Treatment Center Produces Musical : Show to Go On Despite Backstage Drama

At the outset, the thought of having the emotionally troubled girls living at the Penny Lane treatment center in Sepulveda direct and star in their own musical production seemed like a great idea.

Organizers would call it the “Ray of Hope Talent Show.”

The California Arts Council also thought it was a good idea and awarded the Americana Dance Theater a $6,500 grant to coordinate the project.

Raw Artistry

“They (the teen-agers) have a raw artistry about them,” said Ivelise Markovits, director and founder of Penny Lane, a nonprofit, 63-bed residential treatment center. Markovits said she often noticed her girls dancing and singing to the radio in the halls. “We thought it would be a good idea to rein that artistry in.”

Pulling it off, however, has been another matter. Markovits said she doubted that the artists who agreed to teach the teen-agers understood how difficult the task would be.

The performance that will be staged at the United Methodist Church of Sepulveda Tuesday night will not be polished. The voices are untrained and the costumes are a modest collection of threadbare leotards, blue jeans and sweat shirts with iron-on lettering.

Confidence-Builder

Yet the show is helping to instill in the troubled teen-agers something few of them have ever had: self-esteem.

“At first, they didn’t want to be involved, but it’s built up their confidence,” said Gwen Ejukwa, a Penny Lane counselor. “They didn’t think they could do it. It’s amazing, what they’ve accomplished.”

Most of the Penny Lane teen-agers have never had a break in their lives. About 90% of them have been sexually or physically abused and many have been bounced around in the juvenile justice system.

Many Drop Out

“We have talent,” said Vivian, a thin blonde who was wearing a Hawaiian shirt. “We might not be stars, but hey, one of these days one of us might be a star.”

For about an hour Tuesday, Vivian intently followed the instructions of her dance instructor, Alfredo Calderon, as she gamely tried to memorize her dance steps.

What is notable about the talent show is that it is happening at all. At times it looked like the great idea had turned into the great mistake.

Over the five months of the project, all but 16 of the original 40 teen-agers dropped out. Some lost interest, others ran away, some returned to their homes or were sent back to Juvenile Hall.

Almost Called It Quits

Bert and Sheila Krasnoff, the voice instructors who are psychotherapists in Woodland Hills, almost quit a few times when pandemonium in the form of screamed obscenities and general disrespect at the rehearsals seemed uncontrollable. Instead they bought a whistle--it was the only way at first to get the teen-agers’ attention. The whistle, however, quickly became obsolete as the girls grew fond of their instructors.

The dance teachers also had their problems. A dance choreographed for 12 had to be modified as the number of dancers dwindled. At rehearsal Tuesday night, only Vivian showed up for a Mayan dance routine.

But the teachers stuck it out, perhaps because they have learned to measure success in small doses. Tuesday night’s rehearsal in the Penny Lane auditorium illustrated the subtle triumphs.

Debated on Costumes

The kindest word an outsider might offer to describe the rehearsal would be “chaos.” But to those who have been working with the girls, it was encouraging.

For more than an hour, for instance, girls debated what they should wear. Everyone seemed to be talking at once. Some thought leotards were “gross”; others wanted them. Some wanted to wear jeans; others did not. Some who did changed their minds.

They did agree that they wanted to wear blue scarves. Bert Krasnoff, who was trying to reach a consensus on the costumes, seemed relieved.

A Solo and a Cry

But Ejukwa reminded the girls of something they already knew. “People in Penny Lane do not wear blue scarves,” she said. “It is a gang-related thing.”

Despite the confusion, the Krasnoffs were heartened. Although the girls were all talking at once, this time, at least, they were talking about the show.

A girl singing a solo burst into tears and ran outside. The others comforted her and she returned to try again. Everyone left the room so she could sing alone with the instructors.

Coaxed Into Courage

That display of consideration would never have happened when the project first started, organizers said.

At a dress rehearsal, one singer was so painfully shy that she turned her back to the audience. Bert Krasnoff stood beside her and, by the end of the number, she had turned around. Her courage brought the house down.

Vera Johnson, who directs the Arts Council’s Los Angeles office, said she is impressed with the teen-agers’ progress.

Road Trip

“It has brought them out of their shell,” Johnson said. “All the beauty of youth did show somehow.”

The talent show organizers hope to take the talent show to other residential treatment homes, nursing homes and hospitals, said Joyce Hall of the Americana Theater.

But first the teen-agers must perform Tuesday. “I’m really hoping next Tuesday will be magical,” Hall said.