Arts si Life At The Theater Art Imitates Life Married couple play romantic pair in Farmington Players' production of "Proof" SUZANNE CHESSLER Special to the Jewish News roof, the next production of the Farmington Players, doesn't require a lot of acting when it comes to the romantic portrayal of the two main characters. The roles have been given to a married couple. Sheri Gritt Shapiro and Evan Shapiro, who appear as Catherine and Hal, feel very comfortable about their affectionate scenes. "It's certainly more comfortable dur- ing rehearsals," say Sheri Gritt Shapiro, who has experienced less comfortable moments connecting with unknown stage partners. "Besides, there's a lot to think about when you're following direc- tions and trying to make a certain impact on the audience." David Auburn's Proof, which won the Tony Award for Best Play and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 2001, pairs up the daughter of a famous mathemati- cian with one of his students. After the father's death, the daughter questions whether she has inherited her dad's instability as well as his genius. "I like that this is an intellectual play," says Sheri Gritt Shapiro, 31, an automo- tive marketing manager. "There often are double meanings to the lines, and the humor is sophisticated. Catherine is very passionate about issues, and that's similar to me." Theater has been important to Shapiro since her days at Southfield Lathrup High School, where she appeared in A Chorus Line and You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown. While attending the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Shapiro worked backstage on productions and took a limited num- ber of theater classes. As advanced business studies and jobs took Shapiro to other cities, including Chicago and Los Angeles, the stage enthusiast was able to find an enjoyable market for her acting talents. While liv- ing on the West Coast, she was hired as an extra for a number of TV shows, appearing in a courtroom in Ally McBeab portraying a culinary student in Providence and bidding in an auction in Charmed "It was so much fun to be part of that," says Shapiro, whose husband was in an improv group, Comedy Sports, before going on to Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia as a medical student. A graduate of Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook, he had his bar mitzvah at Adat Shalom Synagogue. The Shapiros, who live in Farmington Hills, met in Philadelphia, where she was earning her master's degree in busi- ness administration at the University of Pennsylvania. After marrying at Congregation Shaarey Zedek in 2001, they settled into their home state and later joined the Farmington Players. Although attending her first member- ship meeting in 2002, he did not join the group until a year later. "I like getting the chance to spend more time with Sheri," says Shapiro, 30, an anesthesiologist working on a sub- specialty in pain management. "I've been a math and science geek, so I can relate to the character, and participating in theater has introduced me to a new group of people." While enjoying the theater experience, the two also enjoy the social experience. "Theater people are very expressive and fun," says the actress, who has appeared in the Farmington Players pro- duction of Solid Gold Cadillac. "My hus- band and I have really bonded with this troupe." Evan and Sheri Shapiro, front, share a scene with Dorne L efere in the Farmington Players production of "Proof" Proofwill be performed Jan. 28- Feb. 19, at the Farmington Players Barn, 32332 W. 12 Mile Road, in Farmington Hills. Performances are 8 p.m. Jan. 28- 29, Feb. 4-5, 10-12 and 17-19 and 2 p.m. Jan. 30 and Feb. 6 and 13. $13/$10 on Thursdays for everyone and for seniors on Jan. 30 only. (248) 553-2955. ❑ Ethical Conflicts Drama recezyes support from S_pzelberg's Righteous Persons Foundation. Ir itty Felde, journalist and playwright, is not Jewish, but she feels connected to the Jewish community. The link comes with her experiences sur- rounding A Patch of Earth, her sixth play. The drama, being performed Feb. 3-13 by the Theatre Company of the University of Detroit Mercy at the Marygrove College Theatre, deals with the war crimes tribunal she covered as a reporter. The tribunal was addressing actions taken during the Bosnian conflict. "It was one of those assignments that wouldn't leave me," says Felde, 50, a radio talk-show host whose human rights reporting projects have brought her a grant from Steven Spielberg's Righteous Persons 1/27 2005 32 Foundation. "I have given speeches about my experience at the Museum of Tolerance and found that Jewish audiences just get what I'm talking about because of their history. If we don't talk about war crimes today, we will have other war crimes to talk about tomorrow." Felde, host of Talk of the City in California and married to former Detroiter and political activist Tad Daley, will be in town to discuss this production during the final week of performances. The drama, which brought her the winning place in the Maxim Mazumdar New Play Competition in 1999, explores the actions of Drazen Erdemovic, who fought for three different armies during the Bosnian war and was accused of committing atrocities. Patrick O'Connor Cronin plays Drazen under the direction of Arthur Beer. "I've covered a lot of court cases," says Felde, twice chosen Radio Journalist of the Year by the Los Angeles Press Club. "I'm working on a play based on my experience cov- ering the war crimes tribunal in Rwanda." E — Suzanne Chessler Patrick O'Connor Cronin as Erdenzovic Drazen in `>1 Patch of Earth" A Patch of Earth will be performed Feb. 3-6 and 10-13 at the Marygrove College Theatre. Performances are 8 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays. There will be talkbacks immediately after performances Feb. 10-13. $14/$12 seniors, UDM employees and alumni/$8 non-UDM students with ID/$3 UDM and Marygrove students with ID. (313) 993-3270 or (313) 927-1563.