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NINA•MCLEMORE

At Home In The
'Cuckoo's Nest'

Huntington Woods doctor and actor
brings role to life.

Aaron Filipski
Special to the Jewish News

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18

September 10 • 2015

e's already a well-respected
pediatric urologist, associate
professor, tech junkie, Star
Wars charity costumer, magician and,
excuse the understatement, devout fam-
ily man. And now Dr. Kevin Feber can
squeeze "actor" onto the list.
The 45-year-old resident of
Huntington Woods is
slated to make his sec-
ond stage appearance
in Ridgedale Player's
upcoming production
of One Flew Over the
Cuckoo's Nest in Troy.
His return to the stage
is an all-too-common
tale. Like many who
dabble in community
theater, he contracted
the "stage bug" — a
guarantee that local
Dr. Kevin Feber
theatergoers haven't
seen the last of him.
Feber recalls his
first appearance on stage as Issachar in
Ridgedale's 2012 production of Joseph

and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,
a show in which his wife and daughters
also performed.
'All the rehearsals in the world can't
prepare you for the thrill of being on
stage on opening night, under the lights,
in front of a packed house; I was hooked
immediately," he said.
This time around, Feber is bringing
life to Scanlon, a maniacal, paranoid
ward of the state who fantasizes about
blowing things up, but has no real means
or intention to do so. Like the other sup-
porting "cuckoos:' he undergoes a trans-
formation in the presence of the ward's
newest patient, R.P. McMurphy.
Although this production marks Feber's
second appearance on stage, he's no
stranger to performance. In high school,
he practiced magic, and as a college stu-
dent the busboy-turned-magician made
extra cash performing tableside at local
bars and restaurants.
Feber's also a card-carrying member
of the 501st Legion, an international
organization with local chapters whose
members don authentic Star Wars cos-
tumes for charitable causes.
But despite his packed schedule, he
always puts his family first. To the

extent possible, Feber schedules his
activities to coincide with those of his
children, Gabrielle, 15, and Rebecca,
12. His youngest daughter makes a brief
appearance on the stage in the current
production of Cuckoo's Nest.
"Sharing interests with my kids is
a great way to stay connected with
them, especially while carrying such a
demanding schedule. I figure as long
as they still want me to hang around, I
will. You only get one shot
at being there for them,"
he said, "and I'm going to
take
His daughters' interests
in theater are what brought
him to Ridgedale, and his
dedication to family togeth-
erness is what keeps him
there, frequently working
behind the scenes with his
wife, Lisa, in the tech booth
during the youth shows. He
also served on the theater's
board of directors, where he
advocated on behalf of the
children's productions.
From the start, he was impressed with
the sense of community at the Troy-
based theater.
As a condition of membership,
Ridgedale emphasizes serving the play-
house in some capacity or another, and
when you see the incredible fruits of
their collective efforts, you can't help but
want to be part of it:' Feber said. "They
do really great things:'
Charity and service to others is what
drives Feber and his family, who worship
at Temple Emanu-El and Aish Detroit,
both in Oak Park.
Their efforts at the theater don't go
unnoticed. "The Febers are an enormous
asset to Ridgedale," says longtime mem-
ber Julie Scott. "They're always more
than willing to offer their help and sup-
port. They epitomize what's great about
the Ridgedale community:'
The hard work of Kevin and the other
cast and crew will be on display Fridays,
Saturdays and Sundays, Sept. 11-27.
The theater is located at 205 W. Long
Lake Road in Troy. Tickets are available
through ridgedaleplayers.com or by call-
ing (248) 988-7049.
Asked whether audiences will see
him on stage again after the current
run, Feber laughed and replied, "It's a
safe bet:'

❑