Community theater: playing nearby tonight

The curtain opens. Location: your home. Time: the weekend. Family member No. 1: What do you want to do tonight?

Narrator: How about dinner and a show?

Family member No. 2: We went to the movies last week.

Narrator: Nice, but I am talking about community theater live on stage — musicals and plays.

Family members react approvingly.

There are many ongoing community theater productions around you all the time. Excellent talent is anxiously waiting in the wings, ready to take the stage and entertain you with their singing, acting and dancing. Here’s the plan: Why don’t you and your family go out for dinner and then head to your nearby community production for a great night out? Show tickets are generally very pleasantly priced and available at the door. As a bonus, there is not a lot of travel time involved. So get up, get going and get out to enjoy, and support, your local theater.

Community theater is an excellent way to introduce youngsters to the wonders and magic of the live stage. Get there early and you can usually sit close to the action; better than 3D. You might be surprised how attentive children can be at live performances. After the show, many performers are available for a quick hello, picture and autograph. Your youngest one couldn’t quite make it through the entire second act? Well, maybe next time. It is not a major investment, and one act is always better than none.

You probably know many of the shows and a lot of the music. Have you ever sung “Luck Be a Lady Tonight” while driving down to Atlantic City? Why not hear and see it sung live during a local performance of “Guys and Dolls?” Did you ever have trouble with a capital “T” right there in your town or (South) River City? No? Good. But why not go and see fast-talking Professor Harold Hill tell you all about pool and other corrupting evils as he scams and sings in “The Music Man?” If you didn’t get enough to eat for dinner, maybe a bit of “Oliver” will fill you up. Perhaps you would prefer the emotions evoked in “To Kill A Mockingbird” or “NUTS?” Or do you like plays with light and funny fare, such as “Love, Sex and the IRS,” and “Catch Me If You Can”? The hills are alive with “The Sound of Music,” and so much more, right around the corner from you.

Seating varies from venue to venue. “Honk” was performed on a high school stage with pullout bleachers. “High School Musical” was performed at a parochial school with folding chairs and a temporary built-up stage. Main Street Theatre (Sayreville/ Old Bridge) is a former synagogue with nice chairs around a dozen or so intimate tables. The newly revived Marlboro Community Players perform in their local high school auditorium with about 500 plush stadium seats. Should you expect colorful and elaborate costumes, full-bodied music, and a cast of talent that often ranges from seasoned seniors to energetic youngsters? Absolutely. Well, at least most of the time. Schools use their students, of course. It is OK if your children are grown and out of the nest. Schools will still welcome you in their audience. Local theater draws talent from all over. It is not unusual to see several generations of talent on stage.

Some venues have a fundraising 50-50 raffle where guests buy tickets for a chance to win half of the total pot. The other half goes to the production company. Beverages and light snacks are often available during intermissions. GB Productions (at St. Thomas the Apostle School, Old Bridge) offers chop block, a scrumptious pizza-type food. Don’t eat too much — there’s a second act to see.

One cannot help the natural tendency to compare local theater (even regional professional productions) with the pinnacle of theater — Broadway. That is like comparing professional sports with college or high school teams. Yes, there are differences, but also a lot of similarities. Do college and high school (middle school, too) players and performers give it their all, their best? Absolutely. Indeed, many school games and events are very exciting and entertaining. It is easy to get lost in the moment and enjoy the show in front of you.

There is a lot of talent, those aspiring to Broadway and those content to perform locally, all around us. They rehearse long hours over many weeks — lines, lyrics, choreography and blocking — before stepping onto the stage to entertain you. And while the cast is preparing, the stage manager, costumer, prop master, set designer, lighting and sound engineers and music director are all doing their parts. Many productions will have a few live musicians. Some productions may have a large “pit” orchestra with up to a dozen or more musicians.

Gathering a group to go to a show can turn an evening out into a memorable event. For my son’s ninth birthday we invited some of his friends to go see his older sister in “Tom Sawyer.” Ten boys, known to be somewhat rowdy, were transformed into perfect audience members. They got it. They cheered and clapped, and booed (the bad guys) and reacted appropriately at all the right moments. We brought a birthday cake, and after the curtain call, the cast and audience sang my son “Happy Birthday.” It was a special event. Many of those former youngsters still regularly see shows.

When friends visit from out of town, or out of country, my wife and I often take them to a local show. A show never fails to be a hit. For many, even locals, it is different and a treat. We often hear from those in the area, “Wow, I never knew this was here,” or, “I didn’t know we had such good talent right here.” Yes, we do. And so do you. A few words of caution are needed, though. Community theater is addicting. The symptoms are unmistakable. You begin marking your calendar with upcoming show dates; tickets are purchased in advance. Dinner reservations made. I’ve seen it all before. In rare cases some theatergoers have even caught a case of the auditions. Yep. Some have been known to go from the audience on to the stage.

How do you find out about all of this going on all around you? Try starting with an Internet search: [Your town name] community theater. Your local papers will have some postings. For schools, check the school website. Afew possibly useful sites are www.NJTheatre.Org; www.NJTheatre- Alliance.Com; www.Curtainrising.Com; www.FunNewJersey.Com (Theatre and Plays); and www.KidsGuide.Com. Some shows place placards around the community, so keep an eye out.

Are you ready to see a show? The audience is milling around in the lobby. The show’s producer is among them, meeting, mixing and greeting. A cue is given to open the house, and everyone moves in to find their seat. In the distance you hear musicians tuning up. Backstage the performers have completed their group warmups and are doing their individual preshow routines. The prop master is double-checking all stations: “A place for everything and everything in its place.” The costumer is frantically sewing on one more button. The lighting is set; the audio, too. Backstage a group prayer is more motivational than spiritual. Cast and crew are awaiting final word from the stage manager, who is… well, completely nuts right now— everywhere all at once and no GPS can locate her.

Act I, Scene I performers quietly position themselves in the wings. The show is about to start. Everyone is glad you made it just in time. There is a good seat over to the right, stage left, which is just right for you. Settle in and get comfortable. The house lights fade to black and the curtain opens. A single soft spotlight shines center stage onto a black metal stand holding a white card with ornate letters that read: Enjoy the Show!

Gregory D.V. Holmes is a trial attorney practicing in New York City and living in New Jersey. He runs a part-time photography business with his wife, specializing in theater, and is the photographer-inresidence at the Main Street Theatre Company, Parlin.