When Elena Stremlin Svitavsky and her friend Elizabeth Rogers got together with some friends to found InterACT Productions early this year, their goal was to extend their love of the performing arts to the larger community around South Orange and Maplewood. And if InterACT’s upcoming production of "Godspell" is any indication, the founders have fulfilled that goal.
When the show opens at St. George’s Church Parish Hall on November 13th, there will be several family groups onstage together. Among the new family of players are Elena herself and her 7-year-old son, Ben. This is not the first time this mother and son have performed together. They also appeared in "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" at St. George’s - at Elizabeth’s behest -- last year.
Elena, who, according to family legend, began singing before she could talk, first met Elizabeth in voice class a few years back. Back then, Elena was a young mother looking to start exercising her musical talents after years of focusing on her education and career in Wall Street banking. At first she indulged her passion by becoming involved in musical activities with her small sons. As time went on, though, the lure of performing again proved irresistible and Elena found herself taking professional-level voice lessons with some well known teachers.
When Ben got big enough to join her, performing together seemed like the natural thing to do. Elena says Ben, who has been taking piano lessons for two years, "is thrilled to be making friends" as a member of the children’s chorus in the multi-generational "Godspell" cast. Ben apparently is committed to ensuring his mother’s success in her role as Gilmer, too. Elena reports that Ben "has learned his part quickly, moving on to help me run lines as well."
For Sarah Rosen and her husband Nahum Kianovsky, appearing in the show with their children is a dream come true. "We’ve always been a family who loves musicals, talks about them at length and tries to go see them whenever we can together," Sarah says. After spending almost five years away from performing, Sarah has taken on the role of Fern in "Godspell." Following a prolonged ordeal dealing with family health problems, she finally decided to audition at InterACT because of the joy and comfort she has always felt in the theatre. Sarah happily brought the children -- Dora, 8, and Nate, 6 -- to a Saturday audition when she noticed that the production included parts for children. She was certain they would enjoy the experience after spending a memorable summer at drama camp.
Nahum is a lawyer who has been known to strum a guitar around the house. He came along just to watch the rest of the family audition, though; he had never acted or sung in a show before. It wasn’t until the children began taunting him with "Come on, Dad! We want to see you humiliate yourself!" that Nahum decided to take the plunge. He admits that he is "way outside his comfort zone," but joins Sarah and the children in declaring that "we love being in the show together."
To see what these and other talented families can do, be sure to attend one of the "Godspell" performances during its 3-day run at St. George’s Parish Hall in Maplewood. Evening performances begin at 8:00 p.m. on Friday, November 13th and Saturday, November 14th. Families with little ones may want to attend a matinee at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, November 14th or Sunday, November 15th.
Tickets are available online at www.interactproductions.org or at the door. For more information, visit the website or call 201-259-1543.