by Les Spindle
 |
n a recent Thursday evening at the
Rozann Zimmerman Ballet Center
in Chatsworth, eight-year old Ian
Meltzer listened carefully as his |
father, Joshua
Meltzer, rehersed him in a
scene.
"Remember to cheat out when you're
speaking. You don't want to upstage
yourself. And you have a beautiful smile,
but we don't want to see it in this particular
scene." Joshua is the founder/artistic
director of the Encino-based Young Actors
Company, and Ian is playing the lisping
moppet Winthrop in the YAC production of
Meredith Wilson's The Music Man, which
opens on July 23 in Northridge at the
California State University's new
Performing Arts Center.
The three-year-old YAC, which offers
three major musicals per year, is helmed
by Joshua and his wife Stacey Meltzer,
co-producer and publicist. According to
Joshua, the nonprofit group has a dual
purpose: to provide youngsters with
experience in stage performing, while
simultaneously teaching them important
life values, such as discipline, teamwork,
respect, and self-esteem. During a
rehearsal break, Joshua elaborated:
"There's no shortage of talent camps - as I
call them - in this town. There are many
places where kids can learn about acting.
But our group approaches the process of
preparing a production as a way for kids to
lean a little bit about themselves. It's about
having the self-confidence to see a project
through from beginning to end. Theatre is a
team sport, so I consider myself to be half
director and half coach."
To that, Stacey added, "Minus the
salary. We pay our musical director and
our choreographer, but Joshua, myself, the
associate producer, assistant director, and
stage manager are not paid." The
youngsters pay no fee to participate. Their
only expense are supplying their own
makeup and shoes. Joshua, who calls
himself "a third generation showbiz brat"
works as a television prop master,
currently in his fourth season on the NBC
sitcom Suddenly Susan, and Stacey
works for an entertainment industry CPA.
The group, with an annual budget of
$95,000, is funded via donations from
celebrities and other patrons, support from
local businesses, and through ticket
sales. Such celebrities as Brooke Shields
and Barbara Barrie are on the honorary
board of governors, while Mark Steines of
Entertainment Tonight and his wife,
actress Leanza Cornett (Miss America of
1992), are among the active board
participants. |
|
Young Ian is a prolific television actor,
but most of YAC performers are 16-25
years old and have little or no theatre
experience. The primary source for
audition notices is in Back Stage West.
Word of mouth has also proven effective.
Joshua explained that more than 85
youths auditioned for The Music Man,
and the final cast totals about 70.
Broadway veteran Robert Branzel serves
as musical director, conducting a
20-piece orchestra.
Stacey enthused, "Within one show,
we see people grow from A to M, and in
the next show all the way to Z. A lot of
our cast members have gone on to do
shows at such theatres as the Thousand
Oaks Civic Arts Plaza. The guy who
plays Tommy in this show is a
phenomenal dancer. He's never sung or
acted before, but he has a really nice
voice. When we cast him, he said "Can't
I just dance?" We assured him we'd
work with him, and - son of a gun- he's
now completely endearing onstage."
What are the group's future plans?
Joshua indicated, "I talked to Equity
about getting a Guest Artist contract. It's
something we want to pursue as the
company grows. We also have
champions in New York who would like
us to become bi-coast, because -
believe it or not - a program like this
does not exist there. Ultimately, I would
like for this to become a well-rounded
training arena serving more than just
actors. Technicians and musicians need
self-confidence, too. I also want to get a
film arm started, so we can teach basic
camera technique, auditioning for the
camera, and even create student films.
Meanwhile, the Meltzers feel that
what they are doing right now serves a
vital function. Joshua asserted, "I
personally have a bug with a lot of the
programs that charge a lot of money,
claiming that they're going to get your
kids work. We don't make those
promises. We give guidance and
experience.
Stacey added: "I always advise the
kids that if performing is their passion,
they need to start while they're in college
- audition, get pictures out, and set a
time limit. Have a fallback. Give it two
years. And if nothing happens, you gave
it your best shot. Our Marian the
librarian is a law student at Pepperdine.
Law student or actor? She still hasn't
decided. Now that's a hell of a fallback."
Tickets to "The Music Man," opening
July 23 at Cal State Northridge, are
available from the college ticket office at
(818) 677-2488 or at Ticketmaster
outlets. |
