WITH AN EYE ON ... : Tammy Lauren’s ‘Homefront†is a dream compared to the homes of kids she reaches
On Tuesdays, Tammy Lauren portrays Ginger Szabo on “Homefront,†the ABC drama series set in 1947 and which last week rejoined the network’s schedule for a seven-week run. But on Sundays she returns to an even more dramatic present: teaching acting to residents of the San Fernando Valley shelter run by Children of the Night, an organization that helps street kids get off the streets and into a better life.
The actress first became interested in the group in 1985, after unsuccessfully auditioning for a role in a television film about its creation, and began donating concert tickets and other items. About two years ago, she decided to become more closely involved in trying to positively influence the program’s pre-teens and teen-agers, drawing upon an 18-year career that includes directing (for theater and as an assistant on television shows) as well as performing and teaching.
“I was real nervous when I first met the kids--(their situation) was something foreign to me,†the mid-20ish Lauren says of the runaways, recovering prostitutes and drug addicts for whom she provides an emotional outlet. “I had an image of them as tough, but none are, or they wouldn’t have gotten into such heavy prostitution and abuse. They’re very vulnerable.â€
A regular on five previous series, including “Mork and Mindy†and “Angie,†Lauren often has her young charges act out scripts from her current show, both as written and in their own vernacular.
“In the scenes that have to do with parents and children, they immerse themselves so much. They laugh, they cry,†she says. “Any scene with a kid being angry at his parents is a good bet.â€
She has also brought in fellow performers, as well as her brother, a Ringling Bros. circus clown and a friend who is a member of the Los Angeles Police Department SWAT team. And she sometimes leads group discussions.
“A couple of kids who want to be performers have gotten fired up,†she said. “Sometimes it doesn’t work. One girl left and is back in jail, one kid left and died of a drug overdose. But if you can just help one, it will make all the difference in the world.â€
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