By Pamela McLoughlin, Register Staff

NEW HAVEN — There’s a new theater troupe in the city, but wishing the members luck with the traditional line, “break a leg,” wouldn’t be a good idea.

Members of the new Dixwell/Newhallville Senior Center Theater Club range in age from their 60s to 86.

“It’s been fun, I’ve enjoyed it,” said Margery Mills, 73, admitting backstage that she was a tad nervous about her first performance ever.

What was the hardest part for Mills?

“Being expressive, interpreting the lines and remembering the lines,” she said.

Aside from that, no hurdles at all.

But despite the fears, Mills and her eight cast mates pulled off their debut, under direction of veteran area director and actor Mekah-el Ben Israel, himself a senior citizen. Israel plays the pastor in the play.

The audience, a packed house at the senior center on Goffe Street, laughed from start to finish as the group performed “The Church Fight,” a comedy about a group of parishioners who meet in secret to look for reasons to get rid of their pastor. When the pastor, the Rev. Procrastinator, shows up, parishioners change their tune.

“I think it was great; they’re very talented,” Director of Elderly Services Pat Wallace said, as the crowd gave the cast of nine a standing ovation. Continued...

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Anthony Ligon, 17, and his sister, Brittney Robinson, 16, bailed out of Wilbur Cross High School early to see their grandmother, Claudia Ligon, 60, play the part of a parishioner. Ligon said she hadn’t been in a play since high school and had “butterflies” backstage.

Anthony Ligon, an actor, said his grandmother comes to his plays, so he wanted to show support.

“It was funny,” he said.

The idea for the theater club came from Israel, who heard about a similar group from his cousin in Atlanta.

A veteran junior high school drama teacher, Israel said a great part about working with seniors is he didn’t have to track down parents for permission or manage their behavior. Even better, he said, is that all the actors at the center have a wealth of knowledge about New Haven. They’re all spiritual, as well, he said. Rehearsals were fun, he said, because they often talked local and national politics.

“Unfortunately in our society, people think the seniors are senile and out of touch,” Israel said. “These women are resilient, intelligent and have so much to offer.”

The group rehearsed twice a week for nine weeks and they are eager to begin another production and add members, especially men.

Some are seasoned community or professional theater veterans, but others like Mills and Ligon are taking the stage for a first time.

Novice Joyce Pearson-Waller, who is in her 60s, said the hardest part is “facing the crowd.”

But once onstage, none of the beginners stood out from experienced actors. All characters were funny, expressive with faces and bodies and if anyone did miss a line, they sure covered it well. Continued...

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Joe Hundley, 65, the only man in the group at the moment, said the theater club has been, “wonderful for me.”

“I’m surprised and amazed I’m able to remember all my lines without vitamins,” he said.

One senior center actress, Elnora “Chuckie” Harris, had a last minute flare-up of sciatica and so Gloria Jean Richardson, a veteran area actress, stepped in a day or so before show time.

Richardson, 65, who said, “You feed off the crowd,” as an actress, said the idea for a senior theater club is great and she gave her less experienced colleagues great reviews.

“They’re wonderful, they’re good and they were willing to work hard,” she said.

Others in the production were Hattie Turner, Isis H. Crawley and Catherine Lloyd.

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