Ossining

THE Blueberry Pond Theater Ensemble was born, almost by chance, in the summer of 2001 at the Yorktown home of Jean-Paul DeVellard and his longtime partner, Stephen Summa.

''We knew a group of talented actors, directors and writers, and held some performances on our lawn,'' said Mr. DeVellard, 55, a freelance writer who had long wanted to write plays.

The group began meeting monthly to critique one another's work, and
gradually the idea of trying to establish a professional company took hold. The group's first public event was a production of ''Spoon River
Anthology'' in November 2001, staged at the home of Mr. DeVellard and Mr. Summa as a benefit for victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

Shortly after, the members decided on the mission for their new theater company. They would focus on original pieces written and performed by members, and they would work collaboratively, with close interplay among writers, actors and directors.

Since then, the troupe, which takes its name from the blueberry bushes surrounding the pond at the home of Mr. DeVellard and Mr. Summa, has grown to include 44 artists, primarily from Westchester, who were admitted based on auditions. It has done staged readings at Westchester Center for the Arts in Mt. Kisco, Hudson Valley Writers Center in Sleepy Hollow, and other sites in the county, and has also presented public readings of new works. In October, the company presented a full-length play, ''Offspring,'' by Jimmy Barden of Pleasantville, at Fleetwood Stage in New Rochelle.

In addition, it has presented a one-act play festival at Briarcliff Manor
High School and participated for three years in the Samuel French Off-Off Broadway Original Short Play Festival in Manhattan. At that festival, Blueberry has had two of its plays accepted into the final round in each of the last two years, more than any other competing company. Among last year's finalists was Mr. DeVellard's one-act play ''Pink Poodle Dog.''Throughout this time, Blueberry has never had a permanent home. But that is about to change, as the company prepares to open its permanent residence this month in the newly renovated Shine House in Ossining's Cedar Lane Park.

Shine House was the original summer home of the Kress family, and was donated by the family to Ossining in the 1960's. From then until the late 1990's, it was used by the 52 Association, a group benefiting disabled veterans. Since the summer of 2003, Blueberry has leased it from the town to use for its weekly meetings and for its free workshops for teenagers and children. In the fall of 2004, the company began work on renovations tomake Shine House its permanent home.

''Blueberry is making all the renovations at no cost to the town,'' said
John Chervokas, the town supervisor.

Mr. Chervokas said he knew little about Blueberry before their meeting. ''In they came with drawings, maps, architectural renderings,'' he said. ''They're as creative offstage as onstage.''

The new space includes a 48-seat theater, which will be the home to
Blueberry's season of four productions and various staged readings. The space of approximately 2,500 square feet also houses dressing rooms and public spaces.

In addition to ticket sales, at $20 to $30 a seat, Blueberry is financed
through grants and private donations, said Mr. DeVellard, who is the
group's president. Mr. Summa, Blueberry's secretary and treasurer, said Blueberry's revenue for 2004 was $47,000, with expenses running $40,000. Cynthia Granville, Blueberry's artistic director, said having a permanent home would reduce costs because the largest percentage of any production is rent.

The company recently acquired a playwright in residence, Jeffrey Sweet, who has had his works produced Off Broadway, overseas and in regional theaters. He donated to Blueberry part of his archives, including taped interviews with Elaine May, Mike Nichols, Gilda Radner and others.

The ribbon-cutting at Shine House will take place on March 30 at 7:30 p.m., and will include a performance of Mr. DeVellard's ''Pink Poodle Dog.'' The 2005 season begins with ''Eden's End,'' also by Mr. DeVellard, opening on April 29.

A staged public reading of the winning entries in the Young Playwrights Short Play Competition, a new endeavor for Blueberry, will be presented on June 5.

Blueberry's 2005-2006 season opens with ''Outloud,'' a musical about female adolescence cast entirely with young people; auditions will be held in March.