By MIKE DANIELS
Courier-Post Staff
EVESHAM

When completed this summer, the 1,500-seat Lenape Regional Performing Arts Center at Cherokee High School in Marlton will be the largest theater/auditorium in Burlington County. It may also soon become the most-used theater in the county.

``We're optimistic that it's going to be booked most of the time ... We'll probably have to hire a theater manager by July 1 to run it and handle all the scheduling,'' said Sanford Schneider, who helped raise more than $100,000 for the center's state-of-the-art technical systems.

Slated to open in late July or early August, the 12,000- square-foot performing arts center on Tomlinson Mill Road will be used for performances that would have been held at the outdated 500-seat auditoriums of the three district high schools - Lenape, Shawnee and Cherokee.

``The students are the real beneficiaries of this. What a thrill for a student to be able to go out and perform on that stage,'' said Frank Guerrini, Cherokee's chorale director.

``It will allow us to have sets and productions that are a little more elaborate,'' said Bill Esher of the Westmont Theatre Company, who helps direct the spring musicals with Guerrini.

The collaboration between the arts community and schools will be discussed at the Regional Business/Arts Summit on April 27 at the South Jersey Performing Arts Center on the Camden Waterfront.

The event is co-sponsored by the Courier-Post; Lockheed Martin; WMSH Marketing Communications; Capehart and Scatchard, attorneys; PNC Bank; Comcast; Virtua Health; South Jersey Performing Arts Center; the Sen. Walter Rand Institute for Public Affairs; the Arts and Business Partnership of Southern New Jersey and the New Jersey State Council on the Arts.

Esher said students wishing to pursue theater or music as a career will be better prepared having performed in a professional-quality theater.

``Since it will be a state-of-the-art facility ... for the kids to be able to work with the technical equipment like that, they're going to be able to step right out of school and work at any theater,'' Esher said.

The theater will also be open for use by elementary/middle school districts from the eight municipalities in the Lenape District. Community groups from those towns will also be able to use the center.

Schneider said traveling acts such as dance troupes and orchestras have called about booking the theater for shows.

``Not only will we be able to bring in these top-of-the- line performers, we'll be able to do it at a reasonable price ... We're not Philadelphia or New York.''

Esher said the theater will help, not hurt, other theaters in South Jersey.

``It's like another good restaurant coming into an area where there are already good restaurants,'' he said. ``It's not competition because it's going to attract more people so there will be a bigger pie to split up.''