THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, March 31, 1995 TAG: 9503300178
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 03 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JO-ANN CLEGG, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 72 lines
NO QUESTION ABOUT IT, Tiffany Howard was well cast as a queen in the Hurrah Players' recent production of ``Starmites.''
The slim, tall-for-her-age Kempsville Middle School eighth-grader looks regal indeed. And acts it, too.
Except that unlike her stage character, Diva, Queen of Innerspace, whom she describes as a ``Tina Turner evil sort of person,'' the real life Tiffany acts like a queen in the nicest sense of the word.
``I'm not really an evil person,'' she said with just a touch of seriousness followed by a little shake of her head and a knowing smile.
Warm, gracious and witty well beyond her years, Tiffany is more than just a budding performer with a string of theatrical credits and music and dance awards to her credit. She's also an honor student who is active in a half dozen clubs and committees and is a member of the National Junior Honor Society at her school.
``She's phenomenal,'' Hurrah Players artistic director Hugh Copeland said of Tiffany. ``She's dedicated, committed. When she's on, she's on. She's a delight to work with. It's hard to believe that she's only 13.''
Keeping up with Tiffany's busy schedule of lessons, rehearsals, shows and school activities is a challenge for her dad, Donny, a field engineer with Grumman Aircraft, and mom, Nancy, a Department of Social Services senior eligibility worker. It's especially hard when there's a show in rehearsal or production.
``I'm the everything person,'' Nancy Howard said, ticking off the chauffeuring, reassuring and line hearing that go along with having a youngster involved in dramatics.
``She even learns all my lines,'' Tiffany said with that combination of pride and exasperation that tends to be a part of close mother-daughter relationships.
``And,'' she added wryly, ``She insists on doing my makeup for me.''
``You don't think I'm going to turn you loose with all that eye shadow, do you?'' Nancy Howard asked with mock horror.
The exaggerated eye makeup, along with a knock-your-socks-off costume and fingernails long enough to be banned as lethal weapons, are all part of the role which Tiffany played in ``Starmites.''
The two-year veteran of the Hurrah players was chosen for the part after extensive auditions. She alternates in the role with Old Dominion University theater major Aisha McCollum who originally played Diva in the local theater company's first production of ``Starmites'' back in 1990.
Sharing the role doesn't mean time off for Tiffany, however. At the performances in which she isn't playing Diva, she serves as one of the banshees, individuals who are described in the program as ``Diva's warriors - weird, weird women with dangerous hairdos.''
In addition to weekend public performances, Hurrah Players also perform in local schools during the regular school day. That's when things really get hectic. Not only do the youngsters have to keep up with their homework, they also have to catch up on what they miss in class.
During rehearsals that means taking school books along and doing the homework in snatches whenever they're not on stage. During production it means something else.
``Sometimes I just have to cancel out on a club or committee meeting and go home early to do my homework,'' Tiffany said. ILLUSTRATION: Photo by JO-ANN CLEGG
Nancy Howard applies makeup to daughter Tiffany Howard, who plays
Diva, Queen of Innerspace, in the Hurrah Players' recent production
of ``Starmites.'' Says mom to daughter, ``You don't think I'm going
to turn you loose with all that eye shadow, do you?''
by CNB