ENTERTAINMENT

SUSAN WEINGARDEN

Special to The Jewish News

L

ike many starry-eyed
girls, Jaye Greenberg
Cooper dreamed of
becoming an actress. An on-
ly child, she often went to the
movies with her mother. On
one outing, Cooper was filled
with awe as she watched
Mary Martin sing "I'm Gon-
na Wash That Man Right
Outta My Hair." It was then
she decided, "I want to do
that."
Cooper, who recently ap-
peared in the role of Mama in
A Shayna Maidel at the Attic
Theater, took a circuitous
route to her profession.
"I was supposed to be a con-
cert pianist," she says. "I
wanted to take dancing
lessons but my father
wouldn't let me. He said nice
Jewish girls do not run off to
New York to join a chorus."
As a child, Cooper's wish to
act stayed dormant while she
studied violin and piano.
While in her teens, she was
voted the most promising
young artist by the Music
Study Club in Detroit. Claim-
ing her heart was not in a
music career, Cooper decided
to teach piano rather than
perform.
Cooper studied social work
at Wayne State University,
worked with the retarded pro-
gram at the Jewish Com-
munity Center and taught
piano. She married and had
two children before resuming
her interest in acting via her
involvement in philanthropic
shows, working on produc-
tions for the Martin Place
Ladies Auxiliary, Hadassah
and ORT. She wrote, acted
and directed.
Then Cooper's ballroom
dancing teacher, who knew of
her involvement in local
shows, suggested Cooper
audition for the Academy of
Dramatic Art at Oakland
University.
Cooper had two days to
prepare an audition. She was
both shocked and elated
when she was accepted.
Cooper received less than
enthusiastic support for her
decision to return to school for
two years.
"It was a full-time commit-
ment," she says. "No one en-
couraged me. Everyone
thought my place was at
home with my husband and
two children. But once I got
accepted, I had to find out if
I had the talent."
While at the Academy,
Cooper changed her first
name from Judith to Jaye.
The faculty, from the Royal
Academy in London, "believ-
ed actors learned through
criticism and I cringed every

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Jaye Cooper played Mama in the Attic Theatre's production of 'A Shayna Maidel'

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w

ALL'S WELL
THAT
NDS WELL

Jaye Greenberg Cooper studied social work, taught piano and raised a
family, Now she is doing what she always wanted theater,

time they said Judith. I told
them to just call me Jaye."
After completing her
studies at the Academy,
Cooper remembers thinking
she was "God's gift to the
theater." Not getting cast for
parts led her to believe
something was lacking, so she
sought ways to increase her
training.
"I enrolled in the master's
degree program in theater at

Wayne. I took classes in
Shakespeare and the classics
to strengthen my diversity."
While working at the
Hilberry Theatre program at
Wayne, Cooper met the ar-
tistic director for the National
Shakespeare Festival. She
was selected to join the tour,
playing eight states in three
months.
"It was my first time work-
ing with professionals," she

recalls. "That's when I
started to believe in myself as
an actor."
With national experience
under her belt, Cooper was
called more often to read for
parts.
"I call her a lot," says agent
Sue Martin of the Talent
Shop in Southfield. "Jaye is
an accomplished actor. She
has a very good reach and can
do anything. She continues to

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THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

81

