Fom the Wednesday, June 8, 2005, edition:
Reprising first production, Cross Community Players enters 25th year
Reprising first production, Cross Community Players enters 25th year

by Kathy Hara

For the third time, the Cross Community Players (CCP) will present the musical production "Fiddler on the Roof," with performances at Maple Grove High School beginning this Friday, June 10, and running through Sunday, June 26.

Fiddler on the Roof was the first production ever attempted by the group, and the second production of Fiddler was mounted as a 10th anniversary celebration. It is very appropriate, then, as Cross Community Players launches its 25th year, that its summer production once again is Fiddler on the Roof.

CCP actually got its start, in the tradition of old Andy Rooney and Judy Garland movies, when Rev. Jerry Anderson of Advent Church said, in effect, "Hey kids, let's put on a show."

The idea of a show was to raise money for CROSS (Christians Reaching Out in Social Service), a food shelf that Anderson had helped start in this area.

"We needed more funding," said Anderson. "We did not receive any government assistance or grants. We wanted to remain independent and control it, so we had to rely on other funding. So in 1981, I suggested to my associate pastor at Advent that one way to raise funds would be to have a community play. I asked Rev. Dale Olson, who had previously been a high school music teacher, to become the director and present a production of Fiddler on the Roof, which was the first musical production."

Mike Forsberg was first to play to the role of Tevye, said one of the founders, Trudy Kreitz; Kreitz, remembering a quote by Forsberg, "Isn't it neat that a bunch of Protestants and Catholics got together and did a Jewish play."

"That first time," said Forsberg, "my costume was made from curtains bought at a garage sale for 10 cents. We were trying to keep all the costs down in order to give more to CROSS."

Kreitz and Forsberg were among a group of people involved in Fiddler who were called by Anderson to a post-production meeting at an area pancake restaurant. Fiddler had been a great success, so the question was what to do next.

"The spirit moved us, we did this show, and we didn't want to stop," said Sue Hein, a member of Advent who had played Yenta.

"At the meeting there was a lot of discussion of what we should be," she said. "Is it going to be community theater, for profit, not for profit, and who will benefit? [Fiddler] was so successful because it was for someone else. So we were pretty clear that's what we wanted to continue to do." The mission was not just to raise money for charity, but also to be a creative outlet for families and the community to come together in Christian fellowship.

Thirty-four productions later, CCP has evolved into a true community effort and is still going strong. Many churches, the school district and civic organizations have supported the group in one way or another over the years. And thousands of dollars have been raised for CROSS and other food shelves. In addition, tons of nonperishable food items have been collected from members of the audience and delivered to the food shelves.

For the first four or five years, said Hein, CCP was loosely organized; but the time came when they realized they had to incorporate as a nonprofit. Eventually the group realized they also needed to separate as an entity from CROSS.

Greg Janssen got involved with CCP in 1995. It happened at church, he said, when he asked when the next show would be. The next thing he knew, he was making props. In 1997 he joined the board of directors was the organization's president from 1998 to 2003. One of the first things he presided over was the corporate separation of CCP from CROSS.

"We had started applying for grants through the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council," said Janssen, "but they said legally you are a food shelf." Incorporating separately allowed CCP to apply for these types of grants.

Even legally separated from CROSS, CCP remains a charitable community theater, the only one of its kind in Minnesota, if not the nation. It has been able to donate $3,000 to $4,000 annually to CROSS and other such charities. Unfortunately, the increasing costs of putting on productions are beginning to eat away at the amount CCP is able to donate. So, more than ever, CCP looks to the community for increased support.

"What I like so much about CROSS is its a social justice issue," said Hein. It's about people who love to perform, "but it wasn't all about them, it's about other folks. And they've kept that vision."

"Community in the play, community in the seats, and funds for social services," said Janssen. That is how Cross Community Players got its start, and that is the basis on which it continues.

Fiddler on the Roof performances are Friday through Sunday, June 10 to 12 and Thursday through Sunday, June 23 to 26, with Sunday performances at 2 p.m. and all other performances at 7:30 p.m. The performances take place at Maple Grove High School, 9800 Fernbrook Lane. For further information, go to www.crossplayers.org or call 391-ARTS.

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