The cast
poses at
rehearsal
SUZANNE CHESSLER
SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS
Phantom In The Night
Kids, outdoors and a Phantom of the Opera spoof make for lively theater at the JCC.
efore it turns dark, sum-
mer evening audiences
at the Maple-Drake
Jewish Community
Center will watch young
stars light up the
grounds.
Phantom of the Op'ry
a children's musical
scheduled for 7 p.m. July
13 and 20 — is the first
outdoor production at
the Center.
"We want to make it as
natural as possible," said
Nancy Gurwin, produc-
er/director of the
Phantom of the Opera
spoof.
She is working with a
cast of 22, which
includes two adults. _
Besides arranging for
the audience to sit on
chairs or their own blan-
kets along the grass, she
—
has turned one grassy
area into the stage.
"It's very different and
a lot of fun," said Dana
Steingold, 8, who plays
Guppy Golpher and is a
veteran of many commu-
nity theater productions,
including The King and I
and The Sound of Music.
"We rehearsed outside
and got used to it."
Although Ms. Gurwin
has produced and per-
formed in outdoor the-
ater, most of the cast
and crew have not. They
are relying on the
Center's facility staff to
help make the setting
comfortable and carry
out some of the special
effects designed to sur-
prise the youthful audi-
ences.
PHANTOM page 75
Mary Denawetz and the chorus.