Come get your gleek on
Broadway stars will help teens hone their theater skills
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For teenagers, breaking a leg might just sound like the worst way to spend summer vacation.
Not so for "gleeks."
And they and anyone else who has interest in theater will have a chance to break a leg this summer at Glee Club.
Inspired by the hit television show "Glee," the program will allow teenagers to hone their theater skills under the direction of professional actors in workshops across the North Shore, culminating in in a musical review featuring both the young participants and the pros.
"I'm really excited about working with the kids over the summer," said Stony Brook University theater arts professor Valeri Lantz-Gefroh, who developed the Glee Club along with Marie Danvers, a Broadway actress who performed as Christine in "Phantom of the Opera."
Ms. Lantz-Gefroh said the program will incorporate musical numbers from "Glee" -- a FOX series about a group of high school students who play out their lives through musical numbers -- into workshops for 7th to 12th graders. The workshops will include direction in singing techniques, dance choreography and pre-professional expectations, she said. Instructors will include Ms. Danvers' husband, Rob Gallagher, who played Javert in "Les Miserables" and is currently performing in "South Pacific." Classical pianist Jackson Kohl will accompany the ensemble.
Ms. Lantz-Gefroh is a Rocky Point resident and actor who performed in classical repertory companies. She said she and Ms. Danvers, who is also an adjunct professor at Suffolk Community College, came up with the concept earlier this year while brainstorming about how they'd like to spend their summer vacations.
From there, everything just fell into place.
The first workshop will kick off at the Long Island Ninjitsu Center in East Islip. The second will be hosted by the North Shore Youth Council at Joseph A. Edgar School in Rocky Point. Additional workshops will follow in Mount Sinai. Shoreham and other locations.
Janene Gentile, executive director of the council, recognized the program as a constructive way teenagers can spend their time and learn to express themselves creatively.
"It's just a really good, safe alternative to doing crazy things in the street," Ms. Gentile said.
There will be a total of six workshops, each one week long. Each workshop cost $150 and will culminate in a small performance.
"I think it is a huge opportunity," Ms. Lantz-Gefroh said. "When does a 12- to 18-year-old get to work with a Broadway star for $150? It's amazing. There's a camp in New York City but it is $695 for a week."
peggy@northshoresun.com
Interested? Dates and locations: Week 1: July 12-16, East Islip, 9 a.m. to noon; Week 2: July 19-23, Rocky Point, noon to 3 p.m.; Week 3: July 26-30, Mount Sinai, 9 a.m. to noon; Week 4: Aug. 2-6, Shoreham, 1 to 5 p.m.; Week 5: Aug. 9-13, TBA; Week 6: Aug. 16-20, Selden, 9 a.m. to noon. Final concert: Aug. 23, 8 p.m., Suffolk County Community College Ammerman Campus, Selden. For more information log on to www.gleeclubny.com, call Valeri Lantz-Gefroh at 631-721-6690 or e-mail at Val@gleeclubny.com
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