Banding together
Army Community Theatre
By John Berger
musicians make it a real
community effort
Special to the Star-BulletinAnything Goes: Presented by Army Community Theatre. Opens today, performances 7:30 p.m. Thursday-Saturday through May 23, Richardson Theatre. Tickets, $6-$15. Call 438-4480 or 438-5230.
As the economy crumbles community theater feels the pain. Government subsidies are being cut and cut again. Corporate support and voluntary donations from individuals are down. Artistic directors, set designers and musical directors are being forced to make do with less money -- sometimes, no money at all. Lina Jeong Doo has been doing that for years at Army Community Theatre.
Doo will be in the orchestra pit this evening as ACT's production of "Anything Goes" opens at Richardson Theatre. It's her 15th appearance as musical direc-tor/conductor of a volunteer orchestra in an ACT show. She still marvels at the depth of talent that answers the call.
"These guys are so good that they make me look good," she said Monday evening as the troops were warming up for rehearsal.
"A lot of them were music majors in college, or they were in marching band, so they've invested a lot of time in learning to play. They've gone into other professions but maintained their skills, so although they're not 'professional musicians' they play from the heart and they're as just as competent."
For her first ACT production eight years ago, Doo was given a list of previous volunteers. Maintaining the talent pool takes constant work. People leave Hawaii, their work schedules change, other interests take precedence. One show opened with a hastily assembled group of replacements after an emergency military deployment scattered the original roster.
The current list includes teachers, a copyright lawyer, retired professional musicians, a UH astronomer, a Salvation Army counselor, students, military band personnel, a T-shirt designer, and a pacemaker specialist who advises physicians during open heart surgery.
"There's a core of musicians who are always ready to play because the music in these shows is really interesting stuff. This is the only theater in town that has a full orchestra and that's another thing that makes these ACT shows unique. They get a chance to play these beautiful old songs and add to the (actors') performance. They're not like a live karaoke machine where you put the music in front of them and they play. If someone misses a line on stage they make the adjustment. If I ask them to play down (to accommodate a singer) they do."
Doo is always looking for interested musicians, but emphasizes that this is not a high school theater program or a learn-to-play-show tunes community center situation. You must be able to read as well as play music. The hours are long but the camaraderie is strong. The first Saturday show concludes with a potluck party.
"It's a nice thing that all of us can get together and socialize as well as sharing in the creative process. Yes, a show needs a musical director, but if you don't have the rapport with the orchestra it's not going to happen either. These guys have a commitment to live musical theater that isn't about money. I feel very fortunate that they follow me."
