Laurel Mill Playhouse Gala Awards

The Laurel Mill Playhouse almost burst its seams Sunday evening. Attendance was by invitation only at the 2011 Awards Gala at 508 Main Street in Laurel, MD, where almost 80 guests were up for awards. I attended the gala for the first time last year, and once again, I was impressed with what the playhouse has come to mean to its Laurel community.

Set for the upcoming production of The Man Who Came to Dinner, the stage offered the illusion of convening in a charming and private drawing room. The “audience” sat across from the folks onstage:  Marv and Mo Rogers, Dan Staicer, and Mary Dodd. Marv serves as President of the Laurel Mill Playhouse and Mo is the Public Liaison officer. Dan often mc’s playhouse events and Mary supports every show. It was a treat to see the “fabulous four” dressed in semi-formal attire, especially Marv. Usually decked out in blue jeans and wielding maintenance tools, he looked quite sophisticated in a tux. They all looked great, but it’s not so unusual to see the other three dressed to the nines.

In between some pretty impressive entertainment (pulled from the guest list of actors, singers, directors, tech folks, and supporters), Mo called each person or family onto the stage to thank them for their unique contributions to the playhouse’s success. Mary helped hand out the trophies and personalized certificates.

Laurel Mill Playhouse is one of the few non-profit theaters to own its stage, which contributes to a homey atmosphere. After opening on Main Street in the spring of 2003, the theater wavered painfully for several years. Two conflicting boards of directors fought for control of the newly renovated performance space. One side even initiated litigation but that was eventually withdrawn.

As gratifying as it is to see community theaters reach to explore contemporary works, Laurel Mill Playhouse stumbled hard artistically while attempting Durang’s Betty’s Summer Vacation in its first year. Poorly interpreted (at least in my opinion), the content also didn’t suit the Main Street audience. Several folks walked out during a performance and reviews were disparaging.

The summer youth productions have been a staple since the playhouse doors first opened. But in 2005, two adults from the theater were arrested for disorderly conduct outside a performance of Music Man, Jr., further damaging the theater’s reputation.

Observing the folks who came to the gala on Sunday evening, it is obvious that the playhouse has grown into a very different niche.

Not that the theater is prudish by any means, but recent shows reflect the values of the people running it and the audiences who have become loyal. Kaufman and Hart’s The American Way (a patriotic musical) proved wildly successful last fall, as did the youth’s production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

And it’s not that Laurel Mill Playhouse avoids mature contemporary themes (Rent opens in May); it’s just unlikely that audiences will ever again be subjected to characters carrying around dismembered private body parts (as in Betty’s Summer Vacation). Musicals and plays with proven appeal to broader audiences appear to be what works in this town. And the folks running the theater now are as steady as rocks.

When I interviewed Marv a few months ago to get his story on building the playhouse (yes, literally), one of the things he told me was that watching the youth perform was his biggest thrill. As Jocelyn Knasik (one of the teen performers at the gala) sang a solo, I was struck by how paternally proud Marv looked. Almost as proud as Musical Director Stu Knasik (Jocelyn’s father), who also sang at the gala.

The strong sense of extended family that permeated the evening is telling. The colloquial charm of Laurel Mill Playhouse and the diversity of the talent performing there is refreshing when you consider how quickly some critics jump to mock mainstream performers. But this group appears to know what its audiences and supporters want. And they’re doing it well.

Run entirely by volunteers, Laurel Mill Playhouse has come a very long way.

For many young actors preparing to leave home for college next fall, the evening tasted bittersweet. For Doug Silverman and Irene Patton, two senior citizens who performed a beautiful staged reading of Gurney’s Love Letters last fall, it was a chance to socialize with many of their friends. Everyone seemed touched by the graciousness exuded by Mo, who began organizing the annual galas to thank all playhouse volunteers four years ago. And everyone went home with an award.

There was love of theater, of friends and family, and of life in the air.

Although they were all very good, one of the evening’s most impressive performers, Ed Higgins (aka Captain Hook) sang excerpts from Robinson’s Peter Pan, The Musical.

He is one to watch going into the future.