Look Who's Talking
By TERRY O’CONNOR toconnor@breezenewspapers.com
Photos
Fact Box
Michele Strauss at a glance:
Job: Managing artistic director, Royal Palm Players
Hometown: Born in Newark, N.J.
Education: all-girls Albertus Magnus College in New Haven, Conn. "It was right next door to Yale."
Time on the island: "This is my second season."
What brought you to Boca Grande: "I had some dear friends, Melissa Cripps and John Carpenter, who had been acting here."
Experience: acting, directing, managerial, sales, advertising
Self-critique: "I'm good at comedy. I can't sing too good."
Favorite actors: William Shatner, Al Pacino, Robert DeNiro
Favorite actresses: Nicole Kidman, Salma Hayek, Charlize Theron
Michele Strauss, managing artistic director of the Royal Palm Players, talks about the challenges of managing a community theater on an island with a seasonal and small population.
Question: The Royal Palm Players are celebrating their 20th anniversary this season. What makes that a special milestone?
Answer: Twenty years, a lot of community theaters don't reach that. They fold, especially in this economy. To be able to say we've made it 20 years, especially in Boca Grande where the people are only on the island for six months, that's a big deal that in a little resort area a community theater survives.
Q: How did you get this job?
A: President Nancy Lyons and VP Jack Goff interviewed me a couple of times and then made me an offer I couldn't refuse. And here I am.
Q: What special challenges face the Royal Palm Players?
A: We don't have a lot of people here. That's a big challenge. When it is season, getting enough people to fill the seats is a challenge.
Q: What's your biggest concern this year?
A: Our theater never seems to sell out. We have 156 seats for four performances with 202-seat capacity.
Q: How are the Royal Palm Players supported?
A: Twenty percent of our income comes from tickets. The other 80 percent comes from donations, contributions and grants.
Q: Why do you enjoy this position?
A: I have found this to be an interesting job. I have a chance to use all of my talents. It sort of worked out that all my past experience just fit to make this the perfect little job. It's a high-profile job. The board wants me to go out into the community to meet people and get in the community.
Q: What's one thing people might not know about you?
A: I used to own an advertising company for five years.
Q: The Royal Palm Players is know for its family entertainment. Is that by design?
A: We will curtail anything that is offensive to people. We do one adult comedy a year.
Q: What are audiences looking for on the island?
A: They like the comedies, stuff that's going to make them laugh. I like to try to put something in there that's also going to challenge them and make them think. I don't want to get known for lighthearted junk.
Q: What got you into acting?
A: When I was 3 years old my mom took me into dancing school. It wasn't so much the dancing I liked but I liked the being on the stage part. I responded to that applause after I was done dancing. When I was real young, I had a passable voice so they picked me to come out front and sing this song. It was "The Varsity Drag," that was the song. And they picked five of us to come out and sing it. It was cute. Here I am out in front getting all the attention and I stepped forward and said: "Hi gramps" and gave him a wink. That was it. People went crazy laughing and I was hooked. You saw the hook go right in my mouth. From then on I liked being on stage.
Q: What are your limitations on stage?
A: I can carry a tune but I don't have a beautiful voice. I wish I did. I really do wish I did.
Q: What are your strong points on stage?
A: I've always enjoyed acting. I have many opportunities to do comedy. I'm good at comedy. I have an eye for getting the little bit that most people don't think about. In the last few years, I've had a lot of opportunities to do dramatic roles. So I've had to challenge myself to do dramatic roles.
Q: Why is William Shatner your favorite movie star?
A: Because I grew up in an era where we didn't have a lot of heroes. Capt. Kirk was a hero. He was perfect. I was at the tender impressionable age of 12 when Star Trek came on and I have become a very big Trekkie. This is well known about me. I was on staff for a company that put Star Trek conventions on for awhile. I met Shatner several different times. To this day, I still judge all men by the standards Capt. Kirk sets.
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