It takes a village
By MICHAEL SMITH World Scene Writer
8/20/2004

The label ‘community theater’ is exactly right for Heller Theater
Heller Theater is different, unusual, the little black box theater that could and does.
It's not just the lineup of plays that artistic director Julie Tattershall announces each season, always including shows that are risky, shows that might not attract large audiences.
The point is that some of the projects are ones that if Heller didn't present them, no one in Tulsa would. And that would be a blow to local theatergoers, because city-funded Heller annually presents a couple of the year's best plays.
All of which makes the success of "Mere Mortals,"
Ron Friedberg (left), Dale Sams and Michael Bernart in a scene from Heller Theater’s “Mere Mortals.”
STEPHEN HOLMAN / Tulsa World
a collection of five one-act comedies by David Ives ("All in the Timing") opening Saturday, a bit more important than for most shows. This production is the annual fund-raising show for the Heller Theater Council.
The only thing tinier than 50-seat Heller Theater is its budget, so the council assists in funding for costumes, set pieces and much more each year, said Sherry Zyskowski, the group's treasurer.
"I think that Heller is more truly community theater," she said. "Everyone is accepted, no one is excluded. We already have lawyers, psychologists and migrant workers. There's no superiority among the actors when compared to the tech people. It's just different.
"It's more like a family. The board makes more decisions, and you have a real feeling of contributing to the running of the theater."
Zyskowski should know. She's been the council treasurer for eight years, been a stage manager or technician on 40-plus productions and acts about once a year. With "Mere Mortals," she makes her directing debut.
Jarrod Kopp directs two of the one-acts: "Degas, C'est Moi," a piece about a man who spends a day roaming Manhattan convinced he is the impressionist painter, and "Dr. Fritz," in which a young American tourist gets food poisoning and goes to a very unusual South American doctor who has very strange habits and talks to God.
The other three are helmed by first-time directors, with Zyskowski leading the titular "Mere Mortals," a playlet with three construction workers on their lunch break that satirizes the desire for status and fame.
Other new directors include Tara Treiber with "Time Flies," showcasing two mayflies who decide that "carpe diem" is the best philosophy when your expected lifespan is just 24 hours, and Valerie Stefan with "Foreplay," which questions whether miniature golf and seductions are merely games repeated with minor variations.
The cast includes Dale Sams, George Romero, Daniel Fugatt, Leighanna Santandrea, Ron Friedberg, Michael Bernart, Heather Brooker, Mike Grove, Bryan Reed, Sara Wilemon and Sarah Alfred.
Zyskowski admits to shadowing Tattershall at the theater for years, picking up tips from the veteran with an eye toward directing. Her initial experience has taught her to be flexible.
"I thought I would start at the beginning, get things set up and not change it," she said with a chuckle. "We have changed a lot as we've gone through the process. We've found things we liked better. An actor will come up with something that I like better than what I suggested. Hey, it's a community effort around here."

MERE MORTALS
Who: Heller Theater
When: 8 p.m. Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday, also 8 p.m. Aug. 26-28
Where: Heller Theater, 5328 S. Wheeling Ave.
Tickets: $5-$7, may be reserved by calling 746-5065