The problem with show biz is it is hard to find a steady gig. For the past 34 years, Lyndhurst resident and Broadway star Michael O’Carroll balances between the unpredictable nature of the theatre business with the more stable, though no less challenging, teaching profession.

On March 30, O’Carroll and fellow teacher/actress Tracey Turner will be performing in "Another Op’nin, Another Show," a benefit concert for Tony and Emmy award winner Paul Gemignani at the Rosen Theatre at the YM-YWHA of North Jersey in Wayne. Audiences can expect numbers from Sweeney Todd, Evita, Kiss Me Kate, West Side Story and others.

One of O’Carrol and Turner’s more pressing concerns is preparing Rutherford High School students for the March 14 opening of "Hello Dolly," which O’Carroll is directing and Turner is choreographing.

"I consider myself a performing artist who happens to be a teacher," said O’Carroll, who teaches English Literature to sophomores and seniors at RHS.

Turner, who lives in North Arlington, teaches English to freshman and sophomores and North Arlington High School.

Both teachers believe literature and acting go hand in hand. In English literature classes, plays make up a good portion of the curriculum, said O’Carroll.

Turner spent her time acting in college and turned semi-professional when she joined the ensemble for Broadway a la carte, the theatre group putting on the benefit performance. O’Carroll, who has performed in four Broadway shows, directed a production of "Showboat" for Broadway a La Carte where he met Turner, who was in the ensemble.

When O’Carroll took on the directing duties for "Hello Dolly" in Rutherford, Turner was an obvious choice for choreographer. "You find somebody who you trust," said O’Carroll. "It’s called networking," Turner added.

O’Carroll spent much of his life traveling around the world, living in locations as far flung as Japan and Venezuela. However, the Bayonne-born actor is back in New Jersey, where he has been teaching at RHS for three years since another teacher took a maternity leave. He is not worried about receiving tenure, because for O’Carroll, teaching in Rutherford is just another gig.

Turner spends her time teaching during the school year, but aggressively seeks out auditions in the summer. Having summers off is a perk the young actress uses to her advantage.

For both Turner and O’Carroll, taking on directing and choreographing for a high school performance comes naturally as both have been on the other side of the stage. "I think it’s another reason why we’re good teachers. We’ve been through the war," said O’Carroll. "I’ve performed ‘Dolly’ four times myself."

Acting was an obvious career choice for O’Carroll. "I had always been bitten by the acting bug," he said. "It’s something I knew I wanted to do."

His mentor encouraged him to drop out of college by telling him a line that has stayed with him: "If you want to be an actor, you have to act."

So he spent the early part of his career performing wherever he could. "I’d perform in a closet if they’d let me," he said.

His breakthrough year was 1983, when he was cast in the musical "Irma La Douce," his first major tour. O’Carroll’s acting resume includes four Broadway shows. In 1988, he played the star in "Legs Diamond," a fictional rendition of the mobster of the same name. In 1990, he performed in Fiddler on the Roof. In 1994, he was in Showboat and he was in Ragtime in 1998. He has toured extensively throughout the world and was once on tour for two and a half years straight.

O’Carroll is no stranger to teaching, either. He has taught at Paterson Catholic, Lincoln School in Paterson, Kennedy School in Jersey City as well as the High School of Performing Arts in Louisville, Kentucky. He makes attending performances part of his curriculum and students are obligated to watch his productions.

The Broadway a la Carte performance is unique for both turner and O’Carroll. The performance will not have sets, costumes or a script, and in just two rehearsals, the group must prepare to sing and perform. Both Turner and O’Carroll were excited to work with an impressive cast of "Broadway luminaries," including Garth Kravits, the lea in the "Drowsy Chaperone" and Robert Cuccioli, a Tony Award nominee for "Jekyll & Hyde."

Rutherford High School theatre’s production of "Hello Dolly" will also feature some hired professionals in the orchestra amongst the students. The proceeds from "Hello Dolly" will go to the Rutherford High School senior class and will offset the cost of the senior prom.