Youtheatre Teaches Lessons of Life : Workshop directors say goal is to instill confidence and a sense of teamwork.

WEST HILLS — Not one young thespian has delivered a line or belted out a song in front of the audience, but the West Valley Jewish Community Center’s Youtheatre workshop is already getting rave reviews from the people who matter most--the actors and their parents.

“Without sounding too glowing, I think they’re a marvelous group,” says Vicki Platt of Bell Canyon, whose daughter, Lacey, 13, will appear in this weekend’s presentation of “Rockin’ at the Hop.”

“They don’t emphasize stardom for any of the kids,” Platt adds. “It may not be the most professional group, but Lacey loves it.”

The group, which meets weekly for a couple of months before a performance at the Community Center in West Hills, features about two dozen youngsters ranging in age from 6 to 13 performing a spoof of the Broadway musical “Grease.”

It is just the latest performance of the Youtheatre group, which since 1988--with its debut performance of “Fiddler on the Roof”--has encouraged youngsters to express themselves through drama and song.

“I love seeing kids get enthusiastic, watching their self-confidence grow and seeing them become a special part of the team,” says Ann Monahan, who with her husband, Mike, produces, directs, writes and choreographs the plays.

“The rules of the theater are no different than the rules of life,” Ann Monahan says. “I want them to be supportive of each other and learn that you don’t have to be a prima donna. We try to emphasize the fun.

“I personally don’t like show business for kids,” she adds. “There is so much rejection.”

That philosophy endears the program to parents who don’t necessarily want their children to seek a future in acting but do want them to reap the benefits of learning to face an audience.

“This is really good for Jaime and her self-esteem,” says Susan Marks of Woodland Hills of her 11-year-old daughter. “The kids all get a part in the play. They don’t just stand around being trees.”

In this particular production, the youngsters do anything but stand around. They portray 1950s teen-agers who rock ‘n’ roll to a variety of songs. “My favorite is ‘Greased Lightning,’ ” offers Jason Druyan, 6, of West Hills.

“It’s about a car,” the winsome youngster in a Power Rangers T-shirt explains, before launching into a high-energy recitation of the lyrics.

“It’s automatic! It’s hydromatic! It’s systematic! Why, it’s ‘Greased Lightning!’ ” Jason shouts. (Because most of the participants are under age 10, the Youtheatre production has an extremely high cuteness quotient.)

For Ann and Mike Monahan, working with children of all ages has been a lifelong commitment. They have been in show business for 40 years, married for 30 years and have raised a blended family of eight children.

Their “Brady Bunch” show business family has recently had to cope with the devastating loss of one of their sons, actor and model Tyler Stobie, who died Jan. 9 in an automobile accident at age 32 while working on a modeling assignment in Brazil.

That tragedy has given the Youtheatre group additional meaning to the Monahans. The youngsters cavorting in a preschool classroom during a recent rehearsal have become an important element in their healing process.

“Having a large family and working with these kids has been a godsend,” Mike Monahan says. “It’s very rewarding to watch them growing and developing.”

In addition to teaching their own children, for many years they ran the Showboat Dinner Theater, which closed about a year ago, at the Swedish Inn in Woodland Hills. The Monahans approached Seville Porush, adult and cultural arts director for the West Valley Jewish Community Center, about starting a theater workshop for children.

Porush says the program was just what she was looking for. “There is no stress, this is pure enjoyment,” Porush says. “I didn’t want the kind of program where the children were told, ‘Sit here and don’t move’ after they get out of school.”

Presumably, asking the youngsters in this Youtheatre group to sit still would be a decidedly impossible challenge. In fact, it is a marvel to watch even the littlest actor follow along with the dance steps and sing the lyrics to some pretty complicated songs.

Still, this is not a polished Broadway production. Yet everyone involved believes that these youngsters will take away something much more valuable from this experience than a professional appearance to put on an aspiring actor’s resume.

Just ask Kayla Klint, 8, of Woodland Hills, who proclaims that she has learned something vital at the Youtheatre. “I kind of like putting my finger in my mouth,” she says, demonstrating the universal sign for throwing up. “My favorite is when I get to say, ‘Oh, yuck!’ ”

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WHERE AND WHEN

What: Youtheatre production of “Rockin’ at the Hop.”

Location: 6429 Independence Ave., Woodland Hills.

Hours: 7:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Price: $3.50 seniors (65 and older) and children (12 and younger), $5.50 general, $4.50 center members. Limited number of tickets available at the door.

What: Youtheatre Program.

Location: 22622 Vanowen St., West Hills.

Hours: Tuesday and Thursday afternoons, next Tuesday to June 22. Next performance, “Oklahoma,” June 25.

Price: $120 members, $170 non-members.

Call: (818) 587-3268, Seville Porush, about the production or the program.