THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, December 7, 1995 TAG: 9512050105
SECTION: NORFOLK COMPASS PAGE: 19 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JOAN C. STANUS, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Long : 105 lines
Getting ready for opening night was grueling.
Each weekday during November, they would wake at dawn, eat breakfast, then head to school for a few hours of class. By noon, they were off to the Wells Theater across town for a daylong regimen of rehearsals, which sometimes lasted well into the evening. During breaks, they learned their lines, ate or did homework.
By the time they arrived home at night, dog-tired, there was usually more schoolwork to do from classes they missed during the day. Bedtime rarely came before 11 or midnight.
Weekends, they were at the theater all day.
For two talented Norfolk high school girls who snared coveted parts in the Virginia Stage Company's current production of ``Once on This Island,'' holding down their dream jobs as professional actresses has meant long hours, hard work and practice, practice, practice.
Forget time for boyfriends, family or hanging out at the mall. Even holidays have taken a back seat to the production.
``I did go home for an hour to eat Thanksgiving dinner,'' said Sandye Smith, a 15-year-old Granby High School sophomore who stars as Andrea, a rich girl from the French Antilles in the show. ``I mean it was Thanksgiving.
``But I really like doing this. The show is great, and it's so exciting having a part and working with all these professionals. God has truly blessed me.''
``My life is tiring,'' added Stacey Russell, a sophomore at Lake Taylor High School who in the show plays Little Tea Moon, ``the baby of the show.''
``I'm very fast at my school work,'' she noted. ``And I do put a lot on my mom. I'm really spoiled. But my mom's real proud of me ... so as long as I do what I have to and not be bad, I can do things like this.''
Two of only three local actors who won parts in the production, Russell and Smith both are members of the Norfolk Public Schools Performing Arts Repertory. The other local performer, Norfolk resident Michael Le Melle, is a graduate of the repertory.
The three were selected after performing for director Gerry McIntyre at an open audition at the Wells earlier this fall. McIntyre also held auditions in New York City for the show.
``It has been rewarding to watch them grow from rehearsal to performance,'' McIntyre said of Smith and Russell. ``The amount of talent they have is overwhelming. I hope this production helps them grow more.''
The other cast members in the show are seasoned actors and actresses with professional experience in Broadway plays, TV shows and regional theater productions.
At first, their experience was overwhelming to the girls.
``Sometimes I felt kind of left out,'' said Smith, who lives in Cottage Heights. ``I just didn't feel like I fit. They say and do and see things a little different than I do. But they've helped me a lot. Most of them had done the show before ... and they really helped me with my dialect. I've learned a lot.''
A veteran of beauty pagaents and talent shows since age 3, Russell got over that initial shyness quickly.
``They've had a lot more experience than I have,'' she said, ``but when I told them I'd performed in a talent competition at the Apollo Theater (in New York City) they thought that was pretty cool.''
For Smith, especially, this foray into professional acting has been an eye-opening experience. A shy tomboy growing up, she only recently began acting and singing in public.
``Now, you can't shut me up,'' she said with a grin. ``I can't be quiet; I can't not be singing. I get on people's nerves; I'm humming during tests. There's constantly a song on my mind.''
From a close-knit religious family, Smith began singing about three years ago in church at the urging of her father.
``Music is in my blood,'' she explained. ``Everybody in my family does something. My father plays bass guitar, my brother plays drums. My mom sings, my grandmother plays tambourine and sings. I tried to get out of it, but I couldn't.''
After joining the repertory two years ago, she performed a solo in her first production, ``The Jungle Book.'' Earlier this fall, she snared a part in the Founders Inn production of ``Big River.''
``I'm trying to be a load off my mom and dad and earn some money,'' she explained. ``The money from the shows helps me contribute to groceries and stuff. My parents are such a big influence on me ... and I want to help out.''
Admittedly, however, Smith has been bitten by the acting bug. Nonetheless, she remains levelheaded about her future.
``You can't depend on acting,'' she said. ``I really like doing it, but there's so many people out there who want to do it, too. I'm going to have to have another job and just be in shows during my free time and see how it goes.''
Russell has a head full of dreams tempered by a strong determination. A state pageant winner, the honor roll student is aiming for a career in law with a sideline business in hairstyling. Her dream, however, is to be her generation's Whitney Houston.
The stage company production is a steppingstone to reaching those goals, she said.
``I've always been determined to get my way and do things right,'' said Russell, who lives in Campostella. ``I'm not the best kid, but in my neighborhood kids don't do pageants, they do drugs. I just want to make something of myself. People think if you live in or near a black community you're bad and won't make anything of yourself. But I believe you can live anywhere and be somebody ... you just have to work hard.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo by KEN QUEMAN
High school sophomores Stacey Russell, left, and Sandye Smith have
roles in ``Once on This Island.''
by CNB