M u l ti-Talented
lthough Marshall Zweig hopes
Jewish Ensemble Theatre
(JET) audiences will re-
member his onstage acting,
he knows one member of
the Isn't It Romantic? au-
dience will remember his
offstage actions.
During a performance,
he missed his mark and
fell into her lap!
"I hold the distinction
of being the only JET
actor ever to do that,"
said Mr. Zweig, who is preparing
for his third JET role, the broth-
er of the main character in Beau
Jest.
"At the time the incident hap-
pened, I kept trying to tell myself
it really wasn't happening at all.
My brain got very sluggish, and
I couldn't move. If Peter Bellan-
ca, who had the part of Simon in
Isn't It Romantic?, had not helped
me back up, I'd still be there.
Thank goodness for Peter!"
Mr. Zweig, 28, hopes to main-
tain better balance as he portrays
a psychiatrist with tendencies to-
ward hysteria in Beau Jest, the
comedy scheduled for May 18-
June 12 at the Maple-Drake Jew-
ish_Community Center. In the
upcoming James Sherman play,
a young woman feels compelled
to fool her family about a ro-
mantic relationship.
Mr. Zweig, who realized how
Marshall Zweig
is an actor,
filmmaker, writer
and composer,
and he will appear
in JET's Beau Jest.
much he loves acting as a student
at Southfield High School, per-
forms regularly with the Magic
Carpet Players, a troupe that pm-
vides him with steady work.
The three members of the
group go into elementary schools
to present interactive versions of
children's stories, hoping to make
young audiences excited about
reading and writing.
"We stress using the imagina-
tion," said Mr. Zweig, who acts
out a variety of stories. 'We get
the kids to participate by asking
them to do things like make the
sound of rain or wind moving
through tall grass."
Recently profiled by WJBK
TV2, the Magic Carpet Players
took flight as an inde-
Marshall
pendent troupe after get-
Zweig
SUZANNE CHESSLER
ting started under the
SPECIAL
TO THE JEWISH NEWS
auspices of the Attic The-
atre.
As taken as he is with
stage acting, which has
put him in the spotlight filming locally in September.
"My family has been so sup-
at the Attic Theatre and at
Greenfield Village as well, Mr. portive," said Mr. Zweig, who be-
Zweig has an even stronger in- lieves that his projects soon will
terest in filmmaking. Working be profit-making. "My mother
with friend Russ Orlando, he is (Barbara Shewach Zweig) is a
producing short motion-picture film nut like me and has given
features and trying to get them me boundless encouragement.
"My father, Gene, sings with.
into distribution.
"I studied filmmaking, drama the Michigan Opera Theatre and
and creative writing for three directs the Shaarey Zedek choir.
years at the University of Michi- My sister, Susan, is a talented ac-
tress and a writer for an adver-
gan, but I became scared that
wouldn't make any money," said tising 'agency."
Mr. Zweig has tried his hand
Mr. Zweig, who began making his
own creative films as a youngster at various kinds of writing. Last
July, his short story was pub-
growing up in Southfield.
"I entered the business school lished in the literary magazine
and got a bachelor of business ad- Mobius. He has had two of his
ministration degree in 1988, the musical compositions produced
year I was hired for a lucrative and i hoping to sign with a
record abel.
job with a large corporation.
"I'm very consumed with time,"
"Because of pressure to con-
form and what I considered a Mr. Zweig said. "I feel with every
complete dearth of creativity, I moment that goes by, I should be
quit the business world after writing more songs or stories or
three years and decided to do screenplays. I keep saying to my-
what I really loved—acting, film- self that I have to stay with it.
"My goal is to create songs,
making and writing."
Mr. Zweig and Mr. Orlando, roles and films that make people
working under the banner of Oz think about the way they want to
Productions, have just complet- live."
ed shooting A Little Off the Top,
Beau Jest will be performed
a short feature-film to be pre- May 18-June 12 at the Maple-
miered locally in August which Drake Jewish Community Cen-
they will enter in film festivals. ter. Preview performances will be
Two earlier movies were at 8 p.m. May 18-19, 8:45 p.m.
shown at the Metropolitan Film May 21 and 2 p.m. May 22. Reg-
Festival in Detroit, and two oth- ular shows run May 22-June 12
ers are in development.
with curtain times at 8 p.m.
Mr. Zweig and his partner Wednesdays and Thursdays, 8:45
also are trying to raise money to p.m. Saturdays and 7 p.m. Sun-
do a new independent feature- days. Matinees start at 2 p.m.
film, which they hope to begin May 25, June 5 and June 8.