by Steve Arnold

Those of us who attended the recent WHS production of the musical Guys and Dolls found ourselves unmistakably impressed by the performance of the young actor playing the leading role of Nathan Detroit, a familiar face to ACT I patrons during the past two seasons, but a young man who has not yet had that "breakthrough" role on the ACT I stage.  That actor is Blake Hansen, scion of one of ACT I's loyal, long time families.  Blake and his grandmother Dorothy Albert, who is celebrating 20 years with ACT I, are featured as ACT I's Members of the Month for November.

WHS sophomore Blake Hansen (center), a veteran of several ACT I productions, played his first leading role as Nathan Detroit in the recent WHS musical Guys and Dolls.  Blake is the grandson of longtime ACT I volunteer Dorothy Albert.

One of the great things about ACT I is the fact that this is a family organization, and many families are represented with multiple generations.  Dorothy and Blake come from such a family.  Dorothy and her husband John Bliss moved to Vinton in 1962 when John was hired to be the Chief Agricultural Engineer at Hawkbilt.  They raised their four daughters here, living for seventeen years in the beautiful Queen Anne Victorian home which was later purchased and restored by the Stuff family. Dorothy Bliss made her ACT I debut exactly twenty years ago as Lottie Molloy in The Murder Room, performed November 12 - 14, 1982 at the Old Creamery Theatre.  Soon after, Dorothy appeared in our production of A Thurber Carnival, then in 1984 took on the leading role of Edith Lambert in the comedy Never Too Late, playing a middle aged expectant mother with a married daughter.  She next appeared onstage in 1986 as Miss Freud in The Girls in 509 and the following year as Miss Pleasant in The Cat and the Canary.  When she wasn't onstage, she was doing programs, properties, and publicity for other shows.

Dorothy (Bliss) Albert made her ACT I debut as Lottie Molloy in The Murder Room twenty years ago this month.

In 1988, Dorothy married Roger Albert, but her new marriage had no effect on her involvement with ACT I.  Roger has helped out many times as well with set construction, and also lent a hand doing finish carpentry at the Palace Theatre during that construction project and has also helped construct costume racks at the ACT I Studio.  After her marriage to Roger, Dorothy appeared as Farley Goodbody in our melodrama Klondike Kalamity, performned in 1988 at IBSSS, and the following year she appeared in In 25 Words or Death as Olive Bunker Hill.  During this time, Dorothy also did set, publicity, properties, and Box Office work for other shows.  During this time Dorothy also served on the ACT I Board.

Dorothy Albert as Miss Pleasant in The Cat and the Canary

Following this, though she and Roger continued to be enthusiastic patrons of ACT I, Dorothy took several years off from our stage, returning in the fall of 1997 as the chairwoman of the Three Criples Tavern in Oliver!, her only musical.  Dorothy rounded out her ACT I credits with the role of Bridget in Life with Mother, her only performance to date in the Palace Theatre.

Dorothy and Roger reside in a beautiful home with a unique contemporary design, dramatically different in style from Dorothy's earlier Victorian home.  The couple maintains a very busy retirement life, enjoying the companionship of their blended families and their many grandchildren, and volunteering their time at church, the Palace Theatre, Habitat for Humanity, Elderhostel, and doing volunteer work in state parks.  Most recently, Dorothy and Roger have acquired a computer and are preparing to take the Internet plunge!

Dorothy (pictured here with Orin Calhoun) played a middle aged expectant mother as Edith Lambert in Never Too Late in 1984.

Dorothy's family also includes daughters Judy Baird of Cedar Rapids, as well as Jama Runyon, Jill Sutton, and Jennifer Hancock, all of Vinton.

Dorothy says of her twenty years in ACT I:  "It has been such a remarkable thing, it came along at a time in my life when I really needed it, it filled a void.  It has been very exciting to watch it develop.  It seems like there are always new people with more talent coming along.  It is especially rewarding to see Blake getting so interested."  She also recalled the talents of many of the performers from the early years, as well as director Steve Shaffer.

Blake Hansen carries on his grandmother's tradition of involvement in community theatre.  He is son of Dorothy's daughter Jennifer Hancock and Jeff Hansen, and his many school activities include sports (he has a great passion for football) and vocal music, including show choir, where he excels as a dancer.  His favorite activity is speech (Blake is quoted as saying "Speech Rules!")  He made his ACT I debut in The Emperor's New Clothes at the beginning of the 2001 - 2002 season.  He was later seen as Abram in Romeo and Juliet.

Blake Hansen (far right, with hat) appeared as Abram, one of the Montague gang in our February, 2002 production of Romeo and Juliet

In the opening scene of Romeo and Juliet, Blake spoke that famous line that begins the first fight in that show, "Do you bite your thumb at us, sir?"; a line which he delivered again this season during Kiss Me, Kate in one of the many moments in that show that parodied our Romeo and Juliet production.  Blake played the doorman in Kiss Me, Kate, as well as being part of the singing and dancing ensemble.  He was also seen in our Events Series production of Family Affair during last summer's Party in the Park.

Offstage for ACT I, Blake is currently serving as the youth member of ACT I's play selection committee planning our Season 2003 - 2004; he also served as Assistant Director during our summer Children's Theatre production of The Good, the Bad, and the Ogre.  Although a football injury soon after the close of Kiss Me, Kate took him out of the game for the remainder of the season, getting to play his first major role as Nathan Detroit at WHS provided some bright consolation, and now we're waiting for that first big ACT I role that is waiting for Blake sometime in the future!

In addition to Blake's mother Jennifer Hancock, his family includes his step- father Mark Hancock (Technology Director for the Vinton-Shellsburg school district -- Jennifer serves as his assistant) and younger siblings Rachel Hansen (a freshman at WHS), Will Hancock (second grade) and Katie Hancock (kindergarten).  Blake also has a step brother, Keith Hancock, 22, who lives in Indianapolis, and also performed in a high school production of Guys and Dolls, as well as The Music Man and How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying.  The Hancock family lived in Indianapolis for 14 years before returning to Vinton three years ago.  Jennifer described returning to Vinton without jobs, coming back just because they knew that here would be a better place to raise their family.

Blake Hansen (red shirt) dances up a storm in the "Too Darn Hot" production number from this season's musical Kiss Me, Kate 

Although Jennifer and Mark have yet to appear onstage with ACT I, Mark is known to be a good singer who has played leading roles in musicals elsewhere and Jennifer played the very challenging role of Barbara Allen in Dark of the Moon while a student at WHS in 1979.  She also appeared in a WHS production of The Music Man at the age of ten.  Although Will and Katie have yet to make their ACT I debuts, they often work with their grandmother Dorothy on performing projects for church and other occasions.  Hopefully the Hancock household will be sending a few more performers our way in the future!

During Kiss Me, Kate, one of Blake's classmates, Josie Rundlett, was overheard to say during a rehearsal, "Blake has the coolest grandma," a statement agreed with whole heartedly by Blake's other peers.  May we add, Dorothy's grandson is pretty cool, too!  We wish Blake and Dorothy many more years as a part of ACT I.  And Dorothy, congratulations on 20 years as an ACT I volunteer!

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