Grease Paint Online; June, 2002

A light-hearted concert for the whole family, celebrating Benton County families, and spotlighting a few members of our ever growing ACT I family.

Make sure you’ve staked out and saved your choice lawn chair spot in the dewy evening grass this Saturday night, July 29,at 7:30 PM at Riverside Park. 100+ song and dance artists, including veteran ACT I members Kurt and Lu Karr as emcees for the event, come together to present A Family Affair.

This warm-up ensemble to the main event (Marcoux Corner, an a cappella men’s group) promises to get you laughing, clapping, laughing, tapping, laughing, and maybe even standing up for more! We don’t want to give away any surprises, but look for a rockin’ and rollin’ backup band, cross dressers, wild animals, juvenile delinquents, and so much more.

You’ll be treated to a taste of our The Good, the Bad, and the Ogre summer theatre campers, who’ll perform their camp song “All Star” to advertise for the new ACT I season, A Cast of Outcasts. As another season promotion, the ACT I board will give away 4 season tickets during the show.

Other members of the cast include the vocal groups Saint Mary's Unplugged, Messenger, Sonshine, and the Starshine Singers.

For a complete listing of the talented men, women, teens, and children involved in this fun loving musical endeavor, go to the Family Affair page of this website, www.act1.org/affair.htm.

At the Palace Theatre in Vinton, nearly seventy elementary and middle school students, six adult directors, and six high school student directors are are all busily at work right now preparing the ACT I STAGE! children's theatre production of The Good, the Bad, and the Ogre for its July 12 premiere as the season opener for Season 2002 - 2003: A Cast of Outcasts. The show is being put together as part of the ACT I STAGE! 2002 summer theatre camp. The production consists of three one act plays; Ogre Here, Ogre There, directed by Mary Horst, Once Upon a Vine, directed by Theresa Werner and Jaime Walker in their ACT I directing debuts, and The Truly Remarkable Puss-in-Boots, directed by Marcy Horst. Each of the three plays reflects the season's "outcast" theme, and as a common thread for the production, each of the three plays features an ogre. Each of the plays is expected to run a little over half an hour in length.

Above, the acting company for The Good, the Bad, and the Ogre poses for a group shot. The children are all participants in the ACT I STAGE! 2002 summer theatre camp.

Above, from left, high school students Erin Horst, Blake Hanson, Michon Mulder, Brittany Hamling, Josie Rundlett, and Kathy Brereton perform a skit during the opening week of the 2002 summer theatre camp. The six lend their talents to the production as assistant directors.

For additional information about this production (including a full cast list and more pictures) go to the Good, the Bad, and the Ogre page of this website at www.act1.org/ogre.htm. To read more about ACT I STAGE!, visit the STAGE! page at www.act1.org/stage.htm.

At the Annual Meeting of ACT I of Benton County, held June 15 at the Pizza Ranch in Vinton, the membership elected three new members to our board of directors. Alexander Vasquez and Mary Horst were elected to new three year terms for the seats held currently by Steve Arnold and Kari Douma, whose terms had expired. Alan Nebola was elected to fill the remaining year of Brian Larkin's term. Brian's resignation from the board was accepted earlier in the meeting. Officers for Season 2002 - 2003 will be elected by the board from among its members at the organizational meeting, to be held July 8 at 4:00 at the Pizza Ranch. Last year's officers will remain in their positions until the new officers are elected. Joining the three new board members on next year's board will be four holdover members, including current president Joan Cooling, current vice president Marcy Horst, current treasurer Linda Radcliffe, and Ron Baldwin.

The ACT I Ticket information line and Palace Theatre Box Office number is 472-9957. Call now for reservations for The Good, the Bad, and the Ogre!

Season Tickets STill on Sale for Season 2002 - 2003 - A Cast of Outcasts

ACT I of Benton County is selling season tickets for the upcoming season, A Cast of Outcasts, which opens in July with our ACT I STAGE! production of The Good, the Bad, and the Ogre. Season tickets cost $28.00 for adults and $20.00 for students, which gives admission to all six of next year's shows, which includes our Main Stage series of Kiss Me, Kate, The Reluctant Dragon, and Lost in Yonkers. Regular admission to the children's theatre and Main Stage Series are $9.00 for adults, $6.00 for students, and $3.00 for children under six. Also part of the season ticket package is the Events Series, performed at the Ray House, consisting next season of Monster Medley Spooktacular and Intermezzo III, for which the regular admission is $2.00. Another bonus for season ticket holders is the opportunity to make advance reservations for any show in the season at any time, as well as getting one's paid membership in ACT I with the ticket.

Please contact Linda Radcliffe, Marcy Horst, or plan to buy your season ticket during The Good, the Bad, and the Ogre!

As we celebrate the ACT I family in our production of Family Affair, don't forget that our ACT I extended family includes far more individuals than those who are currently active. This month, we honor a long time friend of ACT I who was there when this organization began and helped lay the groundwork for what ACT I has become today -- a friend who continues to be a supporter of ACT I even though he is no longer living in the area.

During the nearly thirty years that our mentoring organization, The Old Creamery Theatre Company, was in residence at its theatre in Garrison, patrons could enjoy productions in three different performance spaces -- the main stage, the courtyard stage, and the studio theatre, known as the Brenton Stage. After the company moved permanently to Amana, they had only one performance space. Then, a few years ago, a courtyard space was added to the Amana facility. Now, as of just a month ago, the Creamery once again has a studio theatre. The company has acquired a long term lease on the former Amana train depot, and the freight room of that building is now a sixty seat theatre with the depot's waiting room serving as the lobby. The Elephant Man, the Creamery's first production on the Depot Stage, completed its run on June 23 -- a marvelous play with an excellent and imaginative staging. And in the acting ensemble of that production was a very familiar face to long time ACT I patrons -- the Reverend Richard Paulus.

Rev. Paulus, who was pastor of the United Methodist Church in Van Horne during his sojurn with ACT I,and is now a retired pastor of the United Methodist Church , residing in West Branch.

Just as the Old Creamery Theatre was there when ACT I began, nurturing us during those early years, so was Dick Paulus. Dick was one of the strong guiding forces during those early years. He appeared as the eccentric Boris Kolenkhov in our very first production, You Can't Take It with You, in April of 1980 on the stage of the Old Creamery. He next played the leading role of Sheridan Whiteside in our second production, The Man Who Came to Dinner. Subsequently, he was the zany Sultan of Bashir in Don't Drink the Water, Major Metcalf in The Mousetrap, as well as taking on roles both large and small in Deadwood Dick, The Curious Savage, The Murder Room, A Thurber Carnival, Never Too Late, The Cat and the Canary, Morning's at Seven, until appearing with us for the last time as Orville Turnover in Daddy's Dyin', Who's Got the Will in April of 1991. In all, Dick was involved in 19 of our first 22 productions, representing our first eleven years, until he was transferred to West Branch. His assignments varied -- he was often on stage, but also took on such jobs as publicity, properties, and set construction. He also has the distinction of being the first member of ACT I to direct one of our productions. (Early ACT I shows were directed by members of the Old Creamery Theatre or by guest directors.) Dick directed three ACT I productions, including My Three Angels, The Girls in 509, and Take a Number, Darling.

Rev. Paulus is pictured here (in the wheelchair) as Sheridan Whiteside in The Man Who Came to Dinner in 1980, ACT I's second production

An old ACT I program bio reveals that Rev. Paulus majored in Theatre at Iowa State University before going into seminary, and that he had also directed productions at Muscatine Community Theatre before coming to the Benton County area.

Director Dick Paulus is pictured in the auditorium of The Old Creamery Theatre in Garrison during our production of The Girls in 509, which he directed in 1986.

Dick and wife Ellyn have 3 adult children and one child deceased in childhood, and 3 grandchildren. Since moving to West Branch, Dick has remained involved in theatre, working with the Iowa City Community Theatre, City Circle Acting Company of Coralville, and Senior Chamber Readers Theatre. And although Dick is the primary thespian in the family, Ellyn took to the ACT I stage on one occasion, appearing as Mrs. Bradman in Blithe Spirit.

He has also performed in productions at the Hoover Library in West Branch, portraying Presidents Theodore Roosevelt and Herbert Hoover.

Here, Dick Paulus plays an eccentric oil sheik in our 1983 Don't Drink the Water.

Dick remains in contact with ACT I. He is an occasional patron and a regular reader of Grease Paint. He says, “I am thrilled when I read about the recent ACT I productions, children’s shows and reader’s theater presentations. The home in the Palace Theater is a tremendous asset for Vinton and Benton County . I have been privileged to be invited to perform with the Old Creamery Theater in Amana and have had a most positive experience in their production of Elephant Man recently. Thanks to Steve Arnold for remembering me in the ACT I newsetter!”

ACT I thanks Dick Paulus for his many contributions to ACT I's early years. (And we thank Ellyn for letting him slip over from Van Horne for eleven years for our productions!) We thank both Dick and Ellyn for their continued support of ACT I, and now that he's retired, maybe there's hope for a return engagement sometime!

View the past articles in our Member of the Month series! All previous Member of the Month features (beginning with September, 1998) have been archived and can be accessed in one convenient place. Older articles have been updated to make the members' accomplishments current! To visit the Member of the Month Archives, go to www.act1.org/mom.htm.

Late 30's vintage or older, make and color unimportant; stock condition -- nothing customized. Convertibles desirable but not necessary. Needed for photo shoots and at least one for occasional live appearances (owner driven) to promote next season's two 40's era shows, Kiss Me, Kate and Lost in Yonkers. Needed between now and mid September, and again between April, 2003 and mid May. Terms negotiable. If you or someone you know has such a vehicle that might be available, please contact Steve Arnold at 472-5308 or SArnoldIA@aol.com. Thanks!

As we look forward to our twenty-third season, we must also look back on the valuable contributions made to ACT I from those like Dick Paulus and the Old Creamery Theatre, who helped mold us into the organization that we have become. Our quiz for this issue focuses on The Paulus Years, from the beginning of our history in April of 1980 through Dick's last show with us in April of 1991.

1. From the beginning, ACT I has produced recognized classic shows by the best authors in the business. Identify the plays produced by ACT I that were written by each of these well known authors during this time period:
                    a. Agatha Christie
                    b. Woody Allen
                    c. James Thurber
                    d. Noel Coward

2. In September, we present the Cole Porter musical Kiss Me, Kate, the book to which was written by Sam and Bella Spewack. Name another play by Sam and Bella Spewack produced by ACT I during our early years, which was directed by Dick Paulus.

3. Dick Paulus played a featured comic role in our first production, You Can't Take It with You. Which other three members of that original ACT I cast appeared onstage for ACT I during Season 2001 - 2002?

4. Early ACT I productions were directed by members of The Old Creamery Theatre Company. Name the popular young Creamery actor (who is now a featured performer at a professional theatre in Wisconsin) who directed five of our shows during our first five years.

5. Name the first play produced by ACT I that was NOT performed at The Old Creamery Theatre.

6. In our 2000 production of The Secret Garden, actor Gerald Horst played a character haunted by the ghost of his late wife. Early in ACT I's history, actor Keith Mossman played a man haunted by the ghosts of not one ex-wife, but two! Name the show.

7. Which show produced by ACT I with Dick Paulus in a major role is celebrated for the fact that its original London production is STILL running, now fifty years after it first opened?

1. Productions this season adapted from stories by Hans Christian Andersen were The Emperor's New Clothes and The Red Shoes.

2. ACT I has used four different performance spaces this season; in addition to the Palace Theatre we have played at the Ray House Museum, Riverside Park, and the Vinton City Hall.

3. The countries in which the following 2001 - 2002 productions were set:
                a. Stone Soup -- France
                b. Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum -- Italy
                c. Romeo and Juliet -- Italy
                d. The Titanic Disaster Hearings -- United States
                e. It Runs in the Family -- England

4. The show in which each of the following props played an important role:
                a. a ring with a gaggle of geese -- Forum
                b. an acorn -- Henny Penny
                c. a wheelchair (two shows!) --
                        The Titanic Disaster Hearings, It Runs in the Family
                d. a rope -- Romeo and Juliet
                e. an invisible bolt of cloth (now THAT was an easy find!) --
                        The Emperor's New Clothes

5. The authors of the three Main Stage shows, whose works were presented for the first time by ACT I, were Stephen Sondheim, William Shakespeare, and Ray Cooney.

6. The sponsors for following productions were:
                a. 2001 summer camp and summer children's theatre shows --
                            Ketchen, Inc.
                b. The Events Series -- Clingman Pharmacy
                c. A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum --
                            Cedar River Ink
                d. Romeo and Juliet -- Farmers' Savings Bank and Trust
                e. It Runs in the Family -- Expressions

7. The shows in which the following characters played a part but did not appear on stage were:
                a. Rosaline -- Romeo and Juliet
                b. The King of Transylvania -- The Emperor's New Clothes
                c. Edward Smith -- The Titanic Disaster Hearings
                d. Napolean -- Stone Soup
                e.  A mother-in-law who can't stand the sight of anyone in good health -- A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum

8. How many "bad boys" (characters, not actors) can you name from this past season? A partial list: Prince Michael, Dudley, Cocky Locky, Jiggy Piggy, Andre, Francois, Gaspar, Jacques, Hero, Romeo, Mercutio, Benvolio, Tybalt, Sampson, Gregory, Officer Lowe, Leslie Tate . . .

The Next Meeting of the Board of ACT I of Benton County will be Monday, July 8, 2002, at 4:00 at the Pizza Ranch. This will be the board's organizational meeting. Everyone please come!

Members and visitors are always welcome at board meetings!

Minutes of all meetings of the ACT I board from July, 2000 on can be accessed from a link on the "Everything You Need to Know About ACT I" page, or on the "Minutes" page of our website, www.act1.org/minutes.htm.

I'm doing the bulk of this issue as well as the next, which will come out in less than two weeks, because we have two back to back shows that Marcy is directing! (I'm sure she'll do the same for me when Kiss Me, Kate goes into full swing and I'll find myself just as tied up as she is now.) It is such a pleasure to see so many children interested in theatre and participating in both of Marcy's shows. The six very patient, talented, and dedicated directors of ACT I STAGE! deserve our hearty congratulations for making the first theatre experience of so many youngsters a positive one that they will want to build on during the years to come!

It was a great pleasure to go to The Old Creamery a week ago to see their two opening productions, The Elephant Man at the new studio theatre and the main stage production of The Cemetary Club. The Old Creamery is truly a treasure and if these first two shows are any indication as to how the rest of the season is going to go, then this promises to be one of the Creamery's best seasons ever. The studio theatre at the Amana depot is an exciting new addition to the Creamery program, recreating what Creamery patrons once enjoyed on the Brenton Stage in Garrison, in which more adventursome repertory was presented in an intimate setting. And it was certainly great to see ACT I's old friend Dick Paulus in their first studio production! I never had the opportunity to work with Dick, but I've been able to get acquainted with him over the years. One other member of the Elephant Man cast also has an ACT I connection; Steve Weiss, who as a guest director staged our tenth anniversary production, Play On, was also in the acting ensemble. By all means, try to make it to some of the Creamery productions this year, both on the Price Creek Stage and the Depot Stage! (Okay, this is a shameless plug; as Ron Baldwin and I are both Creamery board members!)

I don't generally make a pitch in Grease Paint for ACT I members to attend one of the non-ACT I shows that I sometimes do, however this time I'll make an exception. If you possibly can, GO to Arthur Miller's The Crucible, being staged outdoors at Brucemore in Cedar Rapids as part of the Classics at Brucemore summer series, July 11 - 21. (These are the same dates as our children's theatre production, but since all Brucemore shows are at night you can still catch all the performances of The Good, the Bad, and the Ogre and still see The Crucible afterward on a Sunday night.) One of the greatest American plays of the twentieth century, it is a dramatization of the infamous Salem witch trials of 1692. This particular production is shaping up to be a gut-wrenching emotional experience you'll never forget. Besides myself, one other cast member has an ACT I connection; Cherryl Thomasson (formerly Cherryl Dyrland) is the assistant director and appears as Rebecca Nurse. Cherryl directed our 1985 production of The Mousetrap.

That's Grease Paint for June, 2002, and for Season 2001 - 2002! Join us next month for a new volume of Grease Paint and our new season, A Cast of Outcasts!

Season Tickets STill on Sale for Season 2002 - 2003 - A Cast of Outcasts

Answers to Last Month’s Quiz A Season of Bad Boys -- A Year in Review

Answers to Last Month’s Quiz

A Season of Bad Boys -- A Year in Review