By Eileen Morrison-Darren
Beari Productions, the community theater company that makes its home at Trinity Lutheran Church in Middle Village, celebrated its seventh year of existence by producing an ambitious season of five shows, including “Steel Magnolias,” the well-received “Detective Story,” and its recent production of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “South Pacific.”
An interview with Beari producers and cofounders, Debbie and René Bendana, conducted amid the hustle and bustle of pre-show activity at a matinee performance of the classic musical, was interrupted on several occasions by cast and crew members with urgent questions, eager patrons who couldn’t wait for the doors to open to buy show tickets, and kisses and hugs from friends and colleagues from other openings and other shows.
Local community theater companies, in fact, provide a tremendous amount of support for one another. In spite of the inevitable rivalries and the artistic temperament of those involved, the groups share actors, technicians, sets, props, and generally help each other out in any way they can. Debbie Bendana said, “We all try to plan schedules so that no company’s production is in direct competition with another group’s for the entire run of a show.”
She added, “Each group has its own core audience; then there are the ‘groupies,’ theater fans who see all of the shows at all of the theaters. We really appreciate all of the support we get.”
Make no mistake about it, the production of a play or musical for the stage takes countless hours of hard work. In addition to the auditions and rehearsals that most people associate with theater, execution of the technical aspects, including set construction, scenic painting, and the lighting installation, or “hang,” are extremely labor intensive. But for the husband-and-wife producing team at Beari, theater is a labor of love.
The mission of the group is to bring good theater to the community at reasonable prices, to provide a place where local playwrights can produce new works and to give newcomers to the theater, as well as veterans, a place to hone their craft.
It takes vision to lead a large number of people through the glamorous (and often not-so-glamorous) efforts that it takes to get a show “up,” and the Bendanas are well-suited for the job. In describing his philosophy about running the popular group, René Bendana said, “It’s simple. You work hard and have fun along the way. When you do that, good things happen.”
Since 1997 this exuberant couple, with the assistance of the members of their company and many friends, has produced 23 shows. It’s not hard to see why the energetic Debbie and the charismatic René have been able to rally not only the players and technicians, but a loyal audience as well.
The Bendanas met and fell in love while appearing opposite one another in a production of “Call Me Madam.” The thespians founded Beari Productions, a name derived from a combination of “Bendana” and Debbie’s maiden name, “Richardson.” In 2000, the two became partners in their private lives as well, exchanging “I do’s” at the group’s regular performance space at Trinity Lutheran Church.
When asked if she is as enthusiastic about the company now as she was at its inception, Debbie Bendana said “If anything, I’m more passionate about theater than ever. It’s my lifeline.”
Debbie Bendana, who directs nearly every production for Beari, and teaches history and theater arts at her alma mater, Mary Louis Academy, responded, “I always tell people that ‘What I do is theater. In my spare time, I teach!’”
Debbie Bendana is a community theater veteran whose resume boasts more than 10 years as a performer in leading roles, but she pegs singing with her grandfather’s big band at the age of 3 as the start of her love affair with applause. “After that,” she said, “I never looked back.”
René Bendana, who had produced and worked as a theater technician and house manager for small, Off-Off Broadway and repertory companies, including the Jean Cocteau Repertory Company, also has many acting credits for roles in community and regional theater productions. He won the Northwest Region of Ohio Excellence in Acting Award and has earned good press notices for local roles, including Herb Tucker in “I Ought To Be In Pictures” and Lou Brody in “Detective Story” for Beari Productions.
An Army draftee who served in Korea during the Vietnam war, René Bendana subsequently joined the National Guard and was stationed in Connecticut. It was there that, as a widower and the single parent of two young sons, René Bendana had his first experience performing on stage at a local community theater. “That was it,” he said, “I was hooked for life!”
The Bendanas agreed that neither would have attempted to found a theater company on his or her own, but Rene’s “joie de vive” was a perfect match for Debbie’s boundless energy and Beari Productions was the result. Together, this husband and wife team will be bringing theater to the community for years to come.
