Norwood Resident Phyllis Hurwitz Named Drama Teacher at Medfield Center for Creative Arts-September 29, 1975

“It is very important for children to experience theater as they are growing up. It opens new worlds and broadens their backgrounds.”

With that guiding philosophy, Norwood resident Phyllis Hurwitz of Mayfair Circle is embarking enthusiastically on her new role as a drama teacher at the Center for Creative Arts in Medfield. In addition to teaching a course in creative dramatics for 12- to 15-year-olds, she will direct the center’s Children’s Theater Company in two major upcoming productions.

A Rich Background in Community and Classical Theater

Phyllis is no stranger to the stage. As a high school student in Fall River, she was deeply active in dramatics. After earning her bachelor of arts degree in American civilization from Brandeis University—chosen because she felt she “didn’t know enough about it”—she spent 13 years as a prominent member of local little theater groups, most notably the Norwood Curtain Timers and the Walpole Footlighters.

Throughout her community theater career, she has taken on leading roles in both comedy and serious drama, while also lending her talents as a director, costume designer, makeup artist, and scenery designer. Although she enjoys comedic works, she admits, “At this stage of my life I adore Ibsen.”

Her post-Brandeis path initially included teaching at the Browne & Nichols School in Cambridge and an elementary school in Fall River before starting a family. However, driven by an eagerness to continually broaden her horizons, she returned to Brandeis part-time in 1968 and earned her master’s degree in fine arts in theater last year. During her graduate studies, she met Henry Sparks, educational director of the Medfield arts center and a design instructor at Northeastern University, who subsequently invited her to join the faculty.

Directing and Creative Dramatics in Medfield

At the Center for Creative Arts, Hurwitz’s first major project for the high school-aged Children’s Theater Company will be directing the musical melodrama “The Fireman’s Flame,” scheduled for performance in December and January. Students will participate in every aspect of the production, from acting and set design to managing the box office. A spring production has yet to be selected.

Meanwhile, her creative dramatics course will provide younger students with a general introduction to acting, improvisation, theater games, and scene production. “I enjoy working with high school students because I can give them a more meaningful acting experience,” she explained. “They have understanding and emotions that can be cultivated through drama.”

Balancing Family, Arts, and Entrepreneurship

The Center for Creative Arts is a non-profit organization dedicated to enriching suburban communities through professional instruction in dance, gymnastics, yoga, music, fine arts, and drama. Hurwitz strongly champions this mission: “I feel very strongly about strengthening the arts in the suburbs.”

Balancing her professional artistic commitments with family and business will make for a busy year. Five years ago, drawing on her natural instinct for decoration, she launched a successful part-time interior decorating business, Fashions in Fabric.

She manages her demanding schedule with the steadfast support of her family. She has lived in Norwood for 16 years with her husband, Dr. Carlyle Hurwitz, an obstetrician and gynecologist with an office in Walpole. The couple has two children: Julie, 18, a freshman at Trinity College in Hartford, and Seth, 15, a sophomore at Norwood High School.

Reflecting on her journey from community theater stages to graduate school and professional arts education, Hurwitz acknowledged her husband’s backing, noting, “My husband is very supportive. No woman with growing children can do much if her husband isn’t supportive.”

Archival Note: This article has been dynamically reconstructed from the original public record print archives of the Patriot Ledger