South Teacher Directs New Local Play, Opening Thursday

A play within a play in a common conceit (think “Hamlet”) but Newtown Arts Company’s “Our Miss Brooks” takes it a bit further. The play, written by Christopher Sergel, is running this Thursday through Aug. 31 at .

Lori Steel Naglak is not only directing the comedy based on the widely popular CBS Radio series (1948-57) that later appeared on the small screen and the silver screen, but Naglak is also a bit of a Miss Brooks herself. She is about to enter her eighth year as drama teacher at Council Rock South.

This is her first time directing with Newtown Arts Company. “I heard they needed a director,” said Naglak, “and I figured I had some time, so I volunteered to help out.”

Half of the eight adults in the cast are teachers or work in schools, and several of the 18 teens in the cast are Naglak’s students, past and present. An alumnus, Robert McBride, plays Ted, the romantic lead. As his teacher, Naglak had always cast McBride as comic relief, so he was surprised to be cast as the romantic lead, she said.

Ted’s love interest is Jane, portrayed by Council Rock South incoming senior Laura Barratta. Council Rock South junior Corey Foreman is the nerdy Dorian/Dorkis, and senior Shannon Fahey plays the villainous Rhonda.

Naglak was at both an advantage directing her students – they want to impress her so that she might cast them in upcoming school productions – and a disadvantage – they knew she had an impressive costume wardrobe and wanted to utilize it.

That complicated costume change turns the Newtown Theatre’s small greenroom to bedlam, she said. “Bangle beads are flying all over the place. It’s scary.”

As with all Newtown Arts Company directors, Naglak must conduct all but the last several rehearsals offsite. “It was a real awakening to me,” she said. “The Newtown Theatre is a geographical challenge for entrances and exits.”  

Unwilling to let their teacher struggle, nine of her students volunteered to serve on technical staff. “They heard I was challenged [by the venue’s idiosyncrasies] and showed up to help,” she said. “I thought: This is a godsend.”

She had three months to work with the cast, which has all levels of experience. But the challenges of an August production are great. Vacations actually shut down practice the first week of the month.

Another challenge was directing teens and adults together. She found it was easier to rehearse the two age groups separately, which worked in her favor by preventing the teens from being too comfortable with their elders.

It is Margaret DeAngelis as Miss Brooks who is surely at ease with both groups. DeAngelis, an accomplished actress in her first Newtown Arts Company production, is the only cast member who attended both groups’ rehearsals as she is onstage for all but about three minutes of the play.

Naglak had wanted to have DeAngelis wear heels to make her taller than the students, but thought that would be too much to ask given all the stage time DeAngelis has. Not only that, but she also may have to dodge breaking vases and basketballs flying from a closet during this rather lively play in which Miss Brooks students put on a play.

“Everything bad that can happen in a school play does," Naglak said of Miss Brooks’ production.

Naglak should know – and that experience will surely make Miss Brooks the one and only trouble-prone director.

Curtain times for “Our Miss Brooks” are Thursday, Aug. 25 at 7:30 p.m.; Friday, Aug. 26 and Saturday, Aug. 27 at 8 p.m.; Sunday, Aug. 28 at 3 p.m.; Tuesday, Aug. 30 and Wednesday, Aug. 31 at 7:30 p.m.

Tickets are $16 and $19. Visit www.newtownartscompany.com, the Newtown Theatre Box Office during theater hours or call 215-860-7058.