80.0°,
Partly Cloudy 'Mame' comes to Long Island
Behind the scenes of local community theater
You can still catch "Mame" on Fri., Nov. 18 and Sat. Nov. 19, 8 p.m. and Sun. Nov. 20 at 3 p.m. at the Lincoln Orens School, at Trafalgar Blvd, Island Park. For tickets and more information, call (516) 431-3320.
“We’ve gotta have a great show, with a million laughs ... and color ... and a lot of lights to make it sparkle. And songs – wonderful songs. And after we get the people in that hall, we’ve gotta start ‘em in laughing right away. Oh, can’t you just see it?” – Judy Garland, “Babes In Arms,” 1939.
Yes, we can see it – but we only see the final product. Putting on a show involves planning, decision-making, scripts, music, stage production, props, lighting and a host of other details that, if done right, the audience will really never know about.
Who are some of the people who make it look so easy?
The producer
“I really don’t think the public knows how involved it is putting on a show,” said John Cestaro, president of the Island Park Theatre Group board of directors and producer of Island Park Theatre Group’s latest musical, “Mame,” set to open in November. Cestaro, a retired bank vice president, is currently broker/owner of JVC Realty Corp in Island Park. He has been with IPTG for 20 years, and has been producer for the last 12. The other board members are Hillary Kass Nussdorf, Reneé Socci, Sal Canepa, Frank Cestaro, Barbra Rubin-Perry, and Debby Wilson.
Cestaro has appeared on stage in many Long Beach and Island Park productions, including “Fiddler on the Roof,” “The Sound of Music” – and even as M. Woolsey Lindsey in Long Beach Theatre Guild’s production of “Mame.”
The directors
Hillary Kass Nussdorf, 59, has been with Island Park Theatre Group for 25 years and currently serves on its board as vice president.
“It takes so much with so few people and so little time,” said Nussdorf. “When we put out the casting call, we’ve already been working on the show for three to six months.”
Having been a part of both professional and community theater, Nussdorf is well aware that with local theater and performers, life gets in the way. “People – including me – have jobs and families … it’s a big commitment, we understand that – but we do have to live up to professional standards.”
By day, Nussdorf works in the health office at East Elementary School in Long Beach. She also runs “Center Stage Studios,” a city-endorsed and school-approved acting program for children. She also teaches ballroom dancing and offers private lessons.
Assistant Director Debby Wilson has been involved with community theater since 1998 – her first show was IPTG’s “Once Upon a Mattress.” She has worked with this group and the Long Beach Theatre Guild.
“Mame is my first experience with stage directing, and I am very glad to be able to learn by working alongside a real pro like Hillary,” said Wilson, who works for Long Beach public schools as a secretary in the Comprehensive Arts (music/fine arts) department. “So I guess you could say that my day job is not all that different from my night job.
“Being on this end of the process is very creative, but in a much different way. We have to come up with the staging and the set that gives the actors what they need to work with.”
Now add some music …
Although this her first year with the Island Park Theatre Group and her first time as a musical director, Danielle Reed, 23, of Freeport, is no stranger to the arts.
“I started performing in grammar school, and got involved in community theater in college,” she said. Reed has also directed children for choral and band performances. She works as an administrator for the non-profit organization, “Belief for Relief,” as well as teaching at the Rockville Centre Music Studio and the Young Musicians Institute, in Hempstead. She also performs at local venues and is proficient in many languages and instruments.
“Being a [musical] director gives me so much more perspective on how hard directors work and worry about the final product,” Reed said. “I’ve had motivational directors and also some so-so directors, but I realize that all of them had to plan, recruit, direct, and do it all again the following years.”
Besides planning the music for the production ahead of time, Reed works with the cast and books musicians for the final rehearsals and performances.
Add the choreography …
Sal Canepa, 38, of Oceanside likes to move – and he likes to make others move as well. Like Nussdorf, he has a no-nonsense-but-lets-still-have-fun style of teaching. With IPTG since 1994, he has starred in many shows, and has choreographed and musically directed several shows as well.
“Being choreographer requires doing most of the work even before auditions,” he said. One of his most treasured memories was doing “Into the Woods” with IPTG in 1995-96. “It had an extremely talented cast and was a life-altering experience.
“Although it takes months to prepare a musical before auditions, and months of rehearsals, the end product is always a delightful accomplishment.” Canepa said. “It’s wonderful to have returning cast members and thrilling to see new faces. Community theater creates wonderful friendships that last beyond the closing night.”
The sensational ‘Mame’
Reneé Socci, 51, of Valley Stream, has been singing all her life. She studied opera in college, and performed in Long Island operatic productions during those years and into her twenties. She’s been a private vocal coach and piano teacher for 35 years, and works for Holy Name of Mary Church as their principal cantor, singing at weddings and funerals, and is in charge of all of their cantors and the folk group. She also works part time for a local attorney.
“There is no other feeling like working with a group of wonderful people all committed to having fun and putting together a show,” Socci said. “The show itself is the gravy. For a few hours, you are someone else, living in a magical world where everyone breaks into song and dance at the drop of a hat. It’s pure joy with just enough stress to keep you on your toes. It’s also better than sitting on the couch at night, munching on chips in front of the TV!
Socci’s first show with IPTG was its 1991 production of “The Sound of Music,” playing the part of Maria. Since then she’s played “Dolly” in “Hello Dolly,” “Fiona” in Brigadoon, “Sister Mary Amnesia” in “Nunsense,” and the queen in “Once Upon a Mattress,” among other parts. She has also musically directed “The Wizard of Oz,” “Oliver,” and the three revue performances that IPTG has done. “I have not acted in an IPTG show in 12 years!”
“I don’t think people realize how much work goes into putting on a theatrical production,” Socci said. “The long hours preparing – every step is thought out first, in great detail. Will the right people audition? Will anyone come to see the show? Will we have enough money for all our expenses?”
“It’s a lot of hard work, and time consuming,” said Oceanside resident Linda Bakal, who plays Mrs. Burnside. “But we have so much fun. We come from all walks of life, and we’re all different ages, but it’s like one big family – and many of us stay friends after the show ends.”
