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Entertainment

Playing major roles

They're unseen and, for the most part, unsung. But if they weren't there the curtain wouldn't go up.

By DEMORRIS LEE
Published August 19, 2005

As actors gathered around a piano and began their melodic voice warmup Monday evening, Dr. Todd Wiener was backstage with a drill in his hand. A short time later, the costumed actors began reciting their lines and hitting their stage marks during their first full dress rehearsal of The Prince and Pauper.

But on the same stage, at the same time, Jenine Morehouse and Steve Long used a tape measure to size up a window for shutters.

They are seldom seen, but when it comes to community theater it's the people who build the stages, handle the props and stitch the costumes who make it all happen. And as the cast and crew readies for tonight's opening of the two-act musical at the University Area Community Center, things are no different.

"If I did not have these people to count on ... " said Doug Wall, director of the production. "The actors are wonderful, but what brings them to life is their surroundings. And that's what all these people do. From the stage to the lighting to props to the sound, they bring things to life."

With a cast of 35 actors and 30 or so people working backstage, the New Tampa Players will bring the year 1547 to the Community Center this weekend and next weekend. This is the first time that the musical The Prince and The Pauper, set in London and based on a Mark Twain classic, will be performed in the Southeast.

"I've known for years that one day I will direct this show," said Wall, whose cousin, Neil Berg, wrote the musical.

Wall's connection to the musical, for which he is an associate producer, allowed him to get some of the costumes that were used in the show's debut at New York's Lamb Theatre.

But with that connection aside, if it wasn't for the folks hammering, drilling, raising money and taking tickets - all the stuff that many people assume just happens - the community theater performance would be nearly impossible.

"They really are the unsung heroes," said Julie Angelo, executive director of the American Association of Community Theatre, a support organization based in Dallas for community theater throughout the country. "Theater is a collaborative art form and it takes a lot of different talents to get it on. They (backstage workers) don't take a bow but the applause is for the entire production."

Peter Mack is an auto mechanic at Ed Morse Auto Plaza in Port Richey by day. While taking his son back and forth to the set of a New Tampa Players production, he was asked to assist in building the set.

For The Prince and the Pauper, he used the basic carpentry skills he learned from his grandfather and was instrumental in building the multistoried set that has functioning doors and windows.

"I really enjoy it," Mack said. "To see a vision that someone else has, usually the director, come to life is great."

Todd Wiener is a dentist with an office on Bruce B. Downs Boulevard. Steve Long is a contracts manager with the Southwest Florida Water Management District. They'll help with lights, sound and whatever else needs to be done to make the show happen.

"I don't sing, and I look like hell," Long joked, explaining why he likes being backstage. "This is for the love of the arts, and you just meet good people."

Wiener said he always wanted to work on stage lighting and sound when he was younger. Now he has the opportunity to do so.

"I am a kid again," Wiener said, with a drill in hand. "I love being behind the scenes."

For Jenine Morehouse, like many other volunteers, this is a family affair. Her daughter, Emily, 14, is playing the Pauper, and her husband, John, plays a variety of characters. As for Morehouse, she's backstage, finding wood to reinforce the set or measuring windows for shutters.

"This is our family bonding time," Morehouse said. "This is what we do as a family. We like that the theater is a family-oriented community."

Staff writer Demorris Lee can be reached at 813 269-5312 or dalee@sptimes.com

What: The Prince and Pauper, a two-act musical

Where: University Area Community Center, 14013 22nd St.

When: Tonight and Saturday night, 8 p.m.; Sunday, 3 p.m.; Aug. 26-27, 8 p.m.; Aug 28, 3 p.m.

Price: Adults $14; senior citizens and students $12

For reservations: (813) 386-6687

[Last modified August 18, 2005, 11:46:08]