After a school year packed with performances, Harvard's student actors and directors are loath to let a stage go bare for three months. Fortunately, the Harvard Radcliffe Summer Theatre (HRST) is around to fill the theatrical void.

HRST, a full-time student repertory group, will host shows in the Loeb Drama Center throughout July and August.

The season kicks off with The Real Inspector Hound, which opened in the Loeb Experimental Theatre last Friday.

The murder mystery was written by Tom Stoppard, co-writer of the Academy Award-winning screenplay for Shakespeare in Love.

The dark comedy is getting "a fairly good reception" in its first week, says Seth C. Harrington '00, managing director of the program

The company will also perform Falsettos, a Tony-award winning musical set in the Reagan era, and end the season with William Shakespeare's oft-staged comedy Much Ado About Nothing.

In its nineteenth year, HRST has enjoyed success in the past with shows like Othello and Slavs!

"There have always been ups and downs," Harrington said, but they've been mostly pleased with their accomplishments. "It's been able to support itself for 19 years."

According to Harrington, planning for the summer program is a fairly extensive process.

"It all begins back in about March of the school year," he said, explaining the application process for directors. Thirteen students applied to direct this year, each proposing the show they wanted to stage.

Applicant's suggestions ranged from light musicals to dark dramas, and the three directors were chosen by officers in the Harvard Radcliffe Drama Club.

Students audition for the shows in late spring.

"We tried to publicize it among students through the directors," Harrington said. "They come in and audition for all three directors, then each director has call-backs for the individuals they want to see."

With a summer of performances ahead of them, Harrington said he's anticipating a successful summer for the program.

"We're looking forward to it. It should be a good season," he said.