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THE

Tic k et
Success

Winning a ticket to Diary of
Anne Frank led Tracy Aller
straight to the stage.

STEVE HARTZ

Staff Writer

ix-year-old Tracy Adler
wasn't a fussy kid; she
just didn't have any
desire to see plays. But after
winning a reading contest at
the Oak Park Library, she
received two tickets to see a
local production of Diary of
Anne Frank.
"I tried to trade in the
prize," said Adler, now 21.
"But I couldn't. So I went. I
was just awe-inspired from
that moment on."
Aller, a senior at Wayne .
State University, is making
a name for herself in the
world of theater. Over the
past two years, she's been a
part of 24 plays at Detroit's
Bonstelle Theatre, Hilberry
Studio and Hilberry
Theatre.
When she graduates from
WSU this August, she plans
to take all she's learned back
into the high school
classroom and teach, while
still pursuing stardom on
stage.
After receiving an Oswald
(Southfield-Lathrup's an-
swer to Broadway's Tony)
Award her senior year in
high school, 1986, Adler was
bitten by the acting bug.
"I thought, 'This is what
it's all about,' " she said.
"Not because I won the
award, but because I was
appreciated. I realized I
wanted to teach and give
other kids what I've gotten."
Her high school drama

S

L

Photo by Glenn Triest

teacher, Jon Swords, thinks
Adler has what it takes to
make a super instructor.
"She is a real compas-
sionate individual, very nur-
turing even with kids who
have minimal talent,"
Swords said. "And I think
that's what makes a great
teacher."
Swords added: "Tracy
never gives up. She is a

"I prefer being on
stage. There's
something about
the energy you get
from the audience.
It's an unbelievable
feeling; you can't
even explain it."
Tracy Aller

plotter, and she's not easily
discouraged. Tracy also has
a real off-beat sense of
humor. When she played
Mama in Bye Bye Birdie her
senior year at S/L, she was

hysterical. Her sense of
humor translates well on
stage."
At 9, Adler dreamed of
starring in the musical
Annie as the red-headed or-
phan.
Although she never acted
on stage as Annie, Adler did
appear as The Little Red-
Headed Girl in You're a
Good Man Charlie Brown, a
production put on by the
theatrical specialty campers
at Camp Tamarack.
"The Little Red-Headed
Girl was really a combina-
tion of Peppermint Patty
and Sally," she said.
Of the many roles she has
performed since her days at
Camp Tamarack, Adler said
her portrayal of Isabelle in
My Sister in the House was
one of her favorites.
Isabelle, for those un-
familiar with the character,
is the pampered daughter of
a wealthy lady. She also has
a dark side and is very con-
niving with the two sisters
who are living in her house;
she seems to be able to sense

their vulnerabilities and
verbally attack them. Her
actions get them into trou-
ble.
"Playing Isabelle taught
me a lot. She was a realist; it
was a psychological role.
You could figure her out
from the inside . . . "
Adler is now preparing for
her next show. She'll star as
Frenchy when the Dearborn
Players Guild presents the
musical Grease in August.
Not only is she an active

participant on stage, Adler
has also played some leading
roles off stage. In the
Hilberry Studio production
of Don Juan, she was the
assistant director and stage
manager. Aller worked as
the associate director in its
production of Women of
Manhattan and light board
operator, prop designer and

costume and make-up assis-
tant at both the Bonstelle
and Hilberry Studio
theaters.
"I've had a little taste of
everything," she said. "I
prefer being on stage.
There's something about the
energy you get from the au-
dience. It's an unbelievable
feeling; you can't even ex-
plain it."
Aller's dream is to one day
play Queen Gertrude in
Hamlet "and all the great
women of Shakespeare, all
the classic roles."
Even if Adler doesn't make
it to Stratford, she said that
she won't regret all the hard
work she's put in on and off
stage over the years.
"If I don't become famous,
at least theater has taught
me a lot —culture, history,
how to be open in front of
people. I'll always have
those things with me to app-
ly to whatever I do. I think
that teaching drama and ac-
ting during my summers off
will leave me very happy;
my life will be fulfilled." ❑

THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

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