DATE: Thursday, August 7, 1997              TAG: 9708060191

SECTION: SUFFOLK SUN             PAGE: 10   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY FRANK ROBERTS, STAFF WRITER 

                                            LENGTH:   51 lines

ASPIRING ACTORS TAKE CLASSES AT PEANUT PLAYERS WORKSHOP

Half-a-dozen budding Meryl Streeps and Al Pacinos have been lurking around the Suffolk Museum.

They are students of the theater. While some have performed on stage, most are novices.

Recently, the six spent six nights at an acting workshop sponsored by the Peanut Players.

``We worked on character, studied improvisation, pantomime and concentration,'' said Heather Turner. ``We worked with scripts, learned basic theater technology, did some short productions.''

A Sumter, S.C., native, now living within walking distance of the museum, she served as the instructor.

``I'm used to being on stage. As far as teaching is concerned, I'm getting my feet wet - loving it,'' Turner said. ``I didn't know how it would feel - teaching adults. It's great.''

During daylight hours, she teaches Spanish at Churchland Middle School in Chesapeake.

Turner, who has degrees in Spanish and theater from Winthrop University in Rock Hill, S.C., also taught gifted and talented children in South Carolina.

``I worked with the Sumter Little Theatre most of my life,'' she said. ``I began when I was eight. My dad was in the theater group.''

Turner, who acts, dances and sings ``a little,'' plans to utilize those talents Nov. 14-16 when the Peanut Players present ``Pump Boys and Dinettes,'' a fast-moving, toe-tapping, happy musical with a '50s flavor.

One of her pupils, Theresa Eike, a musical stage vet, also expects to try out for that production.

Her son, Neal, the youngest workshop student, garnered acting experience at Nansemond-Suffolk Academy.

The seventh-grader is too young for ``Pump Boys and Dinettes,'' but, he said, ``I would like to perform in my spare time. It's something to do on the side. At class, I learned pantomime, the different places on stage, and stuff about acting.''

He utilized some of that stuff doing some improvisation with his mom.

``We take Tae Kwon Do together,'' she said. ``Now, we're acting together.''

Maggie Kennedy has never acted before coming to class.

``I thought this would be fun. It's more than that - it's great fun,'' she said. ``I thought it would be lectures, things like that, but it's all hands-on.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo by FRANK ROBERTS

Maggie Kennedy, far left, listens to a tip from instructor Heather

Turner during a recent acting workshop sponsored by the Peanut

Players.

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