its heart. It's on stage at Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati.

        As a member of ETC's intern company, Mr. Burkhart's unpaid labor has ranged from helping to clean the basement costume shop to singing and dancing in the chorus of The Adventures of Pinocchio.

IF YOU GO

What: Praying for Rain     When: 8 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday through Feb. 3. Additional performances 2 p.m. Feb. 2.     Where: Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati, 1127 Vine St., Over-the-Rhine     Tickets: $28, students and seniors $25. ($9 student rush for every performance) 421-3555.

        His starring role in Praying for Rain is also unpaid, but lots more satisfying than cleaning the basement. (Which is not so bad, he says, because everybody in the company pitches in.)

        This role is particularly satisfying because, says Mr. Burkhart, 23, “I know these people. My friends were exactly like that in high school — well, not the guns. It's not that the characters are stereotypes. It's what is.”

        A 2001 Miami University grad, Mr. Burkhart was recruited to ETC by intern program director Bob Rais. “He told me it would be a really good move. It's like a fifth year of school . . . I've learned a lot.”

        As for end-of-season plans, at first his desire to head west to Los Angeles was “zealous,” now it's less so as his mentors have been talking up other avenues.

        Mr. Burkhart is hoping to expand his theatrical horizons for the rest of the season, trying his hand at sound design and stage managing. That will add to his non-acting arsenal that already includes graphic design, which is his day job for WRRM-FM (98.5).

        Being a star is great, “but it's always good to have something to fall back on.”
       
       

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