Making life better through the Arts often means having a place in which to make life better through the arts. There is no better example of this than community theaters which spring up in communities all across our country and provide a place for aspiring actors and retired actors to do, as I believe William Shakespeare once said, “put on your bravest suit of mirth.”
People ask me time and time again how and where they can go to get involved in theater in some capacity; a place where their love of theater can be furthered just for the fun of it. Thanks in large part to supportive city councils and city recreation programs, there are still a few companies where anyone can participate in basic community theater free of charge and with little or no experience. In these volunteer community theater programs, you can have fun, make new friends, maybe rekindle some old acting skills and even learn new and more effective skills, if you so desire.
In 1982, Charlotte Meyer (a former San Francisco Ballet set and costume designer) who lived in Orinda, learned that the Orinda Community Center was building an Amphitheater in the Orinda Community Park. She immediately jumped at the chance to seek out and become the artistic director of the new theatrical company in her own community to be known as Orinda Starlight Village Players. Over the years, while the little company has grown over the years, it still remains affordable, convenient, and a closely knit community theater company. Further, it is one of the few that has remained true to its original mission, that of providing a place for neophyte and reconstituted actors to be able to get on a stage in their own community and just plain have fun with a group of other people of like mind. Many of the early members still perform year after year in what they consider “their Orinda Theater,” small as it may be. Being small does not make it insignificant as occasionally professionals have emerged from the shadows of this very amphitheater. A former local actress, Julie Rubio, has now become one of the elite Hollywood Female Five, a group of award-winning female American film directors currently working in Hollywood. At one time, Julie Rubio performed on this very Orinda community theater stage. Anyone can do it. Take for example Dan Phillips, who grew up in Orinda and returned to Orinda after working in Columbus, Ohio as a chemistry professor. In a short time he found himself looking for something new and different and fun to do in Orinda. Dan had never had any previous experience in acting, other than attending live theater performances and having done some volunteer ushering in community theaters while in Columbus Ohio. An article appeared one day in the Orinda news explaining that the Starlight Village Players were looking for volunteers. It caught his attention and he sent an email to Jill Gelster, who invited him to drop by as preparations were being made for a new show. He was welcomed and felt comfortable with the group and very quickly he found joy assisting with the technical part of the show. Before long he got an opportunity to assume some acting assignments, and with the help of his fellow actors, he became an ardent and involved member of the theater company. He has acted in just about every show since that day four years ago, and says that he loves every minute of it. In my role as a theater reviewer and photographer, I was delighted with Dan’s role (as an aggressive street bead hawker) in the 2016 production of Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Nile. 
Today the opportunity is much the same as when Mr. Phillips first contacted the theater. If you might be interested in this fun filled opportunity to meet other people and perhaps try your wings as a neophyte actor or crew member, all you need to do is come to see their shows and/or offer to join in the creation process. Once you’ve become acquainted with the group you can take any part you’re comfortable with as an actor, set builder, painter, costume creator, or even selling tickets and refreshments to the shows’ audience. This means that any wannabe can become an experienced fun-loving member of this group, all while receiving the mentorship of other members who have been doing this for many years. All members (including people of all ages) volunteer their time and energy, as no one is paid in this basic nonprofit organization’s work. Those who come and experience and learn can do so free of any fees or financial obligation. You too can do this by simply making a phone call to Administrative Director, Jill Jester, at (925) 528 – 9335 or by sending an email to info@orsvp.org .
Their production season for this year begins on June 1st, with an Agatha Christie mystery, A Spider’s Web. Then, Dave Freeman’s comedy, Kindly Keep It Covered, opens on July 20th, followed by P.G. Wodehouse’s 1927 comedy of mannerly romance, Good Morning Bill. Tickets are a very reasonable $20 for adults, $10 for seniors and students, and may be purchased with cash at the theater ticket booth located at the Orinda Community Center Park amphitheater just prior to theater openings. You can also purchase tickets online through Gold Star discount ticket sales.
Another small local community theater company, Onstage Theatre Company, which I first became acquainted with many years ago, was located in what had been an old school house on Oak Park road in Pleasant Hill. Helen Means and her husband Don, who dearly loved Community Theater, had formed their own little company and warmly welcomed all newcomers to see and/or participate in their shows. Similar to the Orinda Starlight Village Players, this little theater company started with the same premise; you can have fun while supporting inexpensive community theater that fosters the same opportunity for adults, youngsters, and seniors to experience the joy of performing on stage or being involved in the process. Their old school house theater eventually was closed by the city of Pleasant Hill due to earthquake safety concerns and the company moved to the Campbell Theater in Martinez. Several people that my wife and I have admired as accomplished community local actors include Jerry Motta, Loren Combs, Sal Russo, Babette Bilger, and Eddie Peabody, all who have nurtured their volunteer acting careers in this same little theater company.
I recently learned that Eddie Peabody began his love of theater through an elementary school acting experience that is almost identical to the story I covered in my January issue of this magazine about Moraga’s Miramonte high school drama instructor, Heather Cousins. It turns out that when Eddie was 11 years old he was in the same fourth grade class with Heather, where their teacher used William Shakespeare’s play, Macbeth, to introduce her students to the brilliant writing skills of this Elizabethan author. Eddie too had been shy.
Due to the fact that he had a lot of fun in this show, he began to discover just how valuable participation in this kind of group activity could be. He says that there were many positive experiences, including learning how to handle rejection, learning to speak up, coping with the fear of failure, internalizing the joy of successfully memorizing scripts, that had inspired him to perform in Community Theater. A few years later, he met the love of his life, Jennifer Lynn Brown, in Jim Kirkwood’s Diablo Valley College beginning drama class. Eddie is grateful to be employed full time by a swimming pool service company, which allows him the freedom to seek roles as both a volunteer actor and director in any community theater play that he wants, without having to depend on income from the theater company to support his love of this art.
I remember well Eddie’s sterling performance as Mr. Darcy in Pride and Prejudice in Concord’s B8 Theatre, alongside Becky Potter in 2012. As a foot note to this story, it turns out that Eddie is currently directing two shows over the next few months in these same two theaters. A Funny Little Thing Called Love by writers Jessie Jones, Nicholas Hope, and Jamie Wooten will be presented by the Onstage Theater Company, now the resident theater company in the Campbell Theater at 636 Ward Street in downtown Martinez, starting on May 11th. Tickets are equally reasonable here at $19 for adults, $16 for seniors and $12 for children. Call (925) 518-3277 or visit their webpage at www.campbelltheater.com.com for tickets or additional information. Then, on August 31st, P.G. Wodehouse’s 1927 comedy Good Morning Bill, will open in the Starlight Village Players theater in Orinda’s Community Park Amphitheater at #28 Orinda Way.
The point of this story is how important these theater companies are to the residents in so many ways. They promote safe, clean, inexpensive, wholesome avenues of entertainment, with opportunities for personal growth and personal connection to strengthen the healthy connective fibers of citizens, and to help Make life better through the Arts!
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