Former Arlington Theater Director Brings Out the Stars at Retirement Community

(Lincoln, MA)--Thirteen retirees take the stage. For 70 minutes, they bring the works of Neil Simon to life, getting laughs at all the right moments and taking a well-deserved bow at the end. “It was entertaining, and everyone had a wonderful time,” says director Ellen Kazin. “Everyone wants to know when the next one is.”

This was the third production Ellen has directed at The Commons in Lincoln since moving to the community with her husband Stu, a helping hand backstage, in 2023. The couple have vast community theater experience, having both served as president of the board for the Arlington Friends of Drama.

These days, the performers Ellen works with are neighbors in The Commons community and most of them have little to no theater experience.

“All of those emotions—fear, excitement—they all come out,” says Kazin of the thrill of the show. “In the shows I’ve done here, somebody always comes across that’s a huge surprise. Someone who was quiet, then they get into a character and really blossom. It’s wonderful to see people step out of their comfort zone and bloom.”

When she arrived at The Commons, Ellen immediately dove into resident committees and realized quickly that nobody was doing what she loves to do most—performing. In the last two years she’s staged three performances, each one becoming a little more involved. “Every time I do it, I do a little bit more. First was monologues, next I added scenes, this time we did scenes with props.”

Ellen has been in theater as long as she can remember. She began dancing at age four and it wasn’t long until her mother, who was involved in community theater, recruited her for a show. Dancing led to choreography in college and, eventually, roles choreographing and directing community theater. Ellen choreographed her first show for the Arlington Friends of Drama in 1967 and the family has been connected to the organization ever since—directing, performing, working backstage—the Kazins have been involved in nearly every facet of the theater.

“When I was doing a show, it was a year’s commitment for me. I loved it,” she recalls. “We did it as a family. When I was in Arlington, my kids were in the shows and Stu would be the stage manager or lighting director.”

At 84, with a lifetime of performing credits, Ellen still finds joy in the creative process. “It fills a creative need for me. I have to come up with a show, find it, organize it. All of that creativity is the fun part.” But, as she considers a fourth production at The Commons, she admits she’s ready to involve others in that experience. “’I’ should become ‘we’ at some point,” she chuckles.

For her fourth production at The Commons, Ellen hopes to incorporate more music, an ode to her many years working on musicals. She already has performers looking forward to the next show and knows they’ll earn resounding applause. “These performers are people that [the audience] sees every day, but not in this light. There are always some surprises, and they love to see their friends and neighbors doing this.”