Living the life of a Long Island actor

Landing the role of a lifetime, hearing the roar of laughter for a perfectly delivered line, reveling in the applause and the thrill of that occasional standing ovation. Ah, life on the stage! And Long Island-based actors who work in regional theater get the benefits of performing in front of audiences without trudging into Manhattan.

Like their Broadway counterparts, these dedicated theater veterans devote countless hours memorizing lines and rehearsing major roles. Instead of spending leisurely weekend nights at home, they enter stage left (or right), sometimes in heavy makeup and elaborate costumes, to face audiences that gladly pay a fraction of what it costs to see a Broadway production.

Maybe it's the personification of the "big fish, little pond" theory, but there is a rewarding level of recognition to be reached in regional theater. Some who have "made it" are often cast for roles without an audition. Others have found their niche in a coveted role they reprise from time to time.

Long Island's theater scene includes professional, amateur and community-supported productions. Tens of thousands of tickets are bought each year to plays and musicals produced by these organizations.

Among the places that regularly cast Long Island-based thespians are BroadHollow's BayWay Arts Center in East Islip and BroadHollow Theatre in Elmont, Arena Players Repertory Theater in East Farmingdale, Theatre Three in Port Jefferson and CM Performing Arts Center in Oakdale.

For seasoned Long Island actors, it's the play, not the pay that draws them into hours of rehearsing. Some take on as many as six roles a year. They sometimes take the spotlight for free, or, if paid, earn up to $50 per performance.

Their day jobs include teaching, producing, directing or working in fields unrelated to entertainment. But they have one thing in common: "They love the thrill of being in the theater," says Frederic De Feis of Arena Players, who casts many mature actors in his productions.

Here is a sampling of Long Island's own stars, according to their peers, regional theater owners and directors.

VAN WHITAKER, 51, OF NORTHPORT

Day job: Department of nursing management at a local hospital

Acting school: Central Islip High School drama department

Time devoted to each show: 20 hours a week

First role: Jim in "Big River"

Major roles in the past five years: Marty in "Dream Girls," King Amonasro in Elton John's "Aida," Tom Robinson in "To Kill a Mockingbird" and Newt Lee in "Parade"

Favorite role: Tom Robinson in "To Kill a Mockingbird"

Most recent role: Coalhouse Walker in "Ragtime" at Star Playhouse, Suffolk Y JCC

Favorite Broadway show: "Ragtime"

Dream role: The King in "The King and I"

Off script: "I am a grandfather of three . . . I wouldn't find it offensive to be called on for older roles."

SCOTT HOFER, 52, OF BAY SHORE

Day job: ESL teacher at Sachem High School in Farmingville

Acting school: C.W Post in Brookville, HB Studios in Manhattan

Time devoted to each show: 30 hours a week

First role: Leo, the young playwright in "Room Service"

Major roles in the past five years: Max Bialystock in "The Producers," Pseudolus in "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum," Vernon in "They're Playing Our Song," Felix in "The Odd Couple"

Favorite role: "Fully Committed," a one-man play which requires 40 character voices

Most recent role: Marc in "Art," Studio Theater in Lindenhurst

Favorite Broadway shows: "Death of a Salesman" and "Gypsy"

Dream role: Edna Turnblad in "Hairspray" or Willie Loman in "Death of a Salesman"

Off script: "If they think a part is right for me, they always ask for me."

DEBBIE STARKER, 59, OF YAPHANK

Day job: Retired Suffolk County probation officer

Acting education: Self-taught

Time devoted to each show: 15 to 20 hours a week in rehearsal, 33 on stage

First role: Ruth in "Pirates of Penzance"

Major roles in the past five years: Josephine "Ma" Strong in "Urinetown," Mother Miriam Ruth in "Agnes of God," Widow Corney in "Oliver," the Housekeeper in "Man of La Mancha" and the Mother Superior in "Nunsense"

Favorite roles: Bloody Mary in "South Pacific" and Fraulein Schneider in "Cabaret"

Most recent role: The Ghost of Christmas Present in "A Christmas Carol" at Theatre Three

Favorite Broadway show: "Les Misérables"

Dream role: Dolly Levi in "Hello, Dolly!"

Off script: "I've pretty much played everything I wanted to play."

BOB SPIOTTO, 48, OF HOLBROOK

Day job: Artistic director of Community Arts Programs and executive producer for Hofstra Entertainment

Acting school: Bachelor of fine arts, Hofstra University, master of fine arts in directing, Catholic University of America

Time devoted to each show: 10-20 hours a week

First role: Amahl in "Amahl and the Night Visitors"

Major roles in the past five years: Emcee in "Cabaret," John Adams in "1776," Guido in "Nine," Tateh in "Ragtime," The Cat in the Hat in "Seussical"

Favorite role: Playing Danny Kaye in an original one-man show, "Courting the Jester"

Most recent role: Sholom Aleichem in "Shalom Sholom!," a one-man show at the Institute of Jewish Learning in Plainview

Favorite Broadway show: No favorite

Dream role: Max Bialystock in "The Producers"

Off script: "I've had people come to me as recently as several weeks ago and say, 'How come you're not on Broadway?' "

JACQUELINE MURO, 62, OF OLD FIELD

Day job: Part-time dance therapist, acting teacher

Acting school: B.A. in drama and speech, Dowling College in Oakdale, M.A. in drama and education, Stony Brook University

Time devoted to each show: about 25 hours a week

First role: Lead dancer in "Promises, Promises"

Major roles in the past five years: Fonsia in "The Gin Game," Alice in "The Retreat from Moscow," Terry in "Side Man," Sara in "The Sisters Rosensweig," Gertrude in "Hamlet"

Most recent role: Mary Tyrone in "Long Day's Journey Into Night," Arena Players in Repertory Theatre in East Farmingdale

Favorite Broadway show: "Side Man"

Dream role: Lady Macbeth

Off script: "I started young, and I have just continued. There have been lulls in my career, but I've always had my foot on that street . . . looking for auditions."