When Patti Finley was hired for her first dramatic theatrical role at age eight on the Jersey shore she had no idea that the road of her passion would lead her to an extended family of 500 volunteers at the Canyon Theatre Guild in Santa Clarita, California.

A 5th floor walk up in Newark, New Jersey, with members of her Italian family on the other floors, was her early home. Beginning at age two with dancing school, she took elocution lessons and was trained in proper speaking techniques as well as stage presence. “I did method acting before I knew what it was,” Finley commented. Joining Actor’s Equity at 10 years old, she was paid as a professional. “I was short so I could play younger roles longer,” she added.

The family moved to Miami when she was 11. Because of her contacts in New York she would frequently leave school to work. “My mother was the ultimate non-stage mother. She never pushed me. It was what I wanted to do. If I got sassy, she got me to face reality,” Finley noted. The commercials she did on television were performed live. She was the exact height of Patty Duke and was her stand-in as they set the scenes for the “Patty Duke Show,” and was one of the dancers in the credits. Finley toured in comedies with seasoned stars who taught her skills such as “getting in the mood” to play an emotional scene.

At 21 she left her “very strict” parents and went to live her dream in New York City. Living at the YWCA for $10 a day for three meals and a room, she quickly made friends and moved forward. “I took dance and voice and studied acting with Uta Hagen,” Finley recalled. The Tony Award winning Hagen taught generations of actors, including Jack Lemmon, Judy Garland, Al Pacino, and Matthew Broderick. “I worked temp jobs to pay for lessons and rent and went on lots of cattle calls.” The first contract as an adult was a thrill. “I wanted to do musicals. I grew up thinking that life was a musical. I knew all the old musicals by heart and would walk down New York streets with friends singing and dancing. I wouldn’t change that time of my life for anything.”

After performing off-Broadway and summer stock she was hired for “South Pacific.” The tour started in Miami and ended at what is now Lincoln Center. She fell in love with the star of the show. “It was romantic — a chorus girl and the leading man,” she said. They married at City Hall in San Francisco after he came to California to reprise his role in “Man of La Mancha.” “He said that there was only room for one career so I stopped going on auditions,” she said.

Going into real estate, Finley eventually opened her own office, but “I missed theatre so much that I would put together industrial shows about real estate,” she said. When her marriage drifted apart and ended after 12 years she eventually decided that theatre was what was missing in her life. The Granada Theatre was doing “Showboat.” That’s where she met Greg Finley. “Greg auditioned and got the romantic lead. I got the comedy lead.” A year later they married.

The Finley family is a team. Married for 27 years to the multi-talented Greg, a voiceover actor, they have performed in countless productions and charity events with their son, Garrett, who is now 25 and pursuing his dream in New York.

In fact, that’s how they became involved at Canyon Theatre Guild. “Greg, Garrett and I did a benefit and TimBen Boydston (CTG Executive Director) saw it. He said, ‘I’m directing “Fiddler.” I’d like you to audition for it.’ I thought that it would be fun to do one play a year, and then it took over my life,” Finley recalled. At the time Finley was busy in her second year as PTA president at Valencia Valley Elementary School. She also spent four years as president of the Canyon Theatre board. “What I loved about being involved here was that we could participate as a family. I did sound in ‘Charlie Brown’ so that I could be involved in Garrett’s show. I’m always happy to see that continue with other families.”

“When I got here I thought the children’s shows could be improved. A play doesn’t have to only have children in the cast but needs to be appropriate for children to see. I believe in age appropriate casting. I don’t have little children play the mother,” Finley said. Taking what she learned over the years from directors and from directing school and church plays, she began directing “The World of Beauty and the Beast,” for which she won her first of many Goldie awards from the CTG.

Finley’s official title is Assistant Director of the CTG and Artistic Director of the Family Season, and one of her responsibilities as director of daytime programs is organizing workshops for youth. The highly regarded workshops incorporate state education standards and include daytime, afternoon and summer programs. “Lots of kids in our workshops are now doing main stage shows. The workshop is a great way to start. Workshops are less threatening — a good learning environment,” Finley commented. “With kids, theatre is important because it builds self-confidence, teaches teamwork and responsibility. We’ve helped turn some lives around because it’s welcoming and friendly here.” Many students have gone on to careers in theatre, other arts and teaching with their experience at CTG as a foundation.

New to the CTG horizon is an agreement with the Newhall School District to complete the theatre at Newhall Elementary School. The project, which was started by Theatre Arts for Children, needs a significant amount of money to finish the theatre, which currently is an empty shell. Several youth fundraisers are being planned, with a five-year plan to develop the Santa Clarita Children’s Theatre Group at Newhall Auditorium.

Finley is currently in rehearsals for the highly acclaimed musical, “Phantom,” which will run from September 26—October 31. Rehearsals begin by learning the difficult, almost operatic music, according to Finley. The popular holiday show, “Miracle on 34th Street,” will be presented November 27—December 19 with Greg Finley in the director’s chair.

What makes Canyon Theatre Guild special? “It’s our extended family. We share joys and sorrows as a family. People join the family all the time,” Finley explained. “Musicals take four months of rehearsals every day. A closeness develops. Part of the great fun is backstage, that no one sees.”

The group is always open to growth. “We keep trying to raise the bar. Everyone keeps trying to be better. Early on we brought costumes from our closet. Now the costume designer brings books with pictures of period clothes. We’ve learned history that we never would have,”

Finley added. While they’ve raised the bar in quality, they’ve worked to keep ticket prices affordable.

Finley keeps moving forward, magically merging experience with youthful enthusiasm despite painful arthritis. “I’ve done theatre all my life,” she explained. “It’s not for the applause. I can help make people feel things. I can touch their emotions. When I did ‘Over the River and Through the Woods,’ I teared up at every rehearsal. After the shows people were wiping their eyes as they hugged me because I reminded them of a mother, grandmother, aunt. Theatre helps you grow emotionally and understand things you might not understand.”

“They say that an amateur does it for love. A professional does it for pay. I was always an amateur even when I was paid because I did it for love,” Finley added. The passion of Patti Finley, TimBen Boydston, the staff and the 500 Canyon Theatre Guild volunteers help create a special place in our community where we can go to forget our troubles for a few hours, touch our emotions and expand our world. You can hear the chorus — “See you at the theatre!”

Canyon Theatre Guild can be reached at 661.799.2702 and www.canyontheatre.org.