Theater, Opera And Jackson Heights

By Jason Banrey

For the last eight years, Jackson Heights resident Sam Helfrich has been directing operas across the country. With his creative touch, many popular plays have garnered positive praise from the likes of The New York Times and the Boston Globe.

The cast of "Tape," directed by Jackson Heights' Sam Helfrich.

From Pennsylvania to Oregon and Kentucky to Nebraska, Helfrich has worked tirelessly on his craft, making what he does seem effortless.

"It really comes natural to me," Helfrich said of bouncing seamlessly between the art forms of both opera and theater.

Not only has he found success stateside, the California native's career has carried him around world, giving him the opportunity to build an extensive resume that most can only dream of.

While studying at Columbia University for a degree in Russian language and literature, Helfrich spent six months in Leningrad. After earning his degree, he moved to Spain where he spent three years living between the Iberian peninsula's world famous artistic realms of Madrid, Barcelona and Valencia.

Upon his return to New York, Helfrich began writing and directing his own plays while with the 42nd Street Collective. He completed his MFA in theatre art back at Columbia University's School of the Arts.

Immediately, Helfrich was catapulted toward opera. With proficiency in both French and Spanish, he was pulled between Barcelona and Geneva, assisting in the production of multiple operas while always keeping room on his schedule to direct his own pieces back in New York, the metropolis he now calls home.

On Sept. 9, Helfrich will return to New York's theater scene, directing an off-Broadway revival of Stephen Belber's acclaimed play, "Tape." Although the on-stage production has already made its film debut, starring the stalwart performances of Uma Thurman, Ethan Hawke and Robert Sean Leonard, Helfrich's rendition promises not to disappoint.

The one-act play is a bullet shot of emotions, exploring the obsessive love between three high school friends who come together for an evening of revelations that will set viewers on the edge of their seats with suspense.

Although Helfrich is comfortable bouncing between straight theater and opera, there is a difference that leads to a preference for the director: the flexibility of improvisational skill sets of on-stage actors which Helfrich enjoys working with.

"In opera, you are dealing with music which gives you a lot of material to work with, but music has its own time," he said. "The meter of music sometimes sets a limit."

After making his bread and butter in opera, Helfrich is embracing his return to theater.

Performances of "Tape" will run through Sept. 24 at the June Havoc Theatre in the Abingdon Theatre Art Complex, located at 312 West 36th St. For more information about the show go to TapeNYC.com.

Reach Reporter Jason Banrey at jbanrey@queenstribune.com or (718) 357-7400, Ext. 128.