ThE JEwish COMMUNITY CENTER Julius CI-IAJES/ENCORE CONCERT SERIES, YESI-liVAT AkIVA ANd TI-IE INVITE you NEiqhboRhood PROJECT ELECTRifyiNg SOUNdS Of TO HEAR Sam Glaser CRITICALLY ACClAIMEd, L.A.-bASEd SiNgER/SONWRITER and ( Beat'Achon Courtroom Caper WORLd RENOWNEd, JEW'iSl-I A CAPPELLA ENSEMDE Lee Rosender and Wayne Yashinsky bring their talents to "Witness for the Prosecution." SUZANNE CHESSLER Special to the Jewish News and set design. Yashinsky also got into community theater by chance. After noticing some- one in his office building reading a script, he asked about it and decided to audition for the same company. That was three years ago, and since then, he has brought his family — wife Stephanie and stepchildren Ashley Gaum and Lorne Gaum — into Village Players productions. "I'm a ham at heart," says Yashinsky, of Bloomfield Township, who has partic- ularly enjoyed appearing in The Man Who Came to Dinner. "I saw Witness for the Prosecution as a movie many years IIII or Lee Rosender, it's an exten- sion of her professional skills. For Wayne Yashinsky, it's type-casting. For both, it's a satisfying expression of special interests. All these meanings are invested in Agatha Christie's mystery Witness for the Prosecution, the production run- ning March 9-24 on the Village Players' Birmingham stage. Rosender, a retired teacher and interi- or designer, uses her skills to bring out the best in the actors and plan the sets. Yashinky, an attorney, gets to play the judge in this courtroom drama. "The set design came first," says Rosender, who has been with this community theater group for more than 20 years. "The challenge was to suit the dimensions of the stage and so I had to put an office with- in a courtroom and make that realistic to fulfill the action of the play." Rosender did not intend to Lee Rosender and Wayne Yashinsky become involved with com- munity theater when she was first asked ago and really liked it." Yashinsky, a member of Congregation to act in a Will-O-Way Playhouse pro- Beth Shalom, likes family experiences duction by a woman she knew there. and so was glad to share the stage with The invitation came after one per- his stepdaughters in Bye Bye Birdie. former had to leave the now-defunct Being a judge seems appropriate at theater company. this time in his life and perhaps serves as "I was hooked because it relieved per- a signal that he took a theater tradition sonal pressures at the time," explains too literally. He's gone way beyond ful- Rosender, of West Bloomfield, who filling the meaning of a wish often spo- went on to perform with Stagecrafters in Royal Oak and St. Dunstan's Theatre ken by one actor to another: "break a leg," which means "good luck." Guild in Bloomfield Hills. While sitting somewhat hidden as the As she got into set design, she built judge, he can conceal that he needs to on class experiences and planning the rest the leg he broke falling down the interior of the Ronald McDonald stairs in his home. House in Detroit. "Acting takes a lot of time, but it's a Rosender, who has been a member wonderful outlet," he says. ❑ of the Jewish Community Center and went to services at Temple Israel as she was growing up, has performed in a Witness for the Prosecution will be Nancy Gurwin production of The presented 8 p.m. March 9-10, 15- at the JCC. Her Diary of Anne Frank 17 and 23-24 and 2 p.m. March favorite role was Eleanor of Aquitaine 11 at the Village Players Playhouse, in The Lion in Winter. 752 Chestnut, Birmingham. $14. "Working with the entire cast is very (248) 644-2075. interesting," says Rosender, who has given up acting to focus on directing Sunday, March 18,. 2001 • 7:30 p.m. YEShIVAT AkIVA • 21100 W. 12 MilE, SouThhEld An exciting musical experience you won't want to miss! TICkETS: $3 6, $20 ANd $15 JCC MEMBERS ANd AkiVA STUdENTS $3 diSCOUNT ON $ 1 5 TiCkETS TICkETS AVAILABLE AT YESI -IiVAT AkIVA ANd bOTI-I JCC FOR $150 PATRON TiCkETS (4 SEATS ANd A LOCATIONS CD), CALL MARk NAdE1, (248) 356-5663. FOR INFORMATION, CAll TI-IE JEWiSI- 1 COMMUNITY CENTER, (248) 967-4030. Encore/Chajes Series Sponsors MANNy ANd NATALIE ChARACI-1, ENdOWMENT FUNd; IRWIN ANd SAdIE COLIN FUNd FOR ThE ARTS; DEROy TESTAMENTARy FOUNdATION; BENARd ENgELbERT, TRUSTEES; RAy ANd L. MAAS FOUNdATION, HIRAM DORIMAN ANd DAVICI ATARA ZIMMERMAN, BOAZ SIEGE CULTURE FUNd, MILTON ANd JEANETTE MILLER, MEL FARR LINCOLN MERCURY, SAMUEL ANd JEAN FRANkEL, LARRy ANd ANdi WolFE, MRS. LAWRENCE M. WEINER, MINkIN FAMILY FOUNdATION, CLAIRE L. GROSbERq, BERYL Z. WiNkElmAN ANd ESThER ANd PETER ShifRIN PhILANThROpiC FUNd Jewish Community Center of Metropolitan Detroit D. BuitchNq • EUGENE ANd MARCIA ApplEbAum 6600 W. MAPLE, WEST BtoomhEld Jimmy PRENTIS MORRIS Building • A. ALFREd TAUbMAN 15110 W. 10 MilE, OAk PARk COMMUNITY DAN ANd BETTY KAhN COMMUNITY JCC CAMPUS CAMPUS N EIGH BORHOOD Looking for a lace for your guests for the next wedding, bar or bat mitzvah? • Group Rates • Conveniently Located in Downtown Birmingham • Terry Cloth Robes • Complimentary Breakfast • Beautiful, Spacious Rooms fo* littAx 34952 Woodward Downtown Birmingham (248) 646-7300 • Ask About Our Complimentary Gift Certificates for Local Restaurant & Shopping • Complimentary Shuttle Service to Local Shopping, Restaurants & Synagogues HA 0 N „ 35270 Woodward Downtown Birmingham (248) 642-6200