Suburban dwellers everywhere would call themselves lucky to have an established community theater offering a lengthy season of diverse plays.

		South theater season schedule Little Lake Theatre 500 Lakeside Drive South, North Strabane "Bunny Bunny" by Alan Zweibel, May 24-26 and May 31-June 3 "The Boys Next Door" by Tom Griffin, June 14-16, June 21-24 and June 28-30 "Over the Tavern" by Tom Dudzick, July 5 -7, July 12-15 and July 19-21 "Charley's Aunt" by Brandon Thomas, July 26-28, Aug. 2-5 and Aug. 9-11 "Apartment 3A" by Jeff Daniels, Aug. 16-18, Aug. 23-26, Aug. 30 and Sept. 1 "Ancestral Voices" by A.R. Gurney, Sept. 6-8, Sept. 13-15 and Sept. 20-22 "Almost, Maine" by John Cariani, Sept. 27-29, Oct. 4-6 and Oct. 11-13 "As You Like It" by William Shakespeare, Oct. 18-20, Oct. 25-27 and Nov. 1-3 "Escanaba in Da Moonlight" by Jeff Daniels, Nov. 8-10, Nov. 15-17 and Nov. 23-24 "A Tuna Christmas" by Jaston Williams, Joe Sears and Ed Howard, Nov. 29-Dec. 1, Dec. 6-8, Dec, 13-15 Tickets range from $8 to $15. For more and for curtain times, call 724-745-6300. South Park Theatre Corrigan Drive at Brownsville Road, South Park "The Owl and the Pussycat" by Bill Manhoff, May 24-27, May 30-June 3 and June 6-10 "A Thousand Clowns" by Herb Gardner, June 14-17, June 20-24 and June 27-July 1 "On Golden Pond" by Ernest Thompson, July 5-8, July 11-15 and July 18-22 "Hay Fever" by Noel Coward, July 26-29, Aug. 1-5 and Aug. 8-12 "Greater Tuna" by Jaston Williams, Joe Sears and Ed Howard, Aug. 16-19, Aug. 22-26 and Aug. 29-Sept. 2 "The Melville Boys" by Norm Foster, Sept. 6-9, Sept. 12-16 and Sept. 19-23 "Art" by Yasmina Reza, Sept. 27-30, Oct. 3-7 and Oct. 10-14 Tickets range from $8 to $15. For more and for curtain times, call 412-831-8552. -- Compiled by Kate Luce Angell

South residents have access to two: Little Lake Theatre in North Strabane and South Park Theatre in the community of the same name.

South Park Theatre

South Park is the newer of the two. It just started its 13th season under founder and executive director Audrey Castracane, who said the theater had come a long way in that time.

"I think we've progressed in artistic level and quality, and we've greatly expanded our season," she said.

The season now includes eight mainstage and five children's shows.

Longtime South Park director Rick Campbell, who has worked with Ms. Castracane since the beginning, agreed.

"I remember when [the venue] was just a bunch of lawn chairs," he said.

Ms. Castracane, of North Strabane, said during South Park's season, which runs May to October, she puts in 12-15 hour days, "and can't get a summer vacation.

"And, I'm certainly not getting rich. But it's so satisfying," she said of the work.

Ms. Castracane estimates her annual budget is just under $100,000, but that must cover all 13 shows, including "costumes, props, sets, lights and sound," plus utilities and care for the building and grounds.

South Park receives funding from the Allegheny Regional Asset District and a small amount from local businesses, but Ms. Castracane said most of her budget comes from season ticket holders and ticket sales.

"I watch my pennies," she said.

She's also constantly thinking of South Park's future.

"She'll poke her head in, and say, 'What about this play for next year?' '' Mr. Campbell said. " I'll have to remind her that I just finished auditions for the play we're doing now."

For his day job, Mr. Campbell, of Bethel Park, works for his family business, Mt. Lebanon Awning.

Ms. Castracane chooses each season's plays, searching for titles her audience "might recognize and remember," balancing familiar selections with newer ones. She keeps in mind what Mr. Campbell calls South Park's "intimate space," which seats about 140.

"Nunsense," which started the season, completes its run Sunday, and next up is the comedy "The Owl and the Pussycat" on May 24. Audiences may be familiar with the 1970 film version starring Barbara Streisand as Doris, a lady who entertains men for money. She ends up sharing an apartment with the man who got her evicted from her original apartment. George Segal played Felix, that unwilling roommate.

South Park's production features Kauleen Cloutier, a marketing executive, of Whitehall, as Doris, and Tom Mokwa, a software developer, of South Fayette, as Felix.

Another 1960s play, 1963 Tony award-winner "A Thousand Clowns," follows. In this work, free spirit Murray Burns is raising his teenage nephew, but social workers want to take the boy when they find out Murray has quit his job.

Murray is played by Michael Shahen of Bethel Park, who works at Point Park University.

Ms. Castracane, who acts during South Park's off-season, usually takes one role per season, and this year she plays Ethel Thayer, wife of the crusty Norman Thayer, in "On Golden Pond."

In "Pond" an aging couple agrees to take in the son of their middle-aged daughter's fiance for the summer at their lake house.

Mr. Campbell then directs Noel Coward's 1925 classic comedy "Hay Fever." It is followed by "Greater Tuna," the comedy Ms. Castracane called "maybe the funniest play ever written."

The final comedy of the season is "The Melville Boys," about two brothers romancing two sisters in a cabin in Michigan. And, the dramatic "Art" finishes the season.

Although South Park Theatre does not employ professional actors, Ms. Castracane said that many of her performers are "Equity caliber," referring to the actors' union to which professionals belong.

"We put on a good show for the money," she said.

Mr. Campbell called South Park performances a good value.

"There's no problem with traffic or parking. People sometimes bring picnic dinners and sit on the lawn. You can have a really nice evening for a lot less than you'd spend on two tickets to the Broadway series."

The South Park staff would not provide ages.

Little Lake Theatre

Entering its 59^th season, Little Lake Theatre qualifies as a dramatic institution in Washington County. Founded by Will Disney in 1949, Little Lake has as artistic director Mr. Disney's daughter, Sunny Disney Fitchett. Her husband, Rob Fitchett, is managing director.

In her 15 years at the helm, Ms. Fitchett, 50, of Mt. Lebanon, said she has seen the theater's season grow. Little Lake now mounts 11 mainstage productions and three children's plays.

Director and actor Art DeConciliis, 47, of Bethel Park, has worked at Little Lake for 25 years, and he agreed the theater had evolved.

"We've always done quality shows, but it's more diverse now, with shows that you can talk about on the way home. It keeps the audience and the actors fresh," he said.

Little Lake also has a significant presence in its young people's programs, which include Theatre Arts Summer Camp for children ages 11 to 15, an educational touring company that travels to local elementary and middle schools and an apprentice program.

Ms. Fitchett pointed to this community involvement as one reason Little Lake has such a strong audience base.

"We're out in the community, so we attract a more diverse group," she said.

Ms. Fitchett, who chooses each season's plays, said that her audiences' diversity and support mean that her selections can afford to be more adventurous than is usual for community theater.

"Theatergoers like plays that they know, and it's hard to get them to take a chance. But our patron base is really trusting -- they're willing to get out and give it a shot."

Although Ms. Fitchett called the current season "lighthearted" in contrast to past seasons, which have included edgier works, she has aimed for diversity.

The season places emerging playwrights like Jeff Daniels ("Apartment 3A," "Escanaba in Da Moonlight") next to established contemporary writers such as Tina Howe ("The Art of Dining") and A.R. Gurney ("Ancestral Voices") as well as classics, such as Shakespeare's "As You Like It."

Ms. Howe's "Dining" began the season and finishes up Saturday.

Ms. Fitchett is looking forward to directing "The Boys Next Door," by Tom Griffin, in June. It's a comedy she said presented challenges since it concerns a group of developmentally challenged men in a group home.

"We're doing it with respect and with truth. It can't be played just for the comedy," she said.

Ms. Fitchett said the script was a good example of what she looks for in plays: "heart and integrity.''

She added, "I also want something that will challenge the actors and the audience.''

The long season wraps up in December with the "Greater Tuna" sequel, "A Tuna Christmas," By Jaston Williams, Joe Sears and Ed Howard.

Ms. Fitchett called producing 11 mainstage productions "a little bit crazy," with an operating budget of about $200,000. She said that even with corporate and individual contributions, programs like the school touring company earn back only about 50 percent of cost. But season ticket holders have remained loyal, providing a significant part of the budget.

Mr. DeConciliis is an example of the kind of loyalty Little Lake inspires, and Ms. Fitchett said he's also an example of the high quality of the talent, calling him "one of the strongest actors in the area."

He's set to direct "As You Like It" and star in "The Boys Next Door" and "Tuna Christmas."

Yet, as with almost all of Little Lake's performers, the love of theater must share the stage with making a living. Mr. DeConciliis is a regional manager for Philip Pelusi salons.

Although it doesn't pay in the form of money, those at both theaters agree that involvement in community theater does have its rewards.

"People are sometimes afraid of the term 'community theater,' " Mr. DeConciliis said. "We turn it around, make it a 'theater community' and the theater becomes a second family."