Cranking up the footlights

The Cary News - February 7, 2002

Cary Players would be the town's first adult theater company.
by Lisa Coston

Dan Martschenko has lived in Cary for most of his life and has several years of experience as an actor and director in college and beyond. Last year, thinking he'd like to get involved in local theater, he picked up the Cary telephone book."There's really nothing in Cary for adults and there's so much talent in Cary," Martschenko said. He figured the time might be right to change things.

Martschenko is teaming up with fellow Cary resident Herman LeVern Jones to launch -- with a little help from the town -- an adult theater group called the Cary Players Inc.

Martschenko, who earned a bachelor's degree in dramatic arts from UNC-Chapel Hill and writes on the side of his job in software sales, serves as chief executive officer for the group and Jones is president. Jones, who holds a master of fine arts degree in acting from UNC-Chapel Hill and has done Ph.D. work at New York University, has more than 25 years of theater experience as an actor, director and college teacher; he serves as artistic director of the Southeast Raleigh School of the Arts he founded in 1993 and CEO of Raleigh-based Herman LeVern Jones Theatre Consultant Agency.

The pair did a little research, and by their calculations, there's an incorporated theater group for every 32,000 people in North Carolina. "Here's Cary with 100,000 people and no incorporated group. It's past time that Cary had its own theater group," Martschenko said. "It's a well-educated community with people who love the arts. We want to not only help people develop their talents, but also give them a way to showcase them."

The group was incorporated in October as a nonprofit; received its first funding in December via a $1,000 Lazy Daze grant to get started; has a board of directors and a business plan; has gotten some advice from other Triangle groups; and hopes for an autumn debut with its first performance, Thornton Wilder's "Our Town."

Jones and Martschenko figure there are plenty of Cary people involved in theater programs in Raleigh and elsewhere who'd love something closer to home. The group will be aimed at adults, but some shows will include youth roles. "Things are moving along pretty quickly," Martschenko said. "Through word-of-mouth, we've already got 30-plus people who have indicated interest. That's just scratching the surface."

Several information sessions are planned. Anyone who might be interested in getting involved -- as anything from an actor to an usher -- is invited. The town is providing meeting space, advice and help getting the word out about the new group. The biggest challenge facing the Cary Players right now is the "where." "We're approaching this in a similar way to the forming of the Concert Singers of Cary several years ago," said Lyman Collins, cultural arts supervisor for the town of Cary. "The first step is to see what the interest level is. We frequently get calls about adult theater opportunities. We're happy to work with them."

Forming an adult theater group is something that has been talked about, off and on, for some time in Cary. Several factors make this, perhaps, a good time: the continuing growth and success of Applause! Cary Youth Theater, which presented its fifth show in the fall; the success of smaller adult performance opportunities such as last summer's Broadway Love Songs; last year's opening of the Amphitheater at Regency Park, which helped put Cary on a higher-profile cultural map; and the growth of various arts groups in town.

The question of where the Cary Players would perform is a big one. Eventually, the group hopes to have a regular home. Applause! has presented recent productions in Cary Academy's 500-seat theater. The Amphitheater at Regency Park also is available to groups when not in use by the N.C. Symphony or scheduled for touring events, and Sertoma Amphitheater in Bond Park has also hosted out- door performances. But for the most part, performing arts events take place in public schools and community centers.

"We're in the process of selecting consultants to do a study of facilities needs [for Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources Department] including performing arts," Collins said. "We're very interested in that process," Martschenko said. "This group might help drive the need for better facilities. It's up to us to show that there's interest and we can be successful." For now, Martschenko is seeking space to rent or borrow.

The other big challenge is raising money. The Cary Players plan to reach out to individuals, businesses and other groups for financial and in-kind donations; there's a menu set up for annual membership levels ranging from $25 to $10,000-plus tied to benefits such as tickets, program recognition, and discounts for workshops and classes the group hopes to offer. "We want to put on quality shows," Martschenko said. "We don't want to just do everything on a shoestring."

The date for the first show hasn't been set, but the group aims for fall. They chose "Our Town," the Pulitzer Prize-winning classic that debuted in 1938, somewhat as a symbolic gesture as a new Cary group. The second show, a performance of William Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night," is planned for spring 2003 with a summer comedy likely rounding out the first season.

Eventually, Martschenko said, the Cary Players might do five or six shows a year, perhaps including original works by local writers, maybe drawn though an annual scriptwriting contest, and shows that reflect the area's growing diversity. "We want to build something that will endure," Martschenko said.