Sister and brother share joys of theater

Neil and Anita Shastri

This month, Anita Shastri and her brother, Neil, both have parts in the same play in the Shakespeare Festival in Forest Park. The two have been lots of things together in theater since they started five years ago.

And, they are following in the footsteps of their father, Jay Shastri. He has been well-known for his dancing in local theater in St. Louis for years.

Twelve-year-old Anita is a 7th grader at Sperreng Middle School. Ten-year-old Neil is a 5th grader at Sappington Elementary School.

Both got their theater start in 1997. They appeared together in the chorus of Studio J's production of "Lil Abner." This month, they play the son and daughter of McDuff in the Shakespearean play "Macbeth."

Later this summer, both will be in the chorus for the Muny's production of "Cinderella." The two also are together as members in the Muny Kids organization.

Anita (left) as an Indian Princess

Anita said, "I love doing musical theater." She said her favorite play is "West Side Story."

Although she said her favorite is ballet, she also sings, dances and plays the piano.

She takes lots of lessons. She has dancing lessons twice a week. Also, once a week, she has singing and piano lessons. But, she said she still has time for school work and reading. "I love to read mysteries," she said.

Neil also has the same heavy practice schedule as his sister. But, he said math is his favorite class in school and he plays for his school's soccer team.

And then there are performances all over town. Their membership in Muny Kids means they get to do lots of performances around town. Those shows are usually musical reviews to publicize Muny shows.

Neil in "Peter Pan"

They've also performed in productions at Webster University.

Also, they join with their father' Bravo Theatre Group. That group stages two shows a year to raise money for charities as Make a Wish Foundation, The Wishing Well and the Cystic Fibrosis Association.

This summer, Bravo will stage the musical, "Foot Loose." Bravo also usually stages one other show later in the year.

Their father, Jay, is now an architect but stays active in the theater. For several years, he was considered the best theatrical dancer in St. Louis.

So far, Anita said her favorite role was as a little Indian in the musical, "Peter Pan." She said, "We had one group that had a big dance number in the play."

Neil's favorite part was as a shoe-shine boy in the Muny's production, "Roman Holiday." He said, "I got to shine the shoes of one of the main characters."

Early photo of father Jay

But, the kids also admit they've made some boo-boos on stage.

Anita said her most embarrassing moment came in the play "The King and I." She was a little princess and was sitting next to the actress playing the lead of Anna.

"I got my foot caught in Anna's dress. When Anna got up, I fell down and was laying on the stage. That was very embarrassing," she said.

Neil said he doesn't have any single "most" embarrassing moment. But, he said, "I've made tons of mistakes that were really bad."

But, those on-stage errors haven't dimmed their interest in pursuing a career in theater.

Anita especially likes dance. Her lessons include everything from ballet, jazz and tap. But, she also would like to do singing in musical theater.

Neil said he's probably most interested in doing musicals for the movies.

Anita and Neil were born in the United States. But, both parents, Jay and JJ, were born in India. Jay came to the United States when he was five. He met JJ when he was back in India for a visit.

They were married in 1985. They moved to America the next year, when JJ got her U.S. visa.

Although Anita and Neil are in a lot plays together, they say they're not especially competitive.

"We mostly help each other. We are a little competitive but that's just brother-sister stuff," Anita said.