WPCNR STAGE DOOR. April 1, 2006: (By John F. Bailey) -- Today at the Westchester Arts Council Building, the producer's dream came true: Westco Productions, the White Plains non-profit theatre company that is self-sustaining and has never had an operating deficit, in a 26 year run without interruption, opened its first executive office and box office in the downtown at 31 Mamaroneck Avenue. It's in Suite 508, on the fifth floor.

"Look, Ma! I've finally got an office like a real Broadway Producer!" Susan Katz outside the Westchester Arts Council Building -- new home to her company,  Westco Productions, Westchester's most consistently entertaining not-for-profit theatre company that packs them in year-after-year with "Katz Magic."

"Hey, I know what we'll do, let's put on a show!" Ms. Katz welcomes the media hordes to the new epicenter of her thespian empire with -- as always -- just the right touch on the door of her 5th floor office.

A luncheon get-together  featured The First Lady of White Plains Theatre, that local girl made good, Susan Katz --Ms. Westco herself-- theatrical producer, creator of "Healing Walls" that helps turn hospital wards into healing environments, believer in theatre for the disabled, indefatigable, seen-everywhere, known-everywhere, community-involved, children-committed, production-obsessed, bottomline watching, creative dynamo right out of the movies -- you know, the kind of kid you could expect to see in any Judy Garland/Mickey Rooney movie saying, "Hey, I know what we'll do, let's put on a show," hostessing the historic opening of her first office on the brightly painted white walls on the 5th floor overlooking the Great White Way of Mamaroneck Avenue.

Angels, well-wishers and members of the Westco Board of Directors who never have to worry about deficits, wish the Wizardess of Westco (in red) well at the Executive Office and Box Office Opening. Patty Holmes, to the right of Ms. Katz,  her yoga teacher explained Ms. Katz's quarter century of showbiz hits, by comparing Ms. Katz's personality to yoga: "Yoga is about moving energy, how to identify it, how we can hold it, identify how we can access what's out there and how we can move it. I thought Sue has been doing this way before she started Yoga. She's built this incredible organization, which mind-boggles me, how she gets all these people involved and creates this space and this joy and this love that she sends to the world."

Freeloading Broadway Flacks,  White Plains Week news anchors, Jim Benerofe, left,  The Dean of the White Plains Journalism, Editor of Suburbanstreet.com, and yours truly, John Bailey, The CitizeNetReporter mingled in the showbiz glamour and celebrity mix.

While the 5th floor event was underway, a cast of 40 was upstairs on the 9th floor rehearsing for Westco's children's workshop production of  Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat which takes place next Saturday at the Rochambeau School Theater, "The Roch" in White Plains.  Ms. Katz schmoozed with members of her Board of Directors and distinguished members of the press representing The White Plains Times, Suburbanstreet.com, and yours truly.

"The new office will serve as both box office point and a distribution center for information, " Ms. Katz told the CitizeNetReporter. "People can come here to the 5th floor and buy tickets to our shows as well as stop in and pick up our literature. The presence in the downtown at 31 Mamaroneck Avenue makes it much easier for those who live in White Plains and work in White Plains during the day to buy tickets and pick up information."

Katz said the office was needed because of Westco's expansion in recent years. "It's an administrative office that's serving two functions. Our  Box Office Manager, who came to White Plains after falling victim to Hurricane Katrina in the New Orleans area, will be here, as will be our Production Manager. So there will be a lot of activity concerning the productions, distribution of tickets and information. It's a high energy building."