SL_Culture_0320FINAL_Reg4_Culture 3 / 13 / 20 5 : 23 PM Page 2 country road in Telford . “ Some of them act , some design sets , some build sets , and some sell tickets . Once you get involved with it , you realize that community theater has a tremendous amount of ben - efits for everyone involved . It allows for people to get acquainted with each other and to exercise their artistic ability . It’s friends and neighbors working together and sharing their passion . ” Of course , it’s fair to say , audience members , many of whom are also friends and neighbors of the same community , not only benefit by enjoying a good per - formance , but some also develop that same passion for live theater and quickly become more involved in one way or another . “ A good show can be exciting and can be a pleasurable and memorable ex - perience , ” Takes says . “ It makes us all slow down and enjoy a moment in time . ” Takes is a theater buff of the highest degree , as well as the epitome of what a hardworking , dedicated , and reliable vol - unteer should be . Over the course of her more than 40 years at DCP , she has served in just about every capacity pos - sible . Her high office aside , she often finds herself completing tasks some might consider menial . “ I’m a director , an actor , a producer , ” she says . “ I help design sets and pick out or make costumes , clean toilets and sweep floors . Everyone chips in and does what they can . Everyone is focused on our main goal , which is putting on the best show possible . ” In fact , one of the things she likes most about the theater is how it teaches people to work together toward a common goal and “ experience quality time together . ” ‘ A Great Thing ’ Another thing that’s universal among the - aters , both professional and semi - profes - sional , is a strong commitment to share their passion and love for the theater with others . DCP certainly does its part , with three of its nine yearly productions quali - fying as “ family theater , ” meaning for young children and their parents . Further - more , DCP sponsors a separate entity called Drama Kids International , a re - spected organization that teaches acting to kids ages five to 17 . “ We start by working on the kids ’ public speaking , ” says Bill Algeo , who runs the Drama Kids classes at DCP . “ Then we work on projection , articulation , self - confidence , and movement on stage . At the end of each class , the students put on SUBURBANLIFEMAGAZINE.COM MARCH 2020 | 83