arts & entertainment

Theater For A Cause

Mosaic founder Rick Sperling celebrates
Detroit youth arts co mpany with Motown show.

Suzanne Chessler

Contributing Writer

R

Sperling, who has been involved with
Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit
initiatives in the city, talked about Mosaic
achievements with the Jewish News:

ick Sperling can look in many
directions to validate the work he
has been doing for 20 years.
JN What does this anniversary repre-
Sperling, the founder of Mosaic Youth
sent for you?
Theatre of Detroit, meets up with former
RS: When I first started Mosaic, I looked
students in stage professions and jobs
at the history of youth arts programs in
requiring college degrees.
Detroit. Most of them lasted between 10
Among those with a public presence is
and 15 years, ending when the executive
Celia Keenan-Bolger, a Tony Award nomi-
director left or there was a loss of funding.
nee (25th Annual Putnam
It became my goal to
County Spelling Bee) cur-
create an organization that
rently appearing in the
would outlast me. None of
Broadway production of
the young people in our pro-
Peter and the Starcatcher.
gram now were alive when
Other Mosaic alums have
Mosaic started, and that
gives an amazing sense that
been in national tours
of Rent, Hairspray, Jesus
this is going to be an anchor
Christ Superstar, Cats and
institution for many years to
come.
Joseph and the Amazing
Technicolor Dreamcoat.
"I'm most proud that
IN: Why did you pick Now
95 percent of the people
That I Can Dance as the
Rick Sperling promotes
who have gone through
standards of excellence for celebration show?
our Youth Ensemble
RS: We wanted to bring
Mosaic participants.
have graduated from
back a production that
high school and gone on to college says
would be emblematic of who we are and
Sperling, 45, who lives in Detroit and is
what we've done. The stories that we tell are
the brother of Gene Sperling, currently
the stories of young people, and this play
director of the National Economic Council is about Metro Detroit teenagers of today
under President Obama.
telling the story of the most famous Detroit
"That's not only significantly above
teenagers changing the course of music.
the rates for this area; it's significantly
In 1962, when we set our play, everyone
higher for young people with similar back- who became a star was a teenager, such
grounds nationally"
as Diana Ross, Smokey Robinson and the
To celebrate Mosaic's milestone anni-
Marvelettes. We've been blessed to have
versary, the current troupe will present
many of the Motown originals guide the
Now That I Can Dance — Motown 1962,
creation of the play, which appeals to adult
a musical theater piece about the stars
audiences as well.
who got their start in Detroit. Written by
Sperling, the production will be presented
JN What do you consider among your
May 11-13 and 18-20 at the Detroit Film
most significant accomplishments?
Theatre in the Detroit Institute of Arts.
RS: We've had the opportunity to

perform for two
presidents (Bill
Clinton and Barack
Obama) and a vice
president (Al Gore)
at the White House
and the Kennedy
Center. We've toured Cast members of Mosaic's Now That I Can Dance —
performances to 25
Motown 1962 portray the Marvelettes.
states and foreign
countries. We were
featured on the Today show and All Things
JN: How many kids have gone through
Considered as well as in American Theatre
your program?
magazine and the Wall Street Journal. We've
RS: There are approximately 800 who
won prestigious arts awards.
have gone through the performing com-
Ultimately, what we're really proud of is
pany and many thousands who have gone
that we have created a body of work of full-
through the different stage programs.
length plays that tell stories nobody else tells.
We don't have Jewish kids in the pro-
gram now, but we have in the past. It
IN: How has the company changed over does seem Jewish teens are starting to
the years?
get more involved in Detroit-based com-
RS: We are much more aware of mea-
munity service projects. We do an annual
suring our impact. Thanks to a grant,
performance at Hillel Day School to mark
we were able to have the University of
Martin Luther King Jr. Day. We want to
Michigan do a three-year study, which
continue outreach.
resulted in the Mosaic Model for Youth
Development Through the Arts. It's used
IN: Are you doing any summer pro-
by organizations across the country to
grams?
develop their own programs.
RS: Of special excitement is taking 20
of our singers to compete in the World
IN: Have the economic problems in
Choir Games in July in Cincinnati, the first
Detroit affected your organization?
American city to host the event. We're tak-
RS: We have seen, as most nonprof-
ing 20 actors to do a weeklong residency
its have, significant drops in donations
at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival,
from corporations and foundations. Our
where we've been invited to be at their
contributed revenue dropped by 30 per-
school and see plays. ❑
cent — although now it's down about 20
percent — from where it was before the
Now That I Can Dance – Motown
national economic crisis.
1962 will be performed May 11-13 and
We're serving fewer young people and
18-20 at the Detroit Film Theatre in
can't do a full renovation of our space. We
the Detroit Institute of Arts. Show
keep upbeat because of all the incredible
times: 8 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays and
young artists who work with us. We have
4 p.m. Sundays. $12-$20. (313) 833-
energy and chutzpah to make up for what
4005; www.mosaicdetroit.com .
we lack.

ews

Nate Bloom

Special to the Jewish News

Filmed In A2

Opening Friday, April 27, is the roman-
tic comedy The Five-Year Engagement.
The film opens in San Francisco, where
Tom (Jason Segel, 32) and Violet
(Emily Blunt) have
fallen in love and get
engaged. Violet is
Catholic, and Tom is
Jewish, which pro-
vides fodder for a
scene in which their
respective fathers
Jason Segel
(David Paymer, 57,

56 April 26 • 2012

plays Tom's dad) argue about religious
wedding traditions.
However, the marriage is put off
when Violet gets her dream job at the
University of Michigan. The job is only
supposed to last two years, but it is
extended to five. Meanwhile, wedding
plans are repeatedly put off as Tom
unhappily works at a bakery (filmed
at Zingerman's – the film's Michigan
scenes were really filmed in Michigan).
Alison Brie (Community), 29, plays
Violet's sister. The screenplay is by
Segel and Nicholas Stoller, 36, who
also directed.
By the way, Stoller's father-in-law is
Nicholas Delbanco, 70, a well-known

novelist of German Jewish/Sephardic
ancestry. He was director of the MFA
Program at U-M until his retirement
in 2002.

Major Leaguers

The following is a list of Jews in the
Major Leagues as of April 18:
Ryan Braun, 28, outfielder,

Milwaukee, the 2011 National League
MVP; Craig Breslow, 31, pitcher,
Arizona; Ike Davis, 24, first base, Mets;
Scott Feldman, 29, pitcher, Texas;
Ian Kinsler, 29, second base, Texas;
Jason Marquis, 33, pitcher, Minnesota;
Kevin Youkilis, 33, first base, Boston;
and Danny Valencia, 27, third base,

Minnesota.
Braun, Kinsler and
Feldman are the sons
of Jewish fathers/
non-Jewish mothers.
Valencia and Davis
have Jewish moth-
ers. The rest of the
Danny
players have two
Valencia
Jewish parents.
Look for these
players, who had some Major League
time last season, to possibly be called
up: Josh Satin, 27, second base, Mets;
and Ryan Lavarnway, 24, catcher,

Boston.

❑