Productions Over the Rainbow provides team-centric performance experience for young thespians
By Lisa Napell Dicksteen
Originally published in Times Beacon Record Newspapers

 There’s an old show-biz saying about how an actor should never share the stage with kids or dogs for fear of being overshadowed by their inherent adorableness. This adage, however, doesn’t hold true if the actor is a kid (or, I suppose, a canine). At Productions Over the Rainbow, Inc., (POTR), a not-for-profit 501C3 corporation designed to create kids-only theatrical performances, kids cavort on the stage with no adults to overshadow or outshine. They are the stars of their own shows, and they are the reasons that Robert and Dana De Persio created this organization.
According to POTR’s mission statement, their intention is “To provide a safe, educational, positive and fun venue” and, based on the August performance of West Side Story, that’s exactly what they’ve done. The 50-plus teenagers involved in the performance clearly had a blast, and, just as important to the POTR staff, they were encouraged to “develop intellectually, socially, emotionally, physically and theatrically” while being exposed to the concepts of “respect of self, team and production” at auditions, rehearsals, and performances. The POTR mission statement concludes with what might be their guiding premise, “The process is equal to or more important than the product.”
Robert De Persio Jr., most well known in the Three Village community as the energetic and effervescent director of the Gelinas Junior High School’s choral and drama programs, has been dreaming and planning for the creation of this theater company for kids for a very long time. Working on what his students will recognize as his personal and performance motto, “You have to believe in your dreams,” which is attributed to his personal hero, L. Frank Baum (creator of the immortal Wizard of Oz), De Persio, in cooperation with his wife Dana, a special education teacher at Murphy Junior High School, has pulled together a talented volunteer board of directors and secured space in the lower level of Good Shepherd Church in Holbrook for an expanding array of children’s classes, seminars, and performances. West Side Story, which was a resounding success, was the company’s second show of the 2006 summer, their second summer of operation, and they are busily working on securing space and setting up scheduling for fall 2006 (starting in October) and spring 2007 (starting in June).
Upcoming projects include several workshops, classes, and performances. Among the fall 2006 offerings is a workshop focusing on the fundamentals of improvisational comedy and stage techniques called “Whose Laugh is it Anyway?” for aspiring comics and actors between 13 and 18. The main emphasis is on the importance of knowing who you share the stage with and learning to quickly adapt to your surroundings, although the workshop includes the study of pantomime and musical improv too. The course, which takes place two weekday afternoons per week at The Bates House in Setauket, culminates in an improv show.
For those between the ages of seven and 12, there are the “Getting to Know Me, Getting to Know All About Me.” They meet once a week at The Bates House and focus on “confidence and the ability to be comfortable with oneself on stage,” and include the study of speech, body language, and stage control en route to a culminating production for an audience of parents and pals.
The fall production will be Leader of the Pack: The Ellie Greenwich Musical, which will rehears at The Bates House but be performed in early December at Good Shepherd Church. This musical was a hit on Broadway sometime in the 1980s and charts the rise to the top of the charts of Ellie Greenwich, creator of such doo wop hits as Chapel of Love, Da Do Ron Ron, Be My Baby, Hanky Panky, Do Wah Diddy, And Then He Kissed Me, and, of course, the famous title song with the motorcycle sounds in the opening.
For those who can hold out until June, POTR is offering their third serving of the “Triple Threat” summer workshop for those ages 7 to 16 interested in singing, dancing, and acting. Naturally, the final production will be a musical, although which one will be selected remains a closely guarded De Persio family secret as of press time.
For those between the ages of 13 and 19, there is also the “Summer Teen Production,” a workshop designed to teach all aspects of mounting a theatrical production which culminates in a performance in August.
Judging by the happy faces on both sides of the “curtain” at West Side Story, De Persio and his team have created exactly what they set out to create; a kid-friendly space in which young people interested in the theatrical arts can explore their talents, make friends, work as a team, and create something wonderful together. “The experience was incredible,” said Ward Melville High School sophomore Paul Bertolino who played Chino in West Side Story. “I really learned a lot about myself and what I’m capable of achieving.” This is just what De Persio had in mind when he first envisioned POTR.
If you or someone you know is interested in auditioning for a show, signing up for a class, or volunteering as an adult assistant (costumer, set constructor, lighting or sound engineer, program producer, fund raiser, or seller of tickets or concession items) or for information on times, costs, and other details, go to www.overtherainbowinc.com or call 631-696-6817. Just plan to leave the dogs at home.