Saba Silverman has always had a soft spot for musical theater. At 16, the Sandy Springs resident got a job with Theater of the Stars, the organization that tours Broadway shows around the country. At the same time, she was helping out a family friend with developmental delays.
“My sister and I drove him all around, and I was always interested in his well-being,” said Silverman. “I always thought he was smarter than people thought he was.”
The combination of those two interests inspired Silverman to plan an outing for several developmentally disabled students from a study group at the Jewish community center in Buckhead.
“I thought it would be a great outing and something positive for the kids,” she said. “We had eight kids in their early teens, and we went to see a show at the Fox. As soon as it was over, they all wanted to do a play.”
Silverman latched onto the idea and sent letters to 40 friends, asking for $100 donations to underwrite a show. The result was a production of “The Fifteen Minute Hamlet.”
“I picked them up and dropped them off for rehearsals,” recalled Silverman. “It was a lot of work, but the result was fantastic: Here were kids with autism, Down syndrome and developmental delays who sometimes struggled to speak, but they learned Shakespeare.”
That dramatic debut was the birth of Jerry’s Habima Theatre, the only theatrical company in the state directed and produced by professionals and a cast of actors with developmental disabilities. This month, Habima marks 20 years of staging major productions such as “Guys and Dolls,” “Fiddler on the Roof” and “Footloose.”
Since its start, the troupe has grown, attracting mostly young adults in their 20s and 30s of all religious backgrounds who come from across the metro area to rehearse and perform at the Marcus Jewish Community Center of Atlanta in Dunwoody. A few years ago, the parent of a developmentally disabled child step forward with a generous donation and asked to name the troupe in honor of her husband, and the official title became Jerry’s Habima Theatre. (Habima is also the name of the national theater in Israel.)
“We went from being a small group to this crowd of young people largely by word of mouth,” said Silverman. “We’re currently working on ‘Grease,’ and this show alone has 40 actors in it. We hold auditions in December and start rehearsing in January three nights a week and Sundays. Right now, we’re rehearsing every evening for several hours. Some of these actors have to change buses three times to get here after work, but they’re here and excited.”
Michael Silver, 35, has a lead role in “Grease,” and it’s not his first time in the spotlight.
“I loved playing Ugly in ‘Honk,’ ” said Silver, who lives in Dunwoody and works part time at the area Kroger. “I got to sing a big role. I don’t always get the role that I want, so I’ve learned to share. But I love to perform. I am a better actor and better dancer now.”
There’s another perk to being a part of Habima, said Silver: “I get to be with friends.”
Making social connections is an important aspect of the program, said Silverman.
“In fact, we’ve had two marriages, and one couple is engaged,” she said with a grin. “There’s no doubt this is the most rewarding thing I have ever done.”
“Grease” runs March 7-17 at the Marcus Jewish Community Center, 5342 Tilly Mill Road, Dunwoody. Ticket information: 678-812-4002; www.atlantajcc.org.
“Milestones” covers significant events and times in the lives of metro Atlantans. Big or small, well-known or not — tell us of a Milestone we should write about. Send information to hm_cauley@yahoo.com; call 404-514-6162; or mail to Milestones, c/o Holly Steel, 223 Perimeter Center Parkway N.E., Atlanta, GA 30346.
