Broadway actors, Tony Award winners teach aspiring actors

By Rod Hirsch
The Paramount Building at the corner of West Main Street and Division Street in downtown Somerville is about as “off Broadway” as it can get.
Downstairs, recruits walk through the main entrance of the building on Main Street to enlist in the Army, Marines and Air Force.
Around the corner on Division Street, aspiring actors, actresses and vocalists pass beneath a green awning and climb the stairs to a small studio on the second floor, bringing with them their dreams for a career on stage, in the hot glare of a Broadway spotlight or in front of a studio camera in Hollywood.
It is in this tiny space that looks down on Tino’s Hair Salon and the Blue Sheep Bakery where the Broadway Mentors Program will host a faculty of veteran New York theater and Hollywood television actors to mentor, train and teach students.
The Broadway Mentors Program is a Celebrity based Master Class series that brings active Broadway and Hollywood performers, actors, producers and writers to Somerville.
The program’s impressive roster of instructors includes winners of the prestigious Tony, Emmy and Drama Desk Awards.
Several are personal friends of Joy Lober Anderson, whose career in show business stretches over 50 years, including playing the lead and title role of Eva Peron (Alt.) in the National Company’s production of “Evita,” directed by legendary director Harold Prince.
A resident of Three Bridges in Hunterdon County and Actors Equity singer and actress, Anderson has also performed for four United States Presidents and was the featured vocalist with The Glenn Miller Orchestra at the age of 18 and was the opening act for Red Skelton and Dom Deluise.
“These are my close friends, people I’ve known for decades,” Anderson said.
“These are people who have paid their dues. They’ve ‘been there, done that and are still doing that’ because they have such a deep passion for the arts and what they are doing,” Anderson added.
“These people are celebrities but they are real people,” Anderson said. “I want to break down that barrier so students can hear what they have to say.”
Anderson said she designed the program as a “roll up your sleeves” acting/musical theater workshop for an interactive group to prepare students for opportunities in New York and Los Angeles and to forge personal relationships with the professionals.
The Broadway Mentors Program is now accepting applications for its first class on Sept. 28, which features Joanna Gleason, winner of a Tony Award in 1988 for Best Actress in a Musical, ”Into the Woods.” The class runs from noon-5 p.m.
The Master Classes are small in nature, allowing the student to have the most intimate interaction with the mentors. Sign up and reservations for these classes are on a first come, first served basis. The fee for each class is $200.
Next up in October is Donna McKechnie, winner of the 1976 Tony for Best Actress in a Musical for her portrayal of "Cassie" in the musical “A Chorus Line.”
The next actor to visit Somerville will be Don Most, perhaps best known for his portrayal of Richie Cunningham’s best friend “Ralph” in television’s long-running series “Happy Days.” Anderson has also lined up:
• Andrea Green, a renowned New York City vocal coach whose credits include working with the cast of the NBC show “Smash.”
• Anthony Crivello who won a 1993 Tony Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Musical as the original Valentin in Hal Prince’s “Kiss of the Spiderwoman” at the Broadhurst Theater.
“They are all the real deal,” Anderson said. “They love what they do; they’re not pushing their egos around. They want to teach, they want to share, not just the classroom study, but the other things kids need to understand, the discipline, how to treat yourself, exercise, sleep, diet to show up on the set on time, they will share the business of the business,” she explained.
Students will have the opportunity to build their personal skills with the highly professional critique taught by the mentors, according to Anderson n close to home.
Instead of traveling to New York, having to pay for tolls or a train tickets, parking fees, and cab fares to be taught by these “extraordinary professionals,” Anderson has invited them to New Jersey.
Somerville and the Division Street location appealed to Anderson.
“It’s just so charming,” she said. “When I started looking for a location, I didn’t have to look too far because I realized how Somerville has been changing.
I have a lot of respect for the small businesses in town and I saw what they were doing there,” she continued. “The train station caught my attention because that made it accessible to my people in New York City.”
One of the five strategic goals of the Downtown Somerville Alliance is to promote Division Street as the central gathering spot for downtown Somerville, an entertainment and cultural center hosting an eclectic mix of activities, from a farmers’ market and art show to live comedy shows, live music, movie nights and outdoor dining at the many restaurants lining the pedestrian boulevard.
“Broadway Mentors is a perfect fit for us,” said Beth Anne Macdonald, DSA executive director. “We are definitely seeing an arts component coming together. With the addition of The Broadway Mentors Program and Pinot’s Palette coming later this year, Somerville is building a year ‘round artistic movement. We are thrilled that Joy sees the potential in what we are creating here in Downtown Somerville,” she added.
Division Street underwent a facelift two years ago. It has been closed to traffic and is now a vibrant pedestrian mall connecting the train station to downtown Somerville.
“Just seeing the efforts everyone is putting into it, it just makes me burst with anticipation,” Anderson said. “It’s very exciting to come bring in a program that we hope will go national and international,” she added. There are plans to expand the Broadway Mentors concept to Chicago and Los Angeles, as well as Sydney, Australia, according to Anderson.
“I plan to always base the business in Somerville,” she added.
Eventually, Anderson would like to open a performance center in conjunction with Broadway Mentors and to provide scholarships for promising talent.
“We want to grow with the community; the idea is to go beyond classes at some point,” she explained.
Anderson’s daughter, who lives in Somerville, will work on the administrative end of Broadway Mentors.
In addition to the Master Class program with the professional actors, Anderson will also be teaching both acting and vocal classes, as well as career counseling, on an ongoing basis.
There will also be classes on the “business of the business” n answering questions about union affiliations, photos, agents and other topics.
Because of the small class sizes, there will be a waiting list for those not able to make the cut with the Mentor of their choice. Reservations for the classes will be on a first come first served basis.
Broadway Mentors is located at 2 Division St. Suite 5.
Contact Anderson to make reservations by email: [email protected] or by calling 908.458.5736.