BWW Interviews: Long Island Theatre's STAR Shines Bright
By: Brian Rivera Jan. 12, 2015
**DISCLAIMER: As of August 1st, 2015, Suffolk Theatre Arts & Recreation (STAR) has changed their name to Excelsior Theatre.
At 10:00 a.m. on a cold, Sunday morning in January, I arrived at Revelations Dance Center in Nesconset, NY, to sit in for a rehearsal of Suffolk Theatre Arts & Recreation's (STAR's) upcoming production of Jason Robert Brown's abstract "Songs for a New World," which saw its original Off-Broadway production take its final bow after a short-but-sweet three and a half week run at the WPA Theatre in 1995. The production is neither musical nor song cycle, yet sits on a comfortable in-between: each song is strung together by "the moment of decision," Brown often clarifies. Amateur productions of SFNW have been known to be quite polarizing for audience members of each respective local, whom don't often sense the medium of musical and song-cycle.
For STAR, among other local theatre companies, the challenge [with putting on any production, really,] lies within pleasing local audience members while also bringing something new to the table (within the guidelines of the respective theatrical licensing agreement, of course).
Companies like STAR find themselves drowning in a sea of a million and one LI amateur productions thrown together to make a quick buck. In contrast, STAR is adamant in their goal of being innovative with their respective approach to each show, while also creating an aesthetically pleasing theatrical escape for their spectators.
A video posted by ginaxxbina (@ginaxxbina) on Jan 11, 2015 at 9:49am PST
After a productive rehearsal (witnessed above), I sat down with the owners of STAR - Michael A. Creta (President), Brian Viccaro (Vice President), Michele Viccaro (Treasurer), and Nik Sorocenski (Secretary) - to achieve a better understanding of how exactly they plan on achieving this goal, and what motivated them to join the business of LI Theatre in the first place.
Well, to start with something general... how did your company get started?
Michael: Pretty much, Brian and I always wanted to put on shows together but we didn't really know how to go about it. I met Nik and he kind of got me more into theatre - community theatre - and I just thought it would be really cool to put on just a cabaret or something: a show that we could call our very own and stuff. One day, Michele was sitting on my couch and we were like, "Hey, we want to start this thing... Do you wanna get it on this?"... It just kind of grew from there.
Michele: The reason why it formed in the first place was because I knew Brian had a love for dance and theatre, along with Michael who had a love for music and singing; and as he said before, he met Nik and got into theatre... I came into the picture because I'm a dance teacher, and since he had this vision he came to me right away for another perspective. Of course, he's my cousin, and Brian is my brother, so I was like, "Absolutely!" Then when Michael met Nik, that's how Nik became part of, y'know, our little group, and it started.
Brian: Yeah, you can call us the Justice League - we've assembled... *laughs*
Michele: Also, we wouldn't even have a space or a home to call our own if it wasn't for Jaime Montana (Artistic Director of Revelations Dance Center). I worked here at Revelations Dance Center [as a dance teacher]; Brian and myself were students of Jaime. So, when we wanted to start this, she was the one that was like, "Use the studio." Without her, this wouldn't have started... well it would have started, it just would have been really different.
Michael: Yeah, we would've been in my basement. *laughs*
What, in your opinion, does STAR bring to the LI theatre community and/or theatre community as a whole?
Nik: I guess I'll answer this one... I think what we bring is definitely a breath of fresh air. I've done community theatre since I was eleven years old, so I've definitely experienced all different kinds of theatres all over the island. What I definitely like about what we've done is provide an honesty about the work. I think that's one of the most important things in order to grow as a performer, even with us. You need to be honest with one another 'cause you can't just let someone go on stage if you don't think it's working or if everyone's gonna enjoy it. That's what we strive for: to make sure everyone is the best that they can be. Yes, it's about having a good time, but it's also about honing your craft and making yourself better for more performances. That's what we've also continued to learn from all the performers that we've worked with so far.
Brian: Something that's different with me, personally, is that I don't really come from LI community theatre. Michele and I grew up dancing in a studio and that was our life... While I was at [Dean College in Franklin, MA] for my degree in Dance, I was heavily involved in the theatre department, so I would take everything I learned from college theatre and bring it back to Long Island. Then I'd just go, "Okay, but how can we make this our own entity? How do we not even worry about the other theaters and just do our own thing and be original?" Being original is probably one of the hardest things to do, nowadays, so...
Michael: I would also say that we're really family-oriented, in nature: we hold all the cast parties at my house, and we really make an effort to make the cast feel like a family. We strive to make everyone feel like they're at home.
A photo posted by Suffolk Theatre Arts & Rec (@stheatreartsrec) on Jul 17, 2014 at 7:43am PDT
Nik: We wanted to take away the whole competitiveness of LI theatre because sometimes it gets a little cut-throat and stuff like that... it's [the performing arts] so it's gonna be competitive in a way, but we want to make sure everyone feels comfortable at STAR.
Not that I expect you to spoil anything you don't want to spoil, but what can you tell BroadwayWorld.com about your upcoming production of "Songs for a New World?"
Michael: Damn, what can we tell you -
Nik: We can talk about the dancing and that's it. *laughs*
Michael: It's technically going to be an "In Concert" version, with the numbers sung by our cast, but we will have them performed by dancers: some from Long Island and we actually are getting a dance company to come from Boston.
Brian: They're called Contemporarily Out of Order, and it's led by a young woman named Wendy and her friend Shaina. They, just like us, wanted to start their own dance company, and they had the same values and morals that we had, so I was like, "It'd be perfect if they were interested in coming to perform with us." So, they're coming down from Boston, MA to perform in the opening and closing [numbers] of our show. Also, we had two interns [from Dean College] over the summer in our production of "RENT," so they're also gonna come... Basically, with SFNW, we're trying to get everybody that we've worked with in the past, around the world *laughs*, and help us put a new spin on this show.
Besides "Songs for a New World," would you like to inform BWW of any upcoming auditions or shows?
Nik: Well, on Monday January 12th, and Wednesday January 14th we'll be having auditions for our upcoming production of "Godspell (2012)," which I'm really excited for because I absolutely love the show and also because I'll be directing and choreographing; that's gonna run from March 27th to March 29th.
We're not one-hundred percent on a summer show yet...
Okay, one final question, and every one of you has to answer this - what is your proudest moment with STAR, so far?
Michele: I think we all need a minute for this one...
*After a few minutes of deliberation*
Michael: Well, not to be corny, but every moment with STAR is a proud moment for me *laughs*. If I really had to choose one, it would definitely be our first summer - our first show (A Night With the STARs I) when the four of us got on stage with the cast for the final bow, and we all just looked at each other and we were like, "Holy s***, this happened!"
Brian: My proudest moment... hmm... when we sang "Light" at the end of "A Night With the STARs I" and, y'know, Michelle and I came out at the end of it and did our own little singing thing, whatever, and when I looked around at the four of us and our cast, that's when I was like, "This is awesome." Also, when "RENT" closed, when all of us were onstage singing "Finale B"... well, that's basically always the proudest moment - the end of everything we did: the auditions, the rehearsals, the going out and building a set, buying everything, spending all of our money, and just making sure we did the best that we could and the most quality work we could put out there. Just like that, in the amount of two minutes, it's all over.
Michael: That's just another thing I think is so special about STAR - we started with absolutely nothing: zero dollars, no financial help, it was just the four of us, and we were all still working college students at that point. We put all of our own personal money into STAR and just hoped that we would get it back. I feel like, with everything, we just start from complete scratch. I think what makes us all most proud is how we all make it come together in the end.
Nik: I think it says something that we all kind of agree about our proudest moment. We all connected and felt each other, being like, "This is it!" Like you said off-the-record before, we're up-and-coming and still so new, and this summer we were able to put on "RENT," our first full-length musical production, and the amount of work and effort exerted by not just us but by our actors and anyone and everyone who helped out or even saw the show - it was just amazing how everyone came together and it was just the perfect first musical for us to do, since it was about everything we're about: family, loving each other, etc. Not only was I proud, not only were my three friends here proud, but the whole cast was so proud of themselves. I'll never forget that.
Michele: One of my proudest moments had to have happened during "RENT," and we got our first ticket purchase from a random person, and I know that was always a goal, to see if random people would want to come see us. We do this, and it's always like, "Oh who's coming? My mom, your mom, your dad, grandma and grandpa, and our cast's family and friends." That very first time I was just like, "Oh my god... somebody CALLED!" The second thing, I think for all of us, was when the sign got put up here [saying "Home of Suffolk Theatre Arts & Recreation"] on top of the studio. Without everyone that has helped STAR get to where it is today, particularly Jaime Montana, we wouldn't have a home to call our own. Some people might think that we're in a tiny studio, but it's us - in here, we feel so big.
Nik: Definitely just please include a huge thank you to Jaime, Revelations, our actors, and any one who has ever supported STAR in any capacity. We're beyond grateful.
As a Long Island native and theatregoer, I believe there is a pressure for Long Island theatre to artistically keep up with its gifted neighbor, NYC Theatre. Does LI Theatre always do this? It doesn't, but there is often a diamond in the rough - or in this case, a STAR.
"Songs for a New World" runs February 6th - 7th, and "Godspell (2012)" runs March 27th - 29th. To purchase tickets and for more info, please visit www.suffolktheatreartsrec.com, or call (631) 509-2848.
Photo/Video Credits: BWW-Staff, Gina Morgigno, Suffolk Theatre Arts & Recreation LLC, Michelle Elea Belio
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