Doer Profile

RACHEL HOLLANDER

City: West Bloomfield
Kudos: Producer and Director

D

orothy's visit to the land of
Oz may have been a fantasy,
but 10-year-old Rachel
Hollander has turned her dream of
producing and directing her own play
into reality.
With the help of her parents,
Jennifer and Jeff Hollander of West
Bloomfield, Rachel's production of
"The Wizard of Oz" will be per-
formed on stage this Sunday, starring
20 of her classmates from Eagle
Elementary School.
Rachel's uncle, Barry Marx, a
screenwriter in California, helped her
edit the original script, which was pro-
vided by the Farmington Hills Youth
Theatre's Sky's the Limit Productions.
The whole family has gotten into
the act, with Rachel's brother, Ari, 7,
playing a Munchkin, an Ozian and a
Winkie — and her father appearing in
a "surprise role."
Jennifer and Rachel's two grand-
mothers,. Harriett Hollander of

Southfield and Judy Marx of West
Bloomfield, have been hard at work
designing scenery, tie-dying costumes
and making sure the hard-working
cast members have a steady supply of
snacks.
Rachel gained her theatrical experi-
ence by participating in the Sky's the
Limit production of "The Wonderful
World of Oz" in April and by attend-
ing the group's theater camp this sum-
mer. Her credits also include backyard
productions of "Cats" and "The Lion
King" and the lead role in her third-
grade play "Bones," based on the
skeletal system.
"The Wizard of Oz" will be per-
formed at 2 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 28, at
Adat Shalom Synagogue in
Farmington Hills. Tickets are $2 for
adults and $1 for children and will be
available at the door. The public is
welcome. For more information, con-
tact the Hollander family at (248)
855-9946.

What was most challenging about
producing this play?
"The hardest part was editing the
original 40-page script down to 17
pages — deciding what to cut out and
still have everything connect. Blocking
the scenes was hard, too. Sometimes
it's frustrating because I don't know
what's going to happen, whether peo-
ple will learn their lines or not; but it's
very exciting.

"

What have you enjoyed the most?
"It was fun seeing how well every-
one did at rehearsal and how excited
they were. That felt really good."

Why donate the money you raise to
the Humane Society?
"I have a golden retriever named
Molly, and I really love animals."

Do you see a theatrical career in your
future?
"I'm going to try out for the Sky's
the Limit fall play, Dear Edwina. When
I grow up, I'd like to be an actress or a
director — maybe both."

— Ronelle Grier, special writer

REPORT A DOER...:Know a Doer — someone of any age doing interesting, meaningful things in their life outside of their job? Share suggestions with Ken Guten Cohen, story devel-
opment editor, at (248) 351-5144 or e-mail: kcohen@thejewishnews.com

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