"Hopeful, Clara! You’re hopeful!" Sofia Geier yells at the stage. The actress, no older than eighteen, nods, comprehending, and starts again, her voice lighter this time. To another actor, a few lines later, "Hit your consonants!" Geier jumps up from her chair and pinches her fingers in the air above her to emphasize her point. Pause, nod, begin again. The group on stage doesn’t seem to tire, easing in and out of character seamlessly to take Geier’s advice and repeating bits of the scene. On a beautiful summer evening, the thespians of the Main Street Teen Theatre are in the basement of 548 Main Street, rehearsing madly in preparation for opening night of this year’s production, A History of the American Film. It’s a work that has special meaning for Islander Joan Pape, who was in the original production.

The annual summer Main Street Teen Theatre show is a tradition that has lasted over 20 years. Geier, a professional actor, director and acting coach, has directed the show for the past two years, since the departure of Worth and Nancy Howe. This year, she chose playwright Christopher Duran’s 1978 Broadway hit, A History of the American Film, for its smart satire and humor. "Last year’s performance of You’re In Town was a big hit," says Geier. "It was quirky and off-beat [like A History] and the kids really enjoyed doing it, so I thought this would be a good choice."

As the title would lead you to believe, the play presents a condensed version of the history of American movies, starting with the silents and moving through the gangster films of the ’30s, the screwball comedies of the ’40s and ’50s, the classic horror films of the ’60s (Pyscho, anyone?), and the disaster films of the ’70s. The four main roles are based on the archetypal characters of American film: the good girl, the bad girl, the good guy, the bad guy, and the wiseguy or – in this case – the wisegirl. Their namesakes are legendary actors Loretta Young, Bette Davis, Henry Fonda, Jimmy Cagney, and Eve Arden. Only a handful of other actors portray the multiple supporting roles. As one young actor explains it to me, "I play three black people, one Indian guy, and one Japanese person" – a deeply satirical commentary on the stock characters frequently employed to play minority figures in twentieth-century films.

Joan Pape, as depicted for a newspaper review of A History of American Film

Though half the cast hails from Roosevelt Island, the Main Street Theatre is open to anybody, and the rest of the cast comes from Queens and Manhattan. Students enroll in acting classes offered through Main Street Theatre in the fall and are invited in January to try out for the summer production. "Rehearsals are generally about once a week from that point on," says Geier. "Then we get to about this point, start to panic, and rehearse as much as possible!"

Despite her words, and the fact that neither costumes nor set is ready (the actors rehearse around the set left behind after the May production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream), Geier appears calm. She raves about her capable assistant, an alumnus of the program and now a theatre major at a nearby college. Geier isn’t surprised. "What I’ve seen from participants is that [being in these productions] fosters a life-long love of performance, and builds tremendous friendships." Although they might not go on to become professional actors, the experience stays with them, and alumni often organize reunions or open-mike nights to reconnect with their old theatre troupes.

"There are a lot of less wholesome activities kids can do," Geier points out. "I’m glad this gives them a sort of home." A staunch believer in the benefits of community theatre, she goes on to explain, "It’s a lot like playing a sport. It teaches you to be part of a team. And if you do the work, you get all the fun."

Geier became involved with the program through her children, who took acting classes and performed in various Main Street Theatre productions for many years. Founded on the belief that every person, regardless of background, should have the chance to participate in the arts, students enroll in classes for a fraction of the price found in Manhattan. Funding for the program is provided mainly through the student tuition, then by public agencies, including the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs. The biggest challenge? "Doing all this on a shoestring," says Geier cheerfully. She enjoys being on the other side of the spotlight, directing. "I really have the energy for it," she says, "and I love working with kids, especially when I can watch them grow up here."

The Main Street Theatre also offers adult classes and performances. Geier does not find one group more difficult to direct than the other, insisting that it comes down to "how flexible the person is, how open they are [to new ideas]." The more playful, the better.

One adult the group is especially excited about is Island resident Joan Pape, who played the original Eve character on Broadway in the ’70s. Pape, who has lived on the Island for 22 years, started acting in high school and turned professional after graduating from Yale Drama School. History combined Joan’s Washington, D.C., cast with the Hartford cast for its Broadway run, which lasted about six weeks. "People always ask, didn’t you know it was going to flop?" says Pape. "But when you’re working on a production, you’re working so hard, you never think that." She goes on to explain that the show is more effective on a small stage. "It got too big, a huge orchestra versus one piano up on stage…it just got lost somehow."

Pape, now retired, has fond memories of the play. "It’s a hoot!" she says. "It’s satire, but it’s not ugly." She describes it as an ensemble piece, versus works that are centered on one or two big stars. "We were all pulling together… [The cast] really becomes your family." She is eager to see the updates Duran has made to the play since its original run. She points out that, while teenagers today might not recognize Jimmy Cagney and Loretta Young, her generation knew the actual actors their characters were emulating. In fact, her biggest fear was not forgetting her lines or tripping on stage, but "that the real Eve Arden would show up!"

Geier met Pape entirely by chance, at, appropriately enough, a party celebrating Shakespeare’s birthday. "That’s what I love about this community," says Pape, describing the unexpected connection. "I was just walking by. Things like that happen here." Geier had already chosen History as this year’s show and says Pape was thrilled by the news. "I’ve stayed very hands-off," Pape says. "It’s very hard to go backstage and realize this isn’t mine anymore. It was ours when we were there, so it’s very strange not to be a part of it anymore." Though traveling for much of the rehearsal perod, Pape will be present to see the Roosevelt Island rendition and has volunteered to do a Q&A with the audience after the show.

At the moment, a group of teens dressed in jeans in an empty theatre faking their props seems a far cry from Broadway. But come opening night (already over by the time this issue of The WIRE reaches readers), all is transformed.

Rehearsal stalls momentarily as one of the actors has disappeared. "He went to get tea at Trellis!" someone yells from the doorway. Geier shakes her head, but is clearly not exasperated with her group of young actors. Rather, she appears proud of and impressed with all their work. "Great!" she says enthusiastically to the actor on stage once rehearsal has recommenced. "I can tell you’ve been working on this part. Now let’s try…" Pause, nod, begin again. Later she smiles and says simply, "There’s a lot of love here. You’re not doing [community theatre] to get famous or rich; you’re doing it because you love it."

A History of the American Film opened Thursday night, with additional performances scheduled for last night (Friday at 7:30), tonight (Sat., June 16, at 7:30), and tomorrow at 2:00 and 7:00 p.m. Tickets are $15 (adults) and $10 (seniors/students), though lowered to $10/$8 for the Sunday matinee). The box office number is 212-371-4449 and there’s more information about The Main Street Theatre and Dance Alliance at www.mstda.org.