The Online Newsletter of 

Volume 8, Number 8      March/April, 2002

History Comes to Life . . . 

The Titanic Disaster Hearings
Events Series Readers' Theatre
Commemorates the 90th Anniversary of Titanic Tragedy

At 2:20 AM on Monday, April 15, 1912, the luxury liner RMS Titanic sank into history, claiming over 1523 lives.  Two days later, on April 17, the United States Senate authorized an investigation to be conducted into the disaster by a subcommittee of the Committee on Commerce, to be chaired by Republican Senator William Alden Smith of Michigan.  Some time after 9:00 PM the following evening, the steamship Carpathia arrived in New York with Titanic’s 712 survivors.  British crewmen and officials were met at the dock with subpoenas to testify for the subcommittee, which began its work at 10:00 AM the following morning, April 19, 1912 at the Waldorf Astoria hotel in New York.  On the third day, the hearings were moved to the Russell Senate Office Building Washington D. C.  In all, eighteen full days of testimony by 86 witnesses took place.

To commemorate the 90th Anniversary of the Titanic tragedy, ACT I will recreate the drama of these senate hearings in a three part readers theatre adaptation of cuttings from the actual transcripts of the committee hearings, as part of this season's Events Series.  The show opens on April 19, 2002, 90 years to the day after the original hearings convened.

The Titanic Disaster Hearings will take place over three nights, to be performed in two separate cycles at the Vinton City Hall.  The first cycle runs April 19, 20, and 21, and will be repeated April 26, 27, and 28.  The hearings will convene at 7:30 PM on Fridays and Saturdays and 2:00 PM on Sundays.  One $2.00 ticket will give admission to each of the three parts.  The show is part of our season ticket package, and there is no additional charge to season ticket holders.

The City Council chambers in the Vinton City Hall will be transformed this week and next into the Hearing Room of the Russell Senate Office Building in Washington, D. C. for ACT I's production of The Titanic Disaster Hearings.  In this same Hearing Room, later famous U.S. Senate investigations would be conducted, including the McCarthy Hearings, the Watergate Hearings, the Iran/Contra Hearings, and the Clinton Impeachment Hearings.  But the Titanic Disaster Hearings in 1912 would mark the first time the then new chamber would be used.

Although the 18 days of testimony are condensed into three two hour segments, we have tried to remain faithful to the original as much as possible.  Everything spoken in the performances are word for word from the transcripts and all witnesses will testify in the order that the actual testimony took place.

The cast features Ron Baldwin as Senator William Alden Smith.  Kurt Karr appears as Bruce Ismay, president of the White Star Line.  Alan Nebola creates the role of Arthur Rostron, Captain of the Carpathia.  Nick Schumacher will portray 2nd Officer Charles Lightoller.  Dusty Kearns plays Harold Cottam, wireless operator on the Carpathia, and Matthew Meyer is featured as Titanic’s junior wireless operator, Harold Bride.  Jared Parmater will be seen as Fifth Officer Harold Godfrey Lowe.  Brian Larkin takes the role of Stanley Lord, Captain of the Californian, and Will Ketchen plays Cyril Evans, the wireless operator on the Californian.  Casey Cooling will be seen as both Guglielmo Marconi, President of the British Marconi Company, and as Henry Etches, a First Class bedroom steward.  John Blix is cast as Olaus Abelseth, a third class passenger, Cody Robison plays Frederick Barrett, Titanic lead fireman, and Edgar Dickerson plays Colonel Archibald Gracie, a first class passenger. Traci Higgins plays Daisy Minihan, a first class passenger, Angie Nebola makes her ACT I debut as Iowan Mahala Douglas, and Linda Radcliffe plays first class passenger Emily Ryerson.

The production is directed by Steve Arnold.  Sponsors for the Events Series are Clingman Pharmacy, Jon and Julie Clingman.

Remember, admission is only $2.00 per person, which gives patrons admission to each of the three separate parts of the cycle.

To prepare audiences for The Titanic Disaster Hearings, the ACT I website this month features “Countdown to Disaster,” a day by day account of what was happening on Titanic 90 years ago on that date.  Countdown to Disaster, which has been prepared for ACT I by Titanic researcher Addison Hart of DeKalb, Illinois, can be found on the Stage Door Preview link found on the homepage of the website.

For additional information about this production, go to the Titanic Disaster Hearings page of this website, www.act1.org/titanic.htm

This mausoleum in Oak Hill Cemetery in Cedar Rapids is the final resting place of Titanic survivor Mahala Douglas, a Cedar Rapids native whose husband Walter died in the tragedy.  Mr. Douglas, whose body was among over 300 recovered from the wreck site, is also buried here.  Mahala Douglas gave testimony to the Senate subcommittee investigating the disaster on May 2, 1912.   She died in 1945.  Mahala Douglas is portrayed in the ACT I production by Angie Nebola.

The ACT I Ticket information line and Palace Theatre Box Office number is 472-9957.  Remember, your ticket to The Titanic Disaster Hearings is only two dollars for all three installments of the production.  

ACT I Offers Group Discount Rate

ACT I of Benton County is now promoting a group rate for all of its Main Stage Productions.  All Main Stage shows run over two weekends. The new group promotion varies according to weekend, with the hope of improving attendance during the first weekend run, and encouraging overall attendance.  The FIRST WEEKEND DEAL offers a 15% discount on ticket prices for groups of 15 or more.  This includes a savings of $20.25 per 15 adult tickets.  The SECOND WEEKEND DEAL gives a 10% discount on ticket prices for groups of 15 or more.  This package includes a savings of $13.50 per 15 adult tickets.  To be eligible for the discount rate, reservations must be made in one name for the same performance.  No refunds or cancellations will be accepted on Weekend Deal packages.

Don't forget to drop in to visit the Green Room, the internet message board for ACT I of Benton County!  Just click this link!
THE GREEN ROOM

Announcing………….

the 2002-2003
ACT I Season

Monsters, an ogre, a giant, a dragon, a divorced couple working together but fighting at every turn, a dysfunctional family -- outcasts all --
ACT I's Season 2002 - 2003 features

A CAST OF OUTCASTS

Our youth program, ACT I STAGE!, opens our season of Casts of Outcasts with a delightful triple bill!

The Good, the Bad, and the Ogre Summer Theatre Camp
Marcy Horst, coordinator

Ogre Here, Ogre There
Mary Horst, director
The Truly Remarkable Puss-in-Boots
Marcy Horst, director
Once Upon a Vine
Jaimie Walker/Theresa Werner, co-directors

July 12, 13, 14, 19, 20, 21 The Palace Theatre

Children's Theatre by ACT I STAGE!

Can actor/director/writer Fred Graham produce a musical version of Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew starring himself and his ex-wife Lilli Vanessi and actually succeed, either onstage or off?  Or will he and Lilli always remain outcasts from each other?

Kiss Me, Kate
Book by Sam and Bella Spewack, with music by Cole Porter

Steve Arnold, director
Rob Glass, music director
Charlie Vogl, choreographer

September 5, 7, 8, 12, 14, 15  The Palace Theatre  (Main Stage Series)

  Join us as ACT I celebrates Halloween with some spooky readings!

Monster Medley Spooktacular

Mary Horst, director
October 12 & 13   The Ray House   (Events Series) 

This year, our Intermezzo recital celebrates the Christmas Season, as we remember those outcasts in the stable . . .

Intermezzo III
A vocal recital
Gerald and Marcy Horst, directors
December  The Ray House  (Events Series)

Who could be more of an outcast than a fire breathing dragon?  But this kindly beast has no taste for violence and bloodshed; he only wants to live his life in peace and quiet.  So what will he do when famed dragon slayer Saint George shows up, looking for a fresh battle?  Find out in this stage version of Kenneth Graham's delightful children's story, a decidedly different look at the legend of Saint George and the Dragon!

The Reluctant Dragon
Marcy and Gerald Horst, directors
February 21, 22, 23, 28, March 1 & 2
The Palace Theatre     (Main Stage Series)

Two boys whose father's job forces him to be on the road constantly suddenly find themselves living in Yonkers, New York with their German immigrant grandmother as part of a decidedly dysfunctional household!  Can they survive in a houseful of outcasts?  Join Jay and Artie as they try to sort out their mixed up family in this warm coming of age story, a "comic drama" by one of today's most popular writers!

Lost in Yonkers
by Neil Simon

Steve Arnold, director

May 9, 10, 11, 16, 17, 18 The Palace Theatre  (Main Stage Series)

Coming this summer for our young members and patrons . . .

 ACT I STAGE! Summer Theatre Camp 2002

Orientation/Workshop Week: June 10-14  9:00 AM – 12:00 PM Performance Dates: July 12, 13, 14 and 19, 20, 21

Camp Coordinator:        Marcy Horst           472-5518

Directors:                        Joan Cooling         472-4551
                                                                 Marcy Horst           472-5518
                                                                 Mary Horst             454-9021
                                                                 April Noeller           475-2212
                                                                 Jaimie Walker       472- 2224
                                                                 Theresa Werner    472- 2043

2002 Productions

Ogre Here, Ogre There
Once Upon a Vine
The Truly Remarkable Puss-in-Boots

Guest Theatre Production

TOM PEASE

June 14, Palace Theatre

Registration

Registration packets available from Marcy Horst, 472-5518, through May 31.

It Runs in the Family

Opens May 10

Rehearsals Underway!

Madcap insanity on every page!  Mistaken identities!  A spike haired teenage punk!  A loaded seltzer bottle!  A string of outrageous lies!  Guys in drag!  And plenty of doors to slam!  

Yes, an uproariously funny British farce by Ray Cooney, It Runs in the Family, comes to Vinton next month to bring to a close ACT I's Main Stage Series for Season 2001 - 2002.  The play, which takes place in a London hospital just before Christmas, concerns the abrupt and unwanted discovery by the rather egotistical Dr. David Mortimer of an eighteen year old son he never knew he had, a boy who is as far from the perfect son as one can get!

Playing major roles in the production are Rick Murphy as Dr. Mortimer, Jim Hilliard as his colleague Dr. Hubert Bonney, and Matthew Meyer as the outrageous young man, Leslie.  Bunny Feller plays Leslie’s mother, Jane Tate, Lois Ewins plays Rosemary, Dr. Mortimer’s wife, and Diana Lamphier plays the hospital Matron. Also in the cast are Travis Hendricks as Dr. Mike Connolly, Greg Kilberger as Bill, Traci Higgins as Sister, and Steve Arnold as Sir Willoughby Drake. WHS vocal music instructor Rob Glass makes his ACT I debut in the role of the Police Seargent.

"You're all a bunch of baskets!"

The play is directed by Nancy Beckman, and the technical director is Mary Phillips. Production dates are May 10, 12, 17, 18, and 19.

Production sponsor for It Runs in the Family is Expressions, Lori Smith.

For additional information about this production, go to the It Runs in the Family page of this website, www.act1.org/family.htm

When Cathi Calderwood was asked whether she would be willing to take on the role of the Nurse in Romeo and Juliet to replace an indisposed cast member, she replied that she’d have to think about it as she wasn’t quite sure she wanted to do a show at that time or take on a Shakespearean role.  But when son Ryan, already a member of the R&J cast, encouraged his mom to take the role, she agreed saying “If my son still wants to be in plays with me then I’m not going to turn it down.”

Ryan and Cathi are typical of so many families with multi generational membership in ACT I, for whom participating in community theatre is truly a family affair.

Romeo (Brandon Jolly) confers with the Nurse (Cathi Calderwood) to make arrangements for his secret marriage to Juliet while her servant Peter (Ryan Calderwood) waits behind in our recent production of Romeo and Juliet.

The Calderwoods began their involvement with ACT I in 1995, when Cathi first appeared with us as Sister Sophia in The Sound of Music.  Ryan came along the following August, as a member of the acting ensemble for our children’s musical, How to Eat Like a Child.  Since then, Cathi and Ryan have become two of our most visible performers.

Cathi and Ryan ride in a golf cart in the 1999 Party in the Park parade to promote Life with Mother, a featured production for our opening season at the Palace Theatre with Cathi and Ryan as Lavinia and Harlan Day.  Driving the cart is the show's director, Ray Bookmeier.

Cathi has two distinct fortes as a performer; she is one of our most important singers, and she is also an exceptional comedienne.  In addition to The Sound of Music, Cathi’s musical roles with us have included Mrs. Corney in Oliver!, Doris MacAffee in Bye Bye Birdie, and Nana in The Velveteen Rabbit.  She also had a repeat shot at the convent, playing a nun for a second time during our 1999 variety show, Be Our Guest, when she was part of the Sister Act chorus.  Her straight comedic roles include the major Veta Louise Simmons in Harvey. Taking on the role of the Nurse gave Cathi two firsts; her first Shakespearean role, and her first dramatic role, as the Nurse is both a comic and dramatic character; and Cathi gives us the hope that more dramatic roles will follow in her future.

Following his appearance in How to Eat Like a Child, Ryan has been seen as one of Fagin’s boys in Oliver!, a hip rabbit in The Velveteen Rabbit, and Mr. Beaver in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, as well as dual roles in Romeo and Juliet as Peter (The Nurse’s servant) and a Montague retainer.  Besides these roles with ACT I, Ryan played the major role of Michael Darling in Peter Pan at Theatre Cedar Rapids in December of 1996.  Peter Pan was a very special experience for Ryan, giving him the opportunity to experience onstage flight first hand.  He was also an assistant director for Charlotte’s Web.  In the highly competitive world of ACT I youth theatre, Ryan has proven himself a highly dependable and first rate actor, whether his role is large or small one.

Ryan Calderwood takes flight as Michael Darling in Peter Pan at Theatre Cedar Rapids in 1996.

Yes, we’ve left something out.  Three times, Mother and son Cathi and Ryan have appeared together on our stage playing mother and son.  They first took their offstage relationship before the footlights was when Cathi played Lavinia Day in Life with Father to Ryan’s Harlan Day in 1997, roles they reprised three years later when ACT I presented that play’s sequel, Life with Mother.  Cathi and Ryan also appeared together as mother and son in our Children’s Theartre musical adaptation of Hansel and Gretel in 2000, with Ryan as Hansel and Cathi as the mother.

For the past eight years, Cathi has been a part time secretary at West Early Childhood Center in Vinton.  Prior to that, she’s worked for engineers, doctors, lawyers, and was also and EMT.  She really enjoys medicine and states that if she had been aware of the Physician’s Assistant program before she got so old, that’s the path her career would probably have taken.

Ryan is a freshman at WHS, where he is active in football, choir, and band, and played the doctor in the recent Theatre WHS production of Rest Assured. The third member of the Calderwood family, who remains in the audience, is husband and father Will, a civil engineer.

Besides performing for ACT I, the Calderwoods enjoy traveling as a family. Ryan enjoys anything even remotely connected to the computer.  He also enjoys learning about medieval times.  Paintball is also a favorite.  Cathi’s favorite is shopping till she drops!  Also, horseback riding, the beach, and giving her husband a never ending supply of “honey-do” projects.

Cathi would also like to thank Will for his support.  Even though he has absolutely no desire to be on stage, he encourages Cathi and Ryan to actively participate and enjoys the shows.  Cathi adds, "We are very fortunate to have ACT I in our community.  It is a wonderful venue for both children and adults.  I have met so many wonderful people since I have been involved in ACT I.  The caliber of talent never ceases to amaze me.  I am a firm believer that you take something positive away from every experience and that certainly has been true with the ACT I shows in which I have been involved.  As children grow, it becomes difficult to find common interests.  I am so thankful that Ryan and I share theatre as an interest and will be forever grateful for the memories of performances in which we have been involved.  I hope this is something Ryan will remember fondly as well."

Our many thanks to the Calderwood family for their years of dedicated involvement with ACT I and for the many ways they have contributed to us with their time and talents.  We wish them many more happy years with ACT I!

As ACT I prepares its readers' theatre production of The Titanic Disaster Hearings, test your knowledge of Titanic History!  You'll learn the answers to these questions when you attend our three part production over the next two weeks.

1.  One of the most notorious facts about Titanic is that she carried only enough life boats for about one third of her capacity for passengers and crew.  With how many lifeboats was the ship equipped?

2.  The RMS Titanic set sail on her ill fated maiden voyage on April 10, 1912.  To what do the initials R.M. S. refer?

3.  The Titanic struck an iceberg at 11:40 PM on Sunday, April 14 and sank the following morning at 2:20 AM.  What other infamous and tragic event from American history also took place over April 14 and April 15?  (No, Tax Day, April 15, doesn’t count.)

4.  Iowans Walter and Mahala Douglas were returning from Europe on Titanic after shopping for furniture for the new home they were building in Minneapolis. Walter Douglas had for many years been a partner at the helm of a well known Cedar Rapids company founded by his father.  Name that company.

5.  Modern interest in Titanic began with the publication of a book published in 1955 by Walter Lord, still universally regarded as the most important book ever published on the subject.  What is the title of this book?

6.  After years of searching, the wreck of the Titanic was discovered by Dr. Robert Ballard in what year?

7.  Titanic was the subject of the Broadway musical, Titanic, which won the 1995 Tony for best musical.  The ship was also featured in another famous musical from the 1960s, a largely fictionalized account of the life of one the ship's most famous passengers, written by Iowa composer Meredith Willson.  Name this show.

8.  Although Titanic was a British ship owned by a British company, White Star Line, that company was in turn owned by American interests.  Name the famous American investor who was the actual owner of the ship.

9.  Frenchman Michele Navratil died last year at the age of 93, the last surviving male passenger of the disaster.  How many Titanic survivors are now still living?

1. "Well anyway, it looks like a Democrat."  Life with Mother
2.  "Why do you come, yellow bird?"  The Crucible
3.  "Come on, Dover, move your bloomin’ arse!"  My Fair Lady
4.  "Second time around!" Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum
5.  "If they had rather die, they had better do it, and decrease the surplus
population."  A Christmas Carol
6.  "Doctor, that is NOT my mother!"  Harvey
7.  "We’re neither of us good looking, and we’re both as sour as we look."
                    The Secret Garden
8.  "I don’t just type."  Bye Bye Birdie

For each of these lines quoted from Romeo and Juliet, name the speaker.

1.  "Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou, Romeo?"  Juliet
2.  "A plague on both your houses!"  Mercutio
3.  "Good night, good night, parting is such sweet sorrow."  Juliet
4.  "What’s in a name?  A rose by any other name would smell as sweet."  Juliet
5.  "But soft, what light through yonder window breaks?"  Romeo
6.  "There’s no trust, no faith, no honesty in men."  The Nurse
7.  "Oh, I am fortune’s fool!"  Romeo

Minutes of meetings from the current year can be accessed on the Board page of our website.  

              Message from
the Editors

Spring is a busy, busy time for ACT I folks.  We are currently in rehearsal for our last two productions, The Titanic Disaster Hearings and It Runs in the Family, both previewed in this Grease Paint issue.  Our 2002-2003 season, A Cast of Outcasts, has been months in the planning, and it is a pleasure to finally announce the results.

This month also finds the ACT I board organizing for its annual May GEM Sponsor Recognition Evening.  All of our invaluable GEM supporters will soon be receiving an invitation to this event to honor and recognize their generosity and endorsement of our program.

The onset of our new season is a chance for you to become a recognized ACT I champion.  Watch for next month's Grease Paint article on the GEM sponsorship program, check for the GEM page on your It Runs in the Family program, or speak with an ACT I board member (Joan Cooling, Marcy Horst, Steve Arnold, Linda Radcliffe, Kari Douma, Ron Baldwin, or Brian Larkin) about how you can financially support ACT I of Benton County.  Your generous donations ensure quality productions, including beautiful sets, state of the art lighting and sound, and authentic costuming.  The importance of these three components was demonstrated most recently in Romeo and Juliet, sponsored by one of our Diamond GEMS, Farmer's Savings Bank.  Our GEMS also help us cover the costs of publicity and programs, and royalties and music.  Increasing financial support lets ACT I explore more theatrical options, and helps us provide a greater variety for our audience with every new season

Of course the best way to actively support ACT I is at the box office.  Call 472-9957 for information on the latest and greatest ACT I offerings and PACK THE PALACE!

Marcy

That's Grease Paint for April, 2002!

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