Staying Home
hen Sam Pol-
lack accepted
the role of Ed-
die in Lost in
Yonkers, he also
accepted a role
reversal.
For this season's opening play
presented by the Jewish Ensem-
ble Theatre (JET), Mr. Pollack is
being directed by Evelyn Orbach,
the company's artistic director.
Years ago, Mr. Pollack directed
Ms. Orbach in an Attic Theatre
production of Time Step.
"Lost in Yonkers is a great
piece of theater," said Mr. Pollack,
43, who has spent his 20-year ca-
reer working with Michigan com-
panies. "It's rich, melodic, serious
and hysterically funny.
"I take on a very interesting
part in a very tight play — a man
who has to ask an enormous fa-
vor of his mother, who always has
been very strict and demanded
that her children be indepen-
dent."
While the actor and the char-
acter he will be portraying Oct.
12- Nov. 13 are Jewish and about
the same age, they have little else
in common.
"I come from a family that was
not strict in that sense," he ex-
plained. "My parents have been
very supportive and very giving.
They were very warm and loving
as opposed to the cold lady who
is grandma in the production.
"Unlike my character, I am
single and without my own fam-
ily.,,
This will be Mr. Pollack's first
full play with JET, which stages
its programs at the Maple-Drake
Jewish Community Center. In
the past, he has been a partici-
pant in a program of staged read-
ings, which introduce new works
and encourage audience com-
ments.
In the weeks before rehearsals
began for the Neil Simon Pulitzer
and Tony award-winning Lost in
Yonkers, Mr. Pollack was on the
road. His job involved the the-
atrics of product promotion, an-
other experience in a varied
career.
"I was part of a product launch
for a new car," he explained. "I
worked on the scenery and
trucked it around to 10 cities
across the country. I supervised
the crews in putting up the
goods."
Mr. Pollack, whose interest in
theater did not begin until he at-
tended Wayne State University
as an English major, feels com-
fortable whether on stage or be-
hind the scenes.
"I had no sense of theater un-
til college," said the Oak Park
High School graduate who had
attended yeshiva through junior
high school. "I was in this milieu
where there was theater, and
then I became exposed to it.
"I took a few acting classes and
started to fool around with the
art form. The more I practiced,
the more I appreciated it, but I
didn't know how I was going to
turn that into a profession."
Mr. Pollack began by taking
graduate courses in theater and
in business. Early work was in
dinner-theater projects and pro-
grams at the JCC in northwest
Detroit, where he produced The
Miracle Worker, the last play pre-
He's seen the JCC,
Hilberry and Attic
in a variety
of roles.
sented before the facility became
the city of Detroit's Northwest Ac-
tivities Center.
After that, he heard about try-
outs being held for a new com-
pany being formed in Greektown.
He auditioned for what would lat-
er become the Attic Theatre.
Although that particular pro-
duction never materialized, he
eventually entered into an asso-
ciation with the organization
when it did become viable. He
was employed there for nine
years until just before diminish-
ing funds recently caused it to
suspend operations.
"I was an actor, director, scenic
designer, carpenter and admin-
istrator," said Mr. Pollack, who
had been associated with the Oak
Park Community Theatre and
went on to technical projects with
Wayne State University's Hilber-
ry Theatre before joining the At-
tic.
"There was a period of time
when I worked as the general
manager of the company and was
responsible for all aspects of the
operation.
"There was a two-year period
when I produced a guest artist
series and had a chance to work
with Dizzy Gillespie, Second City,
Kids in the Hall and a number of
other nationally- recognized acts.
"The Attic also would bring in
people to do specialized work-
shops, and so it turned out that
most of my preparation for a ca-
reer in the performing arts did
not come from my schooling. I
was able to get a great deal of
training during those years I was
able to work."
Unfortunately, his jobs did not
always mean wages.
"The Attic had not been able to
provide a salary for me for quite
some time, but I was not able to
jump ship under some perverse
sense of loyalty," he said. "When
I was asked to do the car tour, I
moved on."
While at the Attic,
Mr. Pollack still could
take on other projects
such as being the nar-
rator in a Detroit Sym-
phony Orchestra Bartok
festival that first was
performed at the Ford
Auditorium and later at
Carnegie Hall.
"I try hard not to have
strong expectations,"
said Mr. Pollack, a home
owner and gardening
hobbyist pleased to have
found enough work lo-
cally to allow him to
stay close to his roots.
"As an actor, I have
learned the importance
of being fresh and deal-
ing with the moment.
If my expectations
were too strong, then
my responses would
be too premeditated,
and I believe that
would be false and
wrong." ❑
Sam Pollack:
Lost In Yonkers.
2. Preview Performances
Lost in Yonkers are scheduled
for 8 p.m. Oct. 12, 13 and 15
and 2 p.m. Oct. 16 at the
Maple-Drake JCC... Regular
perforniances run Oct. 16-Nov.
:.113, with performances at 8 p.m.
Wednesdays, Thursdays and;i
Saturdays and 2 p.m. and 7
p.m. Sundays. For inform*:
call JET', 788-2900
Keeping his
acting career
in Detroit has
allowed Sam
Pollack to see
many sides of
the business.
SUZANNE CHESSLER
SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS