ENTERTAINMENT

Readers Theater

A group of retired Detroiters picks up
a New York tip for spreading Jewish culture

JUDY MARX

Special to The Jewish News

1111! hat Broadway direc-
tor does not dream of
a full house on open-
ing night? What pro-
ducer wouldn't sell his
soul for so many advance ticket re-
quests that patrons must be turned
away? What actors don't yearn for rave
reviews in a new and daring production
with a style unfamiliar to the audience?
We're not talking Broadway, folks.
This is Detroit. And we're not talking
"The Fisher" or even "The Birm-
ingham." Properly speaking, we're talk-
ing West Bloomfield, Sunday after-
noons. The place: the DeRoy Theater at
the Jewish Community Center. The
performances: the Institute for Retired
Professionals' opening offerings of its
Readers Theater.
Take one inspiration, a "team of
producers" already in place, and the
dedication and hard work of some of the
finest local theatrical talents, and suc-
cess comes as no surprise.
Readers Theater is billed as "an
entertainment experience unique to
this area, reviving the art form of short-
story readings." But it is very impor-
tant, says idea-man Irwin Shaw, to
recognize that the origin of Readers
Theater came from a series called
Selected Shorts presented at Symphony
Space in New York City. "Last winter
I attended a performance which was
described as 'The Celebration of The

Rehearsng for a forthcoming program are, from left: Paul Winter, Rube Weiss, Liz Weiss and
Harry Goldstein.

Short Story, and it was such an unusual
and remarkable experience that I felt
it would be wonderful if we could do
something like it for our community in
Detroit?'
Fortunately, Shaw says, the In-
stitute For Retired Professionals was
already in place, making it possible to
bring the premier performance of
Readers Theater to Detroit audiences
scarcely more than a year later. "IRP
took it under its wing to sponsor this
particular program," continues the
former executive director of the Jewish
Center and the institute's current direc-

for of development. "We were also very
fortunate in having here a staff which
was very capable and sensitive!'
Those IRP leaders and associated
staff are headed by Bertha Chomsky,
IRP chairman; Miriam Sandweiss,
Jewish Center senior adult department
director; and Judith Samson, senior
adult department program developer.
Added to their talents is a group of ac-
tors with excellent Jewish backgrounds
and many other volunteers, Shaw
explains.
The New York and West Bloomfield
performances are both similar and

dissimilar. With three seasons under its
belt, Selected Shorts has grown to ten
different productions annually, featur-
ing the prose of some of the finest short-
story writers, presented by actors in-
cluding Tony Randall, Jane Alexander,
Geraldine Fitzgerald, Eli Wallach and
Madeline Kahn.
The stage is bare, except for a table
with a pitcher of water and a vase of
flowers. Nothing competes with the
power of the spoken word here. The N.Y
"cast" offers four short stories at each
performance. A work by Anton Chekov
may be followed by one from Bernard
Malamud. The works of Isaac Bashevis
Singer and Colette shared one 1987 bill-
ing, as did those of Franz Kafka and
Doris Lessing.
Detroit's Readers Theater was laun-
ched with two pilot productions, one in
early May and a second five weeks later.
Actual planning for the performance
and rehearsal time had taken little
more than three months. That pace
typifies IRP, say Sandweiss and Chom-
sky. The institute wastes no time when
it wants to launch a new project. And,
too, the beauty of Readers Theater,
Shaw points out, is that it requires a
minimum of group rehearsal time. One
"sound-and-light man" handled the
technical end of the production. "But
that doesn't mean that each of the ac-
tors doesn't put in many hours of in-
dividual preparation!'
Melba Winer hosted the May pro-
gram, with readings by Paul Winter,
Evelyn Orbach, Harry Goldstein, and
Liz and Rube Weiss. The June program,

GOING PLACES

WEEK OF AUG.7-13

MUSIC

DETROIT SYMPHONY
ORCHESTRA Meadow
Brook, Debussy concert, 8
p.m. Sunday, Bernstein
concert, 8 p.m. Thursday,
admission, 377-2010.
PINE KNOB MUSIC
THEATRE Kenny Loggins,
7:30 p.m. Thursday,
admission.
MUSIC IN THE PARK
Shepherd Park, Oak Park,
The Three Penny Opry,
7:30 p.m. Tuesday, free,
545-6400.

"IN THE PARK"
SUMMER CONCERT
SERIES Shain Park,
Birmingham, An Evening
Of Barbershop Harmony,
7:30 p.m. Thursday, free,
644-1807.
MEADOW BROOK
MUSIC FESTIVAL
Meadow Brook, Detroit
Symphony Pops, 8 p.m.
today, 11 a.m. Saturday,
Gordon Lightfoot, 8 p.m.
Monday, London Symphony
8 p.m. Tuesday, Cleo Laine
and The John Dankworth
Quartet, 8 p.m. Wednesday,
admission, 377-2010.

THE 1987 STROH'S
JAZZ SERIES Chene
Park, Detroit, Modern Jazz
Quartet, 8 p.m. Saturday,
admission, 567-0990.
CONCERTS-IN-THE-
PARK Prudential Town
Center, Northwestern at
Civic Center, Southfield,
-Douglas Bayne Royal Brass
Quintet, 7 p.m. Sunday,
free, 354-4717.
SHAW FESTIVAL
Niagara-On-The-Lake,
Ontario, Elizabeth Beeler
and Paul Mulloy, 11:30 a.m.
Sunday, admission,

(416)468-2172.
CONGRESS OF
STRINGS Wayne State
University, Community
Arts Auditorium, 450 Kirby
Mall, Full String
Orchestra, 3 p.m. Sunday,
Center For Creative Studies
Institute for Music and
Dance, 200 E. Kirby,
Chamber Music Concert,
7:30 p.m. Monday, Harold
Robinson recital, 7:30 p.m.
Tuesday, free, 577-1795.
CLASSICAL MUSIC
SERIES Chene Park,
Detroit, Detroit Symphony

Woodwind Quintet, 7:30
p.m. Wednesday, free,
567-0990.
OAK PARK ARTS AND
CULTURAL
COMMISSION Oak Park
Library, Oak Park Blvd.,
vocal concert by Raymond
Jordan with piano
accompanist Hannah
Elbinger, 7:30 p.m. Sunday,
548-7230.
BATES STREET NIGHT
OUT The Community
House, 380 S. Bates,
Birmingham, Steve King

.

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THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

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