Florence Little Theatre: Theatrical families

When Florence Little Theatre staged the first production at its Cashua Street theater in 1968, the late Jeff Corbin was director.

When FLT recently ended its final subscription season on Cashua with a production of “Oklahoma!” his daughter, Julia Corbin Saverance, was stage manager.

This is one example of family involvement that has been a key to the theater’s success.

Julia grew up watching her parents’ work with the community theater and followed with stage and back stage work and directing of her own. Last season, she was director of “Beauty and the Beast,” which might be the greatest box office success FLT has ever had.

“When I was six, seven or eight and Dad was directing, I went along to watch and it was very exciting,” she said, and his involvement was not all. Her aunt, Margaret King Kirby, was one of the stars of FLT musicals, both at the old airport theater and later on Cashua. Another aunt, Sally Hennings and her immediate family and Julia’s mother performed on stage and worked backstage over the years.

Then there were her brothers, Jeff Jr. and Rives. “Jeff was involved mostly back stage,” she said, but he did some on stage. Rives played some big roles, and he was an Irving winner. In fact, Irvings in her family could crowd a trophy case. Jeff Sr. and Margaret Kirby were winners.

Julia recalled that Jeff Sr. worked with Ronald Sopkin, Phil Stephenson and Joe Baroody, as they led the fund drive that enabled FLT to build the Cashua theater.

She really loved theater, and “when I went to college I wound up in education, which is sort of like theater.“

Her participation has been both on and off stage, and her husband, Joel, and their daughter have been seen frequently in FLT casts. Her first directing chance was “I’m Not Rappaport” with Encore, another community theater that had performances at Poynor School for several years.

She is excited about the overall community participation and family involvement with FLT. Looking at the youth that have turned out for recent auditions, she said, “it makes me feel like when some of us are too old, everything will be O.K. with the young people coming up.“

John and Sylvia Jebaily got involved with the community theater shortly after coming to Florence in 1963, and since then, their family has played important parts in the theater’s success. She said it was nice so soon after coming to a new place to get involved with something they enjoyed so much.

John Jebaily Sr. brought his experience as a clothing pattern maker at Wentworth Manufacturing Co. to FLT and with his wife working along with him brought costumes to the FLT stage that often were dazzling. He served on the board for 16 years and was treasurer.

All of their sons, Ronnie, Joseph, John Jr., Jerry and George have acted in plays and have worked offstage in FLT productions.

They may have the greatest number of family members with Irvings for outstanding performances. Ronnie, John Jr., George and Rachel Jebaily Garrett, a granddaughter, have received the award for on-stage performances.

In addition, John Sr. and Sylvia Jebaily received the President’s Award for volunteer work done for the theater, both in costuming and in most other offstage jobs.

Ronnie’s wife, Suzanne, appeared in many shows and stage managed several. Besides having appeared onstage in more than a dozen shows, Ronnie Jebaily has directed at least a half-dozen.

The sons’ businesses have been among the financial benefactors to FLT, and George also served as president of the FLT board.

John and Sylvia Jebaily have had grandchildren and daughters-in-law involved, making three generations at FLT.

Mark and Julia Buyck were involved at the airport and later. She had leads at both theaters and was Anna in “The King and I” when it opened the Cashua theater. “It is very exciting,” she said, adding the new theater will be a huge jump from the airport to Dargan via Cashua.

The Buyck’s children appeared in FLT shows, including the first on Cashua. Mark Sr. had important parts on stage and served on both the board of trustees and the board of directors when the Cashua theater was built and opened.

In addition, their nephew, Lloyd Willcox, has played important roles in recent productions.

A leader in the fund-raising drive to build the Cashua theater was the late Ronald Sopkin who with his wife, Doris, became involved with FLT shortly after coming to Florence.

Both were longtime theater board members, and their daughters, Nancy, Gail and Bonnie, were involved with the theater. Nancy became an FLT director, scoring with a fine production of “Applause” shortly before her untimely death in an auto accident.

Sopkin made available facilities of the Wentworth Manufacturing Co. that he ran to boost FLT. Wentworth was a clothing maker, and often it aided costume production. Some of the main FLT social events for years were in the ballroom of their Florence home where parties after show openings customarily were held.
The late Joe Baroody’s family has been greatly involved in Florence Little Theatre. Baroody was one of the business leaders credited with spearheading fund-raising to build the Cashua theater in 1967 and 1968.

He and his wife, Margaret, played roles in early productions. In addition, their daughters, Peggy and Selwa, appeared in FLT shows, both at the airport and on Cashua.

LeRoy Jones has a list of onstage credits and also served as president of the FLT board. His son and daughter, Susan and Michael, also had important on stage roles and at one awards ceremony, both received Irvings.

Judge Gene and Elaine Morehead have been important factors. Both have appeared onstage, and Elaine has directed several shows. Gene has served on the board of directors. Their children played roles at FLT as they were coming up.

Olwen and Jack Roney were early fixtures, and three generations of their family worked on and off stage for FLT for decades.

Soon after the Roneys returned to Florence, she a British war bride, they got involved at the airport and then continued on Cashua.

Their daughter, Shawn and her children volunteered and performed at FLT. Shawn’s husband, Roy Chipley, is a board member and served as president of the board during key parts of the preparation to get the new theater building.

Among family groups that have been greatly involved with the theater are the Nofal sisters, Sandra N. Anderson, Ginger N. Sullivan and Tippi N. Harwell.

They have been involved in about all aspects of FLT operations. Once they were called The Gabors, and one of the family’s next generation refers to the three together as Hurricane Nofal.

Sandra was involved first, having performed as a student in shows like “The Mikado” and “Gypsy Rover.” FLT did those at the McClenaghan High School auditorium.

She is a long-time theater board member and often is involved off stage with productions, frequently with makeup. She is onstage in many musicals and is with the FLT Singers who produce special shows and appear at events around town.

Ginger says her sisters “like to show themselves onstage while I’m in the background.“

She has been involved in casting several musicals and likes to help in rehearsals, particularly for musicals, and has filled numerous offstage roles. She received the President’s Award one year for volunteer work. Her daughter, Erin S. Croft, appeared in several shows.

Tippi has been seen most often on stage and has had lead roles, particularly in musicals. She won three Irvings. She estimates she has been in 60 shows, mostly at FLT but a few with Encore.

“The bug bit,” she said, “when I was in the chorus of ’South Pacific’ in 1969.” (She played Bloody Mary in a later FLT production of that show.) Her first lead was as Anita in “West Side Story.“

Two of the mainstays of recent-year musicals have been brothers Robin and Shaw Thompson. They are formally trained musicians or singers, and they have often teamed as director and musical director in big productions.

Both have appeared on stage as singers and in the pit, and they have been key figures in the big musicals of recent seasons.

In addition, Shaw’s wife, Rebecca, has starred in several of the recent musicals, including playing Laurey in the concluding show of FLT’s final season on Cashua.

Robin said that his mother was involved with the theater at one time, and his and Shaw’s nieces, Lauren and Lindsay Thompson, have appeared in musicals.

Jimmy and Anna Rose Rainwater were long-term supporters of the theater. Both have appeared in important roles on-stage, and Jimmy, who died while the new theater was under construction, was a member of the FLT Singers. He told a friend that his greatest regret about his illness was that he would miss being there for opening of the new theater.

He also was a member of the FLT board, and Anna Rose is now on the board.

John and Pamela Rooks have been visible FLT participants in recent years, partly because they have appeared on stage and have directed for the theater. And their son and daughter have been in FLT shows.

The Rooks also jointly have been reviewers of FLT productions for the last several years.

Jim and Mollie Shorter have volunteered and performed at FLT, on stage and in the pit. Their daughter and son also have participated, making it two generations of the family at FLT.

FLT participation can have serious unplanned consequences. For instance, Arlene Coker and David Boyd sought and obtained parts at FLT and worked in other capacities. They also found each other there, married, and their son, David Jr. has appeared on stage.

Darby Moore and Gerald Holley, both teachers, performed on the FLT stage at the airport and later wound up married. She has received an Irving for performances in every decade since the 1960s, seven in all, the most of any FLT performer. Their son, Thomas, has appeared on the FLT stage.

Cecilia Hamilton and Walton Sprawls also were married after working together at FLT, and his brother, Richard and wife, Marti, have played important parts on stage.

In addition, David Hamilton, Cecelia’s brother, has played several leads, including “My Fair Lady” and “Will Rogers Follies” and served on the board.

Mark Walberg, probably the theater’s most famous alumnus because of his national television work, followed his parents, Marvin and Dianne to FLT, and his sister, Caren, was in FLT shows.

The late Betsy Padgett played several roles on the FLT stage. Her daughter, Celly P. Kahn, and her family have followed, making three generations
A recent addition to family involvement was when Lee Whittington came back from school and got the Ado Annie part in “Oklahoma!” Her father came along and got a part in the show, so family involvement seems started there.

Likewise, Lisa Lovensheimer Sims, led her parents, Jack and Jeanette Lovensheimer, and brothers to FLT, mostly doing tech work, but she has directed, and her daughter has performed, making another three-generation involvement.

There are other families who have had more than one generation involved with FLT over the years, and obviously there will be many more as the theater adds to its history.