From audition to last bow
A Hollywood screenwriter and his wife lead the Teen Drama Workshop through all aspects of putting on a production.
By EILEEN SCHULTE
Published July 9, 2004
CLEARWATER - You have to believe Fred Kobler is on that great stage in the sky smiling.
The influence of the late Kobler, a performer and board member at the Francis Wilson Playhouse, is still apparent in his Hollywood screenwriter son Flip, who has returned to the playhouse where he once performed to teach a group of 50 teens how to act, sing and dance.
The children, some of them exceptionally talented, will present The Argonauts tonight at 8 p.m., and The Brothers Grimm - Out of Order next weekend at the playhouse.
Flip and his wife, Cindy Marcus, have worked on many projects, including The Lion King II: Simba's Pride, Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Forest and others.
But they've never had as much fun as they did writing the musicals The Argonauts and The Brothers Grimm - Out of Order for their summer Teen Drama Workshop program.
"This has been twice as much work as I expected, but three times more rewarding," said Kobler, taking a break while the students practiced a sword fighting scene onstage one afternoon this week. "We are teaching them how to audition, how to interpret music, how to build sets and composing. We want to give them the building blocks if they want to pursue a life in the arts."
For nearly a month, the kids have been learning about lighting, sound and stage movement in morning classes, and rehearsing for the shows until 4 p.m.
They range in age from 11 to 19. Some are community theater veterans, and some have never spoken, let alone sung, in front of an audience before.
The couple, along with composer Dennis Poore and other instructors, are trying to teach them the craft.
Leah Radel, 14, of Oldsmar, is playing Iris in The Argonauts. An actor for more than a year, she's already done eight local shows and has two agents.
Of her character in The Argonauts, Leah said, "She is a nerd, a little ditzy."
"She can't finish sentences," she said.
Leah, who is homeschooled and regularly auditions for parts in Orlando productions, said she loves working with Marcus, Kobler and the cast.
"We're all like family," she said.
Her mother, Diane Radel, said the summer workshop "is almost a master class for kids."
"Cindy and Flip are so positive, they pull the emotions out of (the students)," Radel said.
It was Radel's suggestion that the couple create the workshop, to give students a well-rounded, professional theater experience.
"It's not "Let's put on a show,' it's "Let's create a show,' " she said.
Everyone hopes the 184-seat theater will sell out each night.
Tickets were priced at only $5 to entice theatergoers with an entertainment bargain.
In the fall, Marcus and Kobler will return to Los Angeles to start work on the movie Dr. Doolittle 3.
But they hope to return to the playhouse next summer.
Kobler sometimes thinks of his father's impact on the playhouse. A portrait of Fred Kobler hangs on the prop room wall behind the stage.
"This is why we are doing it at this theater," Kobler said.
- Eileen Schulte can be reached at 727 445-4153 or schulte@sptimes.com
If you goWHAT: Two original one-act musicals The Argonauts and The Brothers Grimm-Out of Order.
WHEN: The Argonauts at 8 p.m. tonight and Saturday; The Brothers Grimm-Out of Order at 8 p.m. July 16-17.
WHERE: The Francis Wilson Playhouse, 302 Seminole St., Clearwater.
ADMISSION: $5 at the door.
CONTACT: Call (727) 446-1360.