BIT BY THE THEATER BUG

During the day Gabor Barabas is a pediatric neurologist with a busy practice in Long Branch, NJ. But that’s not his only occupation. On evenings and weekends, he “moonlights” as the executive producer of the New Jersey Repertory Company, New Jersey’s newest Equity theater. Barabas and his wife, SuzAnne, who is artistic director, opened the 65-seat theater in March. It is a labor of love for both of them.

The theater is located in Long Branch, NJ, in a 9,000 square-foot building that has been donated to the theater company by David and Margaret Lumia, owners of a medical supply company. It took three years to find the right space - and the right community - for the theater. “We looked at several areas, including Red Bank, but it already had theaters,” says Barabas, an associate clinical professor of pediatrics at UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. “We finally decided on Long Branch because we felt it would be a great addition to the town.”

The couple has been involved with the stage for most of their lives. They were bit by the theater bug early on - in fact, when they were teenagers. He was 19, she was 18, and they were newly married and living in Cincinnati, where Barabas was a pre-med student. Before their marriage, SuzAnne studied acting with Lee Strasberg. “I yanked her away from her acting career, so I owed her,” says Barabas. With her husband’s help, SuzAnne started her own theater group, the Cincinnati Repertory Company, with only a $50 investment.

When Barabas entered medical school in Cincinnati with an interest in pediatrics and neurology, it seemed only fitting for the couple to start a children's theater company. The Peanut Butter Theater provided children with lunch and snacks while entertaining them. Later, when Barabas did his medical residency in Pennsylvania, yet another theater company was developed: ACT of Philadelphia. It specialized in more serious dramas and experimental works.

In 1979, the family (there were now two children) moved to New Jersey. “We vowed that our theater days were over,” recalls Barabas. “We were just too busy.” Instead, SuzAnne did some directing and acting and the couple wrote several books and plays, including “Find Me A Voice,” a drama about the Holocaust, which was performed Off Broadway in 1997.

Once their children were grown and on their own, the Barabases realized something was missing. Not any more: the NJ Repertory Company fills the void nicely. It is currently being renovated to add additional seating, and an Art Deco facade is also in the works. Though the building was free, renovation costs are estimated at $350,000.

“Our mission here is to develop new plays,” says Barabas. From the 1,000 scripts they received during their start-up period (via the Dramatists’ Guild, or otherwise through word of mouth), five or six were selected for full production. Among their recent offerings were “North Fork,” a comedy set in Texas, and an upcoming production of “On Golden Pond,” which will feature Kim Hunter, winner of the Academy Award for her role in “A Streetcar Named Desire.”

Another 25 to 30 plays will be performed as “script-in-hand” readings during the upcoming year. Actors perform the plays without sets or costumes, often with the playwright in attendance. “These informal readings are very popular with audiences,” says Barabas. “They get to see a brand-new play for the first time and talk to the playwright.”

Barabas now practices in West Long Branch in partnership with his brother Ronald, and is on the staff of Monmouth Medical Center. He is also the medical director at the Matheny School and Hospital in Peapack, where he works with disabled children.