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WOOSTER -- It's a good thing Daryl Perrine is her own boss, because lately, she's been doing a lot of personal business on company time. "I was just telling (Quota president) Kathy (Lindberg), amazingly, I have done nothing but my job today. But, I am terrified to read my e-mail," half-joked Perrine, who is general manager at Baaron, Inc.

and Quota International's president-elect. It probably would come as news to at least 16 local young people that Perrine has a paying position. It's likely most involved with Quota's Singing Sensations competition think of Perrine as the person they go to with their stage-related questions and problems.

And lately, Perrine is the first to acknowledge, that's a full-time job, not only for herself, but for many of the 75 Quota members involved in putting on Singing Sensations. "We decided it would be good, not only for the club, but that this (event) world raise awareness of what we do in our service to the community," Perrine said of the membership's overwhelming support for replacing its annual dinner/auction fund-raiser with an "American Idol"-style show that would span several days, be broadcast on television and the World Wide Web, with the public invited to choose the finalists though phoning in votes for their favorite singers. Work on the show began more than a year ago, when 75 percent of Quota's membership voted to pattern a fund-raising event after the popular "American Idol" reality show.

Committees were formed and phone calls began. Among the first to be contacted was Joe Scavetta, director of business and legal affairs for FreemantleMedia, the group that produces "American Idol." "We asked to use the name (Wooster Idol).

We asked for a guarantee our winner would have an audition with Paula, Randy and Simon," Perrine said. "That was all we asked for." Being told "no" on both, the group contacted The Daily Record, which helped the group organize a contest to choose a name.

After that, local media embraced the event. Everyone loves "Idol," everyone loves Quota, and Singing Sensations wasn't just another benefit auction seeking publicity, Perrine reasoned. "We've had contact with Clear Picture, Armstrong Cable, Time Warner, Channel 19 and all three Cleveland stations," Perrine said, noting the group's public service announcements on the event have aired on more than 30 radio stations in a six-county area.

"We thought we were being pretty brazen in asking what we have asked for, they have come back and offered more," she said. The group also has worked with Embarq to put in place the 72 phone lines for callers to cast votes for their favorites after the June 30 and July 7 shows. The final winner will be chosen from the four finalists by the live audience in Fisher Auditorium July 14.

Counting ballots cast by the live audience isn't the first detail or challenge the group has confronted. In preparing for the June 16 open audition, planners did not think the Father's Day holiday would have an impact. But it did.

"When we didn't have everyone in place, with the auditions in a couple of weeks, we kind of started panicking," Lindberg said. As it turned out, with just 75 showing up for the auditions, there was no shortage of judges June 16. Perrine acknowledged the original audition did not draw as many performers as she'd hoped, but said she was impressed with the quality of singers who showed.

June 17, judges struggled to pare the pack to 16. Perrine noted she has heard from many who missed the auditions. One of the greatest challenges in planning the event is that no other community has attempted what the Quota group is doing.

A multi-day, multi-media event, with the public choosing the winner of a $2,000 grand prize, simply has not been attempted by any group other than "American Idol's" producers. "It would require a massive amount of work," said Lisa Zemancik, theater program director and an instructor at the Wayne Center for the Arts. Zemancik said she has been following "Singing Sensations" through The Daily Record, and that she gives Quota an A for effort.

She noted the competition as she sees it is about more than just picking a winner and passing out a prize. "A lot of times in theater, it is a one-shot audition. Either you get the part or you don't," she said.

"It is a positive aspect (of Singing Sensations) in that people do get more opportunities to show what they can do. They can grow through the process, and through the comments of educated people." Perrine agreed planners have worked to make sure Singing Sensations is a positive experience for the singers.

She said the two weeks between the June 17 elimination and the June 30 show was intentional, to give the performers, and the planners, time to prepare. Lately, her office has sounded like the stage of Star Search, with performers coming in, sometimes for hours at a time, to practice with the karaoke machine that will be in place for the June 30 show. "They are bringing their parents, and they are not picking easy songs.

They are challenging themselves and taking this very seriously," Perrine said. Ten days to the June 30 curtain, Perrine said she was concerned about ticket sales. Through contributions and in-kind donations, the group has been able to invest about $18,000 to produce the event.

It is depending on ticket sales to turn a profit. "We knew a lot (of the sales) would be driven by participants' families and friends. We anticipated they would be buying tickets in advance," Perrine said.

"I am kind of surprised 10 days out we are still scrambling to sell tickets. At this point in the event that is probably the most surprising thing to us, and the most scary." No matter what, the show will go on, and Perrine is optimistic it will be back again next year.

Zemancik agreed she'd like to see an encore. "The fact that we have people coming down from Akron, that is phenomenal, that people are coming from Akron to Wooster to participate. That is really something," she said.

"They should be impressed with that alone. Usually it is the other way around, people from smaller cities go to a bigger city to audition." Reporter June Chandler-White can be reached at (330) 674-1811 or e-mail jwhite@the-daily-record.

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Read our full policy. Login above or Register to comment. Terms of Service WOOSTER -- It's a good thing Daryl Perrine is her own boss, because lately, she's been doing a lot of personal business on company time.