It’s all an act
at Fox Chase School

By William Kenny
Times Staff Writer

Kids aren’t the only ones who lose when opportunities to participate in community theater are scarce. Adults miss out on a whole lot too, advocates of the centuries-old storytelling tradition maintain.
But kids and adults in the Fox Chase community don’t face that problem, especially as the Actors’ Group continues to grow with each passing year.
The 11-year-old troupe’s presentation of Stephen Sondheim’s Into the Woods debuted last weekend in the Fox Chase School auditorium and will conclude on Dec. 7 and 8 at 7:30 p.m. The neighboring Fox Chase Recreation Center sponsors the Actors’ Group, which counts more than 320 area residents among its alumni.
The production is the group’s third of 2007 and marks its first fall musical in recent years. Many of the 26 performers are longtime veterans of the troupe who don’t get paid but earn plenty of satisfaction for their commitment to the stage.
"Normally, we do two shows a year, one adult show for high school (age) and above in the fall, and in the spring we do a kids’ show," said founding director Joseph Laub.
Like many amateur theater organizations, the Actors’ Group has spent most of its energies staging musicals. But for the fall "adult" show this year, Laub opted to put on the Neil Simon drama Lost in Yonkers.
Apparently, that left the singers in the group longing for another musical. Into the Woods fits that bill and features a wide range of performers, some as young as 11 and some who are in their 50s.
"We have some people who have been in our shows before, and some kids who want to be in every show we do," Laub said.
Into the Woods uses kid-friendly characters and storylines to communicate an eminently mature message, according to the director. It is an adaptation of a book of the same title written by James Lapine and based on the Brothers Grimm fairy tales.
The musical, which opened on Broadway in 1989, features familiar characters from a multitude of Grimm tales — including Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Jack from Jack and the Beanstalk, Rapunzel, the Baker and the Baker’s wife — but in an unfamiliar context.
"It’s not like a fancy, happy story like Disney has," Laub said. "There’s more of a twist. People die in this show."
In the first of two acts, each character fulfills his or her ageless quest. Cinderella gets her handsome prince. Rapunzel escapes her tower. Jack slays the giant and takes his gold. Red Riding Hood escapes the wolf. The Baker and his wife conceive a child.
But in the second act, the characters learn that achieving their self-centered objectives merely invites additional trouble. "All of the characters connive to get what they want, and they don’t realize the consequences," Laub said. "Everything looks great at the end of Act One, and in Act Two, everything falls apart."
Members of the cast have been rehearsing for weeks to ensure that the same thing doesn’t happen to them. Actually, there are two casts, although some performers appear in both.
Morene Freedman and Bud Madden are two of the senior cast members. For both, the Actors’ Group has been a great way to develop their performing skills and spend time with their children. Madden’s daughter Renée is a former member of the troupe, and Freedman’s daughter Rachael is still involved. Rachel plays Red Riding Hood in this show.
"I got sucked into this through (Renée)," said the 56-year-old Madden. "I was the door guard in 2002. Then they did the Sound of Music, and my daughter was hesitant about auditioning for the lead. I said, ‘If you audition, I’ll audition. The worst-case (scenario) is you don’t get the lead and you get to laugh at me for six months."
Renée got the part of Marie on one cast, and Bud got the part of Capt. Von Trapp in the other cast, despite having no singing experience.
When his daughter moved on to college, Madden stepped away from the troupe. But when he heard about Lost in Yonkers, he signed up again. Madden likes collaborating with younger performers in the current production.
"It’s good working with kids because they bring a freshness to the roles, while adults, whether we’re actors or not, we’re more jaded," he said. "There’s nothing like seeing a kid who at first is doing the lines (shyly), then grows in confidence."
Morene Freedman views her time with the Actors’ Group as a way to escape to a different world for a while, although it’s hard work as well. Into the Woods is her eighth show, and it’s her daughter’s 14th with the group.
"It’s my therapy," said Morene Freedman, who works as a credit manager. "And I went to school for it. I went to school for acting, and now I’m a bookkeeper."
Freedman and her daughter have developed many strong personal relationships through the troupe.
"It’s a great outlet and a great way to form friendships," she said. "(Rachael) has met so many friends — good friends."
Laub hopes that the good word of mouth continues to spread and attract new blood into the fold. "We always like having new members (come) in. We like that a lot," the director said. "I still think we’ve only hit the top of the iceberg. The hope is that more and more people will see us and say, ‘I want to be involved.’"
For tickets and information about the Actors’ Group, call 215-742-7753. ••
Reporter William Kenny can be reached at 215-354-3031 or bkenny@phillynews.com