Los Angeles Times, Monday, April 22, 2002

Amateur Troupe Winning Fans Far and Wide

Glendale-A thriving community theater is wowing audiences and staging professional-level performances on a shoestring budget with largely inexperienced casts and crews.

The Stepping Stone Players--the brainchild of a group of PTA moms--is slowly but surely winning over skeptics and garnering acclaim.

"This is not your grandma's community theater. It's really exciting," said Korina Freedman, who recently signed on to direct Stepping Stone's third production, "Bye-bye Birdie."

It's where things are happening. This is really a burgeoning theater."

Susan Kussman, a veteran theater actress and producer, said she was leery when she was approached in 2000 to direct Stepping Stone's first production, "The Wizard of Oz," but her skepticism evaporated as the troupe sold out every performance.

"They try to get the best props, the best costumes. It's on of the most professional groups I have ever worked with," Kussman said.

"It's absolutely amazing. If they keep doing this kind of professional work, their reputation is going to grow. People are going to come see what they do."

Local residents already do -- in droves of 200 to 300 per performance -- at Hoover High School's auditorium, where Stepping Stone has found a home.

According to Lee Briggs, one of the theater founders and board members, some local talent scouts have even found their way to Stepping Stone shows and passed out business cards.

"Now we know we have made it big in Hollywood," Briggs joked during a recent interview held with other board members.

And since the theater group started providing American Sign Language interpreters last year, Stepping Stone has attracted a following in the deaf community as well.

Now the group is working on staging its third production, "Bye-Bye Birdie," which will run Sept. 6-15.

So far, some 300 people from as far away as Granada Hills and Westwood have expressed interest in getting involved in the production.

Buoyed by the public response, Stepping Stone's board of directors is considering launching an adult production in the near future.

Stepping Stone started in 2000 when a group of parents of students at Keppel Elementary, Toll Middle and Hoover High schools got together after watching a disappointing school talent show.

"Here we live in Los Angeles with all these actors. It doesn't seem like there is any good community theater, where the average Joe can get involved," said Frances Rothenberg, an ultrasound technologist.

"We want to show the kids there is more than Britney Spears," said Leslie Waltzer, a court reporter.

Stepping Stone raises funds for its productions via bake sales and imaginative events--this year it's "The Speakeasy" featuring a Roaring 1920s theme. Last year it was a masquerade ball.

To stage "Peter Pan," the group raised 24,000. This year the goal is to raise 29,000 to cover expenses for "Bye-Bye Birdie."

Although founding members of the group all have some theatrical background, they acknowledged it has been largely a learn-0as-they-go experience. And there have been many moments when they are paralyzed by fear that their productions would flop.

"This is a labor of love," Briggs said. "It's blood swear and tears. We have a lot of these."

Copyright 2002 The Los Angeles Times


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