Rodd Berro”™s initial stage appearance was auspicious in its horror ”“ he got murdered in the second act.
“I learned my lines and they did me in.”
That was back in eighth grade when he got recruited because of his young looks for “We Always Lived in a Castle” at Byram Hills High School in Armonk. Stage death aside, Berro loved the theater. And with a catchy name like Rodd with two d”™s ”“ his father doesn”™t remember why he included a second d ”“ he was destined for the marquis life.
Although he wasn”™t a good singer by his own admission, he appeared in a few musicals through high school. He was hooked on the theater and sought out a conservatory to attend for his college years. He found and was accepted into the North Carolina School of the Arts in Winston-Salem.
It was its own universe insulated from the rest of the world. Dancers dancing in the hallways; singers singing everywhere; and jugglers ”“ that would be Berro ”“ outside on unicycles juggling.
Yes, he still has the unicycle and yes, he still can juggle. But, he doesn”™t juggle on the unicycle anymore. He has a family to think of in case of a mishap and it”™s tough to get insurance for that kind of performing.
During college, he did the typical actor thing and was a waiter at Darryl”™s, home to Southern ribs slathered in sauce. Studies, performing and working left little time for eating. A visit by his parents left them staring at how skinny he had become. “I was living on energy and Rocky Road from Baskin-Robbins.” He felt the marshmallow offered some substantive ”“ although empty-calorie ”“ stomach-filling fuel. He also dined at a pizzeria that offered an all-you-can-eat salad bar for a dollar, just the right price for a starving student actor.
When he was a junior, he and a friend put together an hour-long show consisting of a series of skits, from swordplay to juggling, and offered it to Wolf Trap Farm Park in Vienna, Va. A couple days before school ended, the pay phone in the dorm hallway rang and it was a gentleman informing Berro that he had been awarded a government grant to perform the show that summer. He was unaware of the money available, which came to $10,000; good for props, lodging and food for his troupe. It was his first professional gig. He and his pals performed in front of 500 children several times a week, doing magic and spoofing ballet and opera, with Berro singing in a woman”™s voice to the delight of the youngsters.
He loved the work and the fun and applied again the following year, but to his chagrin was not accepted. To this day he still wonders why he didn”™t win.
After graduation he headed to New York City and started auditioning for everything. He did a Florida tour of “The Fantasticks” and earned his equity card from the Actors”™ Equity Association when he was hired to juggle for the No Elephant Circus.
But Berro was starving. After singing in front of composer Cy Coleman for a part for the first national tour of “Barnum,” and failing to get the part, Berro decided to quit theater altogether.
He was hired by a producer friend, Nick Neubauer, to manage 5,000 square feet of space at 704 Broadway in lower Manhattan. It served as low-cost rehearsal studios for productions that couldn”™t afford the high cost of renting out theaters. Berro redesigned the space and created Apollo Studios, which served as shooting space for fashion photographers. It caught on and Berro opened up another floor with a skylight. “It was a huge success for years and then everyone started to copy us.”
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He saw the writing on the wall and Neubauer suggested hooking up with Pegasus Asset Management. Berro went back to school and studied to become a money manager. He joined Pegasus and in 2004 he bought out the partners.
From 1985 to 1997, Berro did no theater. His wife, Liz, heard that a community troupe was going to put on “84 Charing Cross Road” and she suggested he offer his expertise. He did and such was the beginning of The Armonk Players. The Friends of the North Castle Public Library sponsored the group and offered use of its Whippoorwill Hall for presentations. Since those early days, other shows have included “Lovers and Other Strangers,” “Amadeus,” “A Funny thing Happened on the Way to the Forum” and last June”™s performance of “Steel Magnolias.”
Berro is now in the throes of helping pull together the troupe”™s 20th full production: “Anatomy of a Murder.” He has directed five shows and acted in seven. Berro”™s dad, Nat Berro, who has been helping his son build sets since 1998, continues to do so today at the age of 86.
Daughter Kelsey, 14, has some of her dad”™s genes and has acted in the musical theater show “Circle of Friends” at the American Girl store in New York City. Son Zachary, 11, is the musician in the family.
Berro says it”™s hard getting people in the seats as well as volunteers as stagehands. “You give up a lot of nights for dress rehearsals and the shows.”
But, he says, it”™s a wonderful experience.
“It exposes kids to the theater and keeps the arts alive.”
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“Anatomy of a Murder” will be presented starting Nov. 30 at Whippoorwill Hall. For more information, go to www.armonkplayers.org/schedule.html.
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