By Ronald B. Hellman
The Parkside Players are not just another community theater company. Not only are they one of the longest−running groups in Queens at 28 years and counting, but their play selection is far from ordinary. Get over to their home in the outskirts of Forest Hills at the Grace Lutheran Church (off Union Turnpike and Metropolitan Avenue) and you’ll see displayed the covers of the programs of their great variety of shows.
Sure, they’ve done their share of Neil Simon — perhaps more than their share, with 12 of his plays produced so far, with number 13, “Barefoot in the Park,” opening Saturday – but they’ve also taken on Shakespeare (“The Taming of the Shrew” and “The Tempest”), MoliÉre (“The Imaginary Invalid”), two original works by Alan David Perkins (“Nobody Knows I’m a Dog” and “Second Bananas”), and a number of offbeat musicals, from “Stop the World … I Want to Get Off” to last season’s “The Cocoanuts.” And all at a modest ticket price.
A strong supporter of Parkside and one of its founders is Pastor Doug Haak, the religious leader of Grace Lutheran. The good pastor has even taken on a role or two, most memorably as the evil Harry Roat in “Wait Until Dark” — he had to get his congregation’s approval for that one. Most theater companies in Queens perform in churches or synagogues, sometimes in an uneasy relationship. For example, a difference of opinion was the undoing of Sharon and Bill Wolf’s Colonial Players at the Colonial Church in Bayside some years ago. But Parkside seems secure and comfortable at Grace Lutheran.
Another plus for the group is the loyalty and dedication of its membership. To maintain membership, you have to be involved in two of every three productions each year and must attend more than half of the seven annual meetings. So you will see a lot of familiar faces when you attend a Parkside show — either on stage, front of house or in the kitchen. The best−known greeter is the always upbeat Monte Sternfeld, who will know your name and ask about your family. It’s also a good place to find a spouse — at least three marriages have been formed between people who met at Parkside.
Parkside’s brand−new president is Kevin Schwab, a nephew of its first president, Kieran Larkin. In between there were a few others, until Glenn Rivano broke the term−limit barrier and served for 16 years. Glenn, unlike the typical local theater person, is not an actor but a lighting and technical guy, perhaps explaining why he lasted so long.
Along with the generational change at president, the new executive board consists of Alison Schwab and Steven Callahan. A member of Parkside since age 9, Kevin Schwab, a very accomplished actor and director, is a special educator at Bryant High School, the drama moderator at Archbishop Molloy High School and an adjunct professor of theater arts at Queens College.
If it’s around Thanksgiving or Memorial Day, you’ll be able to see a Parkside show, with one in between in February. The rest of the 2008−09 season, after this weekend’s “Barefoot in the Park,” is the thriller “Rope” and Stephen Sondheim’s groundbreaking musical “Company.”
The Parkside Players can be reached at 718−497−4922 and online at www.ParksidePlayers.com.
Contact Ron Hellman at RBH24@Columbia.edu.
