Scenes
Of Fancy
Larry Chocron has stage fright.
He also has a practical streak,
and a local movie career.
SUZANNE CHESSLER
SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS
he Incorporated, a Michi- stilling a sense of reality that elevates and critique everything," said Mr.
N
N- gan-made film, is helping a stable career over the uncertainties Chocron, who was particularly im- Mr. Baker referred Mr. Chocron to
Happy Hour Productions, another lo-
to advance Larry Chocron of acting. Seeking economic security, pressed with the camera angles in cal, independent company.
from an amateur to pro- his parents moved the family from Is- The Incorporated. Robin Browne, the
Successful at the audition, Mr.
fessional actor. But that rael to the United States in 1968.
director of photography, has an ex- Chocron now is preparing for a role
NN,
was not his intent when he
"My folks really struggled, and I tensive background that includes in an upcoming movie about a young
answered the newspaper was raised to get an education that shooting four James Bond movies.
man leaving the Upper Peninsula for
ad that announced the auditions.
would let me have an easier time,"
David Baker, producer of The In- .opportunities in Detroit.
In the film planned by Make Be- said the acting hobbyist. He first ex- corporated, has recommended Mr.
Before accepting the part, howev-
lieve Productions, Mr. Chocron was pressed an interest in theater when Chocron for other roles. In the midst er, Mr. Chocron communicated his
cast as a murderer. The plot pits the he was in elementary school.
of arranging to add music to his film priorities, and producers agreed to
developers of a new energy source
Determined to pursue that inter- and find a distributor to bring the mo- schedule his scenes to accommodate
against multinational businesses try- est, he worked hard at overcoming tion picture to theaters or cable TV, a family trip to Disney World. ❑
ing to quash potential competition.
two obstacles — language and stage
"I liked the action-oriented role and fright.
doing my own stunts, which meant
"I came here without knowing one
chasing after people with guns," said word of English," he said. "It took me
Mr. Chocron, a member of the Jew- five years to speak the language well,
ish Community Center Health Club, and I pushed to perfect it during one
whose stamina was tested by a cast year at Hillel and at Berkley and
member with law enforcement expe- Southfield high schools."
rience.
Mr. Chocron earned a computer en-
"If I can act, I'm happy, and I don't gineering degree from Michigan State
necessarily have to get paid for it. University, where he also studied dra-
ma.
"'When I was 20 and in college, I re-
alized how scared of getting in front
of an audience I was. I took a few the-
ater classes and was in plays there. I
loved theater so much that I took ex-
tra classes, which delayed my gradu-
Each day, I go to work, and I do my ation.
job; I go home, and I'm a family man.
"After I got out of college, I per-
While I enjoy all that, acting lets me formed in about 20 different produc-
be anything and live out any fanta- tions, including a staged reading for
sy."
the Jewish Ensemble Theatre."
Since graduating from Michigan
Mr. Chocron shares his dramatic
State University, Mr. Chocron, 36, interests with a younger brother, El-
has performed with many communi- liot, and a cousin, Steven Memran.
ty-theater groups, including the
Religious studies at Congregation
Ridgedale Players, Livonia Theatre B'nai Moshe and United Hebrew
Guild and the Farmington Players. Schools helped prepare him to direct
There also has been professional work a play written by his brother, a me-
with the Golden Lion Dinner Theater. chanical engineer. The Cellar, which
During the past four years, how- explores mystical Judaism, was per-
ever, he set acting aside. In that time, formed by the Farmington Players.
he and his wife, Denise, had three
A practical outlook does not pre-
daughters, and he launched his own vent Mr. Chocron from being very cu-
data processing business — Corn- rious about his cousin's activities,
puter Engineering Resources.
which represent his dreams.
"Theater is a big commitment, with
Mr. Memran, 25, who was raised
rehearsals three or four times a week in Southfield, is working toward a
and all the performances," he ex- master's degree in fine arts at Yale
plained. "Small roles in films take University and spends summers in
small blocks of time, and I can keep Los Angeles, where he seeks acting
Larry Chocron: Acting after family and business.
up with my priorities — family and jobs. He recently appeared in a Shake-
work."
spearean play and is negotiating with
Mr. Chocron credits his parents, agents. .
Salomon and Mimi Chocron, for in-
"We like to go to movies together
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Overcoming practicality
and stage fright.
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