Ready to emote? Sign on with MCG Players
by Christine Hurley Deriso
Dr. Lynn Jaffe loves slipping into other people’s skin.
“I find it a very fulfilling experience to take on the role of somebody else and to portray qualities that I don’t necessarily get to express in my regular life,” said Dr. Jaffe, assistant professor of occupational therapy.
Dr. Jaffe, a member of the MCG Arts Council who earned an undergraduate degree in theatre arts from Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, Mass., appeals to her fellow thespians (or thespian wannabes) to reactivate the MCG Players, a performing arts troupe.
“I’ve done a lot of community theater – mostly as an actor, with some experience directing – and I thought it would be fun to put on some plays with the MCG community,” she said.
MCG Players assembled periodically in the last few years to stage campus productions including The Hasty Heart, Harvey and The Curious Savage under the direction of MCG Health, Inc. nurse clinician Pam Losgar.
“As happens, Mrs. Losgar’s dramatic talents were tapped by her church and the MCG Players ceased,” Dr. Jaffe said.
When the MCG Arts Council began a lunchtime concert series recently, Dr. Jaffe volunteered as a storyteller. Bill Andrews, president of the MCG Arts Council, thought the timing was perfect for a renewed performing arts effort and approached Dr. Jaffe with the idea.
“I’m interested in starting with one-act plays to test the waters,” she said. “My main priority right now is to see how much interest there is on campus.”
She envisions alternating concerts with plays during the concert series, which is held in the large auditorium of the Auditoria Center. “Eventually, we could build up to full-length plays and maybe perform a children’s play for Children’s Medical Center patients,” she said, noting that she is also a puppeteer for the CMC’s Kids on the Block troupe.
“I don’t anticipate a very intense rehearsal schedule, and I welcome ideas for plays,” she said. “No experience is necessary, and we welcome participants for all roles associated with theater production,” including actors, directors, stage managers, set designers and costume designers.
If your schedule is already packed, Dr. Jaffe – the mother of 13-year-old twin sons – can relate. But she challenges people to consider making time for a fun creative outlet in which they can forge new bonds with their colleagues.
For more information, contact Dr. Jaffe at ljaffe@mcg.edu or ext. 1-3641.