Upstage Players to go Technicolor
Thursday, April 02, 2009
Upstage's new home is the Slovenian Workmen's Home, 15335 Waterloo Road in Cleveland. The group's leadership is thrilled to be at that locale.
"Theater is alive and flourishing on Waterloo Road," said the theater troop's artistic director Carrie Walsh-Hilf. "All of the artistic organizations on this
street have embraced us. Jerry Schmidt, who has the Waterloo 7 art gallery was wonderful. He hosted a fund-raiser for us. The Slovenian home has
also been very welcoming to us."
Walsh-Hilf said the stage upon which Upstage will perform has been dark about 20 years and that the Slovenian Home management is happy to
have activity within its walls once more.
"They have an ancient fly system here (mechanicals above the stage) that all still work perfectly. Our lighting and sound operator John Perovsek,
who's Slovenian and from this area, was able to translate all the instructions for us that are written on the stage's the pulley system."
Bernadette Walsh, the former Euclid councilwoman who founded Upstage Players, spoke about Waterloo Road, which features art galleries, the
Beachland Ballroom and music stores, now adding live theater.
"All of this shows that artists can make a collaborative community come alive," she said.
From April 3-5, this year's cast of young actors, ages 5-17, will present "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat." Cast members hail from
Euclid, Mayfield Heights, Cleveland, Willougby and Eastlake.
"It was the play we did our first year when we started at St. Jerome's (Church)," Walsh-Hilf said. "That was in 1986. I was in that play as Simeon.'
I was in the seventh grade."
It was 15 years ago the troop moved to the Bratenahl Community Center, where it first took the Upstage Players name.
"This is basically a Bible story about Joseph and how he can interpret dreams and how his brothers get jealous of him because of that," Walsh-Hilf
said. "He ends up being a partial ruler of Egypt. It's a fun, upbeat musical."
"It's the first play (Andrew) Lloyd-Webber and Tim Rice wrote," Bernadette Walsh said. "It started as a 15-minute play for one of their kids at his
school."
"Joseph" features some offbeat components one might not expect from a Bible story. For example, the cast includes 1960's-style go-go dancers
and a pharaoh who is also part Elvis.
Joseph DeNardo, 11, of Mayfield Heights, plays the pharaoh, watching Elvis Presley in his movie "King Creole" and listening to the King's recordings
to get a feel for the character, which he plays in an outfit influenced by Elvis's 1970's jumpsuits.
"My dad is a big fan of Elvis, but I like him, too," said DeNardo, who appears to have the hip-swiveling part of his character down. "This is my first
time singing on a stage. The only time I've sung before this was in my room."
Rachel Kuklinca, 17, is an Upstage veteran. She is portraying two roles, "Potiphar's wife," a seductress trying to woo Joseph, and the good spouse
"Rueben's wife."
"That's the best thing about this place (Upstage)," Kuklinca said of the challenge of playing two diverse roles in one play, "they teach you how to
do things like this."
Kuklinca, a Euclid High School student who plans to major in theater in college, said she's love being part of Upstage.
"You become a whole different person out there onstage," she said. "Everyone comes together and you become one giant family."
Upstage Players will present "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" at 7:30 p.m. April 3 and 4, and at 2:30 p.m. April 5.Tickets are $6
at the door. A special package is available before the April 3rd performance that includes wine and cheese, the Slovenian Workmen Home fish
fry and a play ticket for $21. Call (216) 731-5793. Call Piorkowski at (216) 986-5862.
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