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STAGES OF
OUR LIVES
A Personal Recollection And Tribute To MC Drama Students Who Went On
To Do Theatre Work After Leaving MC
By Peter Tesoriere
We all owe a huge
debt of gratitude to Brother Eugene Finlay, our mentor and inspiration,
who gave most of us our first exposure to stage work. He instilled a sense
of professionalism, quality, and showmanship, and just charged us with
creative energy that showed in every performance and every task in an
MC production. We carry on this legacy every time we step on a stage or
do some type of crucial task backstage. If our work has enriched someone
even a fraction of what Gene Finlay has done for us, it's all been worth
it!
PART SIX
Catch THIS If You
Can!
Way-Off Broadway continued to grow and MC'ers kept helping it along.
In May, 1980, I served
as Producer of the murder-mystery "Catch Me If You Can". Brian McCormack
and Karen Keppler Rowan headlined the cast, with a large dose of help
from MC tech wizards Peter Freni, John Saylor, and honorary MC'er and
former Dispatter Tony DeAngelo. A guy named DiSpigno helped out on audio.
Being a "Producer"
had many benefits, one of which was acquiring a large amount of memorabilia
that I normally would not have. For example, I have the original pencil
sketch by Pete Freni of the set design, all the publicity photo contact
sheets, and a load of undistributed programs (which E-Bay is looking for!)
"Catch Me If You Can" is one of those shows which is relatively quick
and easy to pull off -small cast, one set, contemporary setting, and low
overhead. Originally a French play entitled "Trap for a Lonely Man" and
then adapted to its present title in English, it was first presented in
1965 on the Broadway stage. Some years later it was adapted into a TV
movie starring Jack Klugman. Eventually it found its way to community
theatre playhouses. And MC theatre grads have caught this show numerous
times. In addition to W.O.B., MC'ers Denis Butler and Frank DiSpigno peformed
in the Dispat production of October, 1978, which also included Freni,
Saylor, Kokoszczynski, and myself putting up the set. More recently, in
October 2000. Frank DiSpigno and Peter Freni peformed in the Broadhollow
Players' production . You just can't stop these guys!
COMING SOON! At Long
Last, A Musical!
| DisPat,
1978 |
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| Way-Off
Broadway, 1980 |
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| Broadhollow
Players, 2000 |
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PART FIVE
What Are MC Drama
Grads Doing in Bayside?
Over the years, Queens
has seen many community theatre companies come and go. Companies that
endure have found the "formula" allowing them to maintain artistic and
creative integrity, attract and expand an audience, appeal to a wide range
of interests, stay financially sound, and draw from a diversified talent
pool. Sounds tough but it can be done.
The Way-Off Broadway
Theatre company was one such group. Having humble beginnings in the basement
rec room of a Whitestone co-op, W.O.B began to experience growth and move
up to bigger and better things. After 5 seasons of slow but steady growth,
W.O.B. took a big step forward when - you guessed it - MC drama grads
showed up!
MC'ers made their
first significant impression on WOB in May, 1979, with a production of
"The Front Page". Not only was the show itself raw and raucous, but our
cast still had some "high school hijinks" in them, making it a fun company
to be in (judging by some of the rehearsal tapes). Directed by Frank DiSpigno,
the cast and staff included Ben Fabrizi, Joanne Bogert DiSpigno, Brian
McCormack, Karen Keppler Rowan, John Saylor, and myself. As we shall see,
this was only the beginning of MC'er influence on W.O.B.
NEXT: "Catch" Your
Favorite Production!
The
Front Page photos and program
PART FOUR
Where It
All Started!
On April 28, 29, and
30, 1972, a dream had come true - MC drama grads returned to the MC stage
for a full production run! Dispat's production of "Don't Drink the Water"
re-united a host of grads on the MC stage - Freni, Bogert, DiGilio, DiSpigno,
Keppler, Farrell, Roger Penna and Brian McCormack (their Dispat debuts),
and myself, not to mention the tech and management skills of James "Sammy"
Davis, Mike Miano, Fred Kokoscynski, Bruce Lipkin, and Diane Tonneson.
The architects of Dispat, namely Mike Patalano (Director), Frank DiSpigno
(featured role), and Tony DeAngelo (set and light design), crafted a sterling
production on the MC canvass. Although the production was short on attendance,
it was a personal achievement for me to return to the MC stage, as well
as portray 2 characters in one show, something I repeated in years to
come. Dispat Productions continued to grow, developing its audience and
an experience, multi-faceted talent pool. The contribution of MC Drama
Grads played a significant role in its progress. However, there were other
mountains to climb in Queens.
Click
here to view Don't
Drink the Water photos and program
PART THREE
MORE DISPAT, MORE
MC!
Following it's unprecedented
success with "The Odd Couple", the Dispat company sought to repeat and
three-peat in 1971. It did, but not without a price. Dispat's second offering,
"Arsenic and Old Lace", at the St. Gabe Playhouse in April & May, reunited
more MC drama alumni - Karen Keppler, Bruce Lipkin, Peter Freni, Mike
Miano, to name a few - who joined returning MC/Dispatters DiSpigno, Fabrizi,
Sicari (sounds like a Sopranos casting call?), Bogert, Butler, and myself.
However, the company lost this venue due to some "pastoral" short-sightedness,
and our sponsors were just as sad as we were to part company. Dispat rebounded
later that year with a production of the classic "The Mousetrap" at the
St. John's (University) Little Theatre in December, 1971, with a nearly
all-MC cast (especially noteworthy was the reunion of Donna Farrell with
MC'ers) and some excellent tech and business support. And thanks to some
memory-jogging from Frank Dispigno, I almost forgot the most important
thing - "Mousetrap" marked the return of MC grads to the MC stage, if
only for one performance. It served as a fund-raiser for the upcoming
MC production of "The Wizard of Oz", whose cast members sold tickets to
raise cash.
Arsenic
and Old Lace photos and program
The
Mousetrap photos and program
PART TWO:
MC
GRADS FORM THEATRE GROUP!
This is what
a CresenTower headline might have read in the fall of 1970. The
success of "Broadway Highlights" provided motivation and inspiration
for further theatrical endeavors involving MC grads. One evening
after the curtain was drawn at Broadway Highlights, a group of people,
including myself, hung out at the Red Wagon diner. I became engaged
in a very intense conversation about the possibilities and probabilities
of starting a theatre group. One by one, things started to fall
into place - where to find a theatre, lighting, sets, publicity,
budget - and a strategy was developed which, several months later,
resulted in the debut of the first Dispat '71 production. The major
architects of this were Frank DiSpigno and Mike Patalano, for whom
Dispat was named, and Tony DeAngelo, a creative, insightful director
and actor. I had the privilege of being Dispat's first Stage Manager,
and later served on its Board of Directors along with fellow MC'ers
Denis Butler and Bruce Lipkin. Dispat's first show, "The Odd Couple"
opened on January 15, 1971 for a one-weekend run at the St. Gabriel's
auditorium. It featured an all-MC cast, an all-MC set, and a top-notch
tech staff that included MC'ers. Mike Patalano skillfully directed
leads Frank DiSpigno and Richard Sabellico, with a solid supporting
cast that included Ginger Digilio and Joanne Bogert as "the Pigeon
sisters". The work and influence of MC theatre department grads
helped launch Dispat Productions as it evolved into a top-notch
community theatre company, entertaining audiences all over Queens.
COMING SOON: MORE DISPAT, MORE MC!!
The
Odd Couple photos and program
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PART ONE
The time,
Spring, 1970. The place, St. Gabriel's church, Queens. I was
out of MC a year, going to college, and still going through withdrawal
from not having done a show since Music Man a year earlier. At
Sunday Mass my attention was captured by an announcement of a
musical variety show in my church that same day, directed no
less by Richard Sabellico and featuring a cast of MC performers.
So I arrived at the parish hall way ahead of curtain to catch
up and schmooze. Everyone was really busy doing last-minute prep
work, so I found myself engaged in conversation with an attractive
lady named Stella Kelly. She was telling me how she was supposed
to emcee the show, how she never did anything like this before,
and "why don't you read through these index cards Sabellico
gave me?" Next thing I know, I'm standing at the podium in near
darkness saying "Good evening and welcome to St. Gabriel's" while
Tony Leto and AJ Ronacher are doing light cues.
The show, Broadway
Highlights, was quite a success - a masterful combination of
MC talent spanning several shows and age groups, deftly directed
by Richard Sabellico. This show set the tone for things to come
in Queens community theatre. Stella, wherever you are, thanks for
helping revive an almost-dead career in community theatre.
|
Review
from Tower
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Broadway
Highlights
Musical Revue at St. Gabriel's program and photos
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