Grease Paint Online - April, 2005

April 25, then and now: Looking very much the worse for wear, the abandoned, crumbling shell of Garrison's Old Creamery Theatre, where twenty-five years ago tonight ACT I of Benton County debuted with its first production, You Can't Take it With You. The former Creamery building has seen better days, but for both the Old Creamery Theatre and ACT I, the best is yet to come! Happy anniversary, ACT I, and thanks to all the hundreds of volunteers of all ages who have made our community theatre what it is twenty-five years and 401 performances later! Congratulations to all who helped make our first ninety-one productions of plays, musicals, children's theatre, variety shows, readings, and recitals possible!

1. You Can’t Take it with You
by Moss Hart and George Kauffman
Old Creamery Theatre, April 25 & 27, 1980

2. The Man Who Came to Dinner
by Moss Hart and George S. Kaufman
Old Creamery Theatre, November 14 & 16, 1980

3. Blithe Spirit by Sir Noel Coward
Old Creamery Theatre, March 27 - 29, 1981

5. The Curious Savage by John Patrick
Old Creamery Theatre, March 26-28, 1982

6. The Murder Room by Jack Sharkey
Old Creamery Theatre, November 12 – 14, 1982

7. Don’t Drink the Water by Woody Allen
Old Creamery Theatre March 18-26, 1983

8. A Thurber Carnival by James Thurber
Old Creamery Theatre, November 18-20 1983

9. Never Too Late by Summer Arthur Long
Old Creamery Theatre, April 13-15, 1984

10. See How They Run by Phillip King
Old Creamery Theatre, March 21 – 24, 1985

11. The Mousetrap by Agatha Christie
Old Creamery Theatre October 24-27, 1985

12. Lovingly Yours by Skeet Powers and Tom Cunliffe
WORLD PREMIERE at Tilford Middle School Auditorium, February 7-9, 1986

13. My Three Angels by Sam and Bella Spewack
Old Creamery Theatre April 17-20, 1986

14. The Girls in 509 by Howard Teichmann
Old Creamery Theatre October 30 – November 2, 1986

15. The Rainmaker by N. Richard Nash
Old Creamery Theatre April 2 – 5, 1987

16. The Cat and the Canary By John Willard
Old Creamery Theatre, November 12 – 15, 1987

17. Take a Number, Darling by Jack Sharkey
Old Creamery Theatre, April 14 – 17, 1988

18. Klondike Kalamity by Gary Peterson and David Byrne
Iowa Braille and Sight Saving School Auditorium, October 20 – 23, 1988

19. Morning’s at Seven by Paul Osborn
Old Creamery Theatre, April 20-23, 1989

20. In 25 Words or Death by Newt Mitzman and William Dalzell
Iowa Braille and Sight Saving School, October, 1989

21. Play On by Rick Abbot
Tenth Anniversary celebration production
Tilford Middle School Auditorium, April 19 – 22, 1990

22. Daddy’s Dyin’, Who’s Got the Will? by Del Shores
Old Creamery Theatre, April 18 – 21, 1991

23. Cheating Cheaters by John Patrick
Old Creamery Theatre Brenton Stage, October 17 – 20, 1991

25. The Odd Couple (female version) by Neil Simon
Tilford Middle School, June 24 – 27, 1993

26. Night of January 16 by Ayn Rand
Old Creamery Theatre, November 10 – 14, 1993

27. Bridge to Terabithia by Katherin Paterson
Old Creamery Theatre, April 15 – 24, 1994

28. Twigs by George Furth
Old Creamery Theatre Brenton Stage, September 16 – 25, 1994

29. The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson
Old Creamery Theatre, November 14 – 20, 1994

30. Said the Spider to the Spy by Fred Carmichal
Tara Hills Country Club and Tilford Middle School Auditium, March 10 – 19, 1995

31. The Miracle Worker by William Gibson
Old Creamery Theatre, May 5 – 14, 1995

32. Same Time Next Year by Bernard Slade
Old Creamery Theatre, September 22 – October 1, 1995

33. The Sound of Music music and lyrics by Richard Rogers and Oscar Hammerstein
with book by Howard Lindsey and Russel Crouse
Old Creamery Theatre, October 27 - November 4, 1995

34. Knock ‘Em Dead by Tom Oldenkirk and Will Roberson
Vinton Country Club, February 16 – 25, 1996

36. How to Eat Like a Child by Delia Ephron, John Forster, and Judith Kahan
Tilford Middle School Auditorium, August 13 – 17, 1996

37. The Girls in 509 by Howard Teichemann
Old Creamery Theatre, September 11 - 15, 1996
Final Performances for the Old Creamery Theatre Garrison Facility

38. The Boardwalk Melody Hour Murders by Tom Chiodo
Vinton Country Club, March 7 – 16, 1997

39. Life with Father by Howard Lindsey and Russel Crouse
Tilford Middle School Auditorium, May 10-18, 1997

40. Oliver! by Lionel Bart
Tilford Middle School Auditorium, September 19 – 28, 1997

41. Be Our Guest! (Variety Show)
Tilford Middle School Auditorium, January 16, 17, 1998

43. Steel Magnolias by Robert Harling
Tilford Middle School Auditorium, May 8 – 17, 1998

44. Bye Bye Birdie by Mike Stewart, Charles Strouse, Lee Adams
Riverside Park Bandshell, September 10 – 20, 1998

45. The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry, adapted by Anne Coulter Martens
4^th Street Coffee Co, December 4 – 6, 1998

46. That’s Entertainment! (Variety Show)
Tilford Middle School Auditorium, January 8, 9, 1999

47. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis, adapted by Joseph Robinette
Premiere performances by ACT I STAGE!
Wesley United Methodist Church, March, 1999

48. The Prince and the Pauper by Mark Twain, adapted by Anne Coulter Martens
Wesley United Methodist Church, May 8, 9, 1999
Produced by ACT I STAGE!

49. Marvin’s Room by Scott McPherson
Tilford Middle School Auditorium, June 11 – 20, 1999

50. The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams, adapted by Barnes Boffey and Paul Pilcher
Iowa Braille and Sight Saving School Auditorium, July 30 – August 1, 1999
Produced by ACT I STAGE!

51. A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams
Tilford Middle School Auditorium, October 10 – 19, 1999

52. I’ll Be Home for Christmas (Variety Show)
Premiere ACT I performances at the Palace Theatre, December 3 – 5, 1999

53. Kathleen Berger on Broadway (Vocal Recital)
Wesley United Methodist Church January 15 and 22, 2000

54. Kathleen Berger Classical Concert (Vocal Recital)
Palace Theatre, January 30, 2000

55. The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett,
adapted by Marsha Norman and Lucy Simon
Palace Theatre, February 18-28, 2000

56. Hansel and Gretel by the Brothers Grimm,
based on the opera by Englebert Humperdinck
Palace Theatre, March 18-26, 2000
Produced by ACT I STAGE!

57. Life with Mother by Howard Lindsey and Russel Crouse
Palace Theatre, June 15-25, 2000

58. Charlotte’s Web by E. B. White, adapted by Joseph Robinette and Charles Strouse
Palace Theatre, July 8 -16, 2000
Produced by ACT I STAGE!

59. Encore! Encore! (Variety Show)
Palace Theatre, September 28 – October 1, 2000

60. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, adapted by Romulus Linney
Readers’ Theatre Series
Ray House Museum, December 1 – 3, 2000

62. My Fair Lady by Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Lowe
Palace Theatre, February 22 – March 3, 2001

63. What God Tells Me When I Am Alone (Poetry Reading)
Wesley United Methodist Church, March 23 – 25, 2001

64. The Crucible by Arthur Miller
Readers’ Theatre Series
Ray House Museum, April 20 – 22, 2001

66. The Emperor’s New Clothes by Hans Christian Anderson
adapted by Ruth Perry, Allan Jay Friedman, and Paul Frances Webster
Palace Theatre, July 20 – 28, 2001
Produced by ACT I STAGE!

67. Triple Bill, Produced by ACT I STAGE!
The Red Shoes by Hans Christian Anderson,
adapted by Marcy Horst, Shirale Hanson, and Joan Cooling
Henny Penny by Joy Chaitin and Sarah Stevens Estabrook
Stone Soup by Gary Peterson and Larry Nestor
Palace Theatre, July 21 – 29, 2001

68. A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum by Stephen Sondheim
Palace Theatre, October 4 – 14, 2001

69. Words and Music by Skeet Powers by Skeet Powers
Events Series at The Palace Theatre, November 10 – 18, 2001

70. Intermezzo II (Vocal Recital)
Events Series at The Ray House Museum, January 19, 20, 2002

71. Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare
Palace Theatre, February 22 – March 3, 2002

72. The Titanic Disaster Hearings, adapted from the Transcripts of the United States Senate’s 1912 Investigation into the sinking of the R.M.S. Titanic
Events Series Readers Theatre at the Vinton City Hall April 19 – 28, 2002

73. It Runs in the Family by Ray B. Cooney
Palace Theatre, May 10 – 19, 2002

75. The Good, the Bad, and the Ogre
Triple Bill Produced by ACT I STAGE!
Ogre Here, Ogre There by Jerry Kraft and Thomas Kenfield
Once Upon a Vine by Judith Weinstein and Arnold Somers
The Truly Remarkable Puss-in-Boots by Patricia Clapp
Palace Theatre, July 12 – 21, 2001

76. Kiss Me, Kate by Cole Porter, with book by Sam and Bella Spewak
Palace Theatre, September 5 – 15, 2002

77. Monster Medley Spooktacular (Variety Show)
Events Series at The Ray House, October 12 and 13, 2002

78. Intermezzo III, Silent Night (vocal recital)
Events Series at The Ray House, December 14 and 15, 2002

79. The Reluctant Dragon by Steven C. Anderson, Dan P. Rowe, and John Dempsey based on the children’s story by Kenneth Graham
Palace Theatre, February 21 – March 2, 2003

81. American Hysterical by Marcy Horst and Mary Horst with music by Tom Jessen
Produced by ACT I STAGE!
Palace Theatre, July 11 – 20, 2003

82. Annie by Thomas Meehan, Charles Strouse, and Martin Charmin
Palace Theatre, September 11 – 21, 2003

83. The Book of Murder by Ron Cowan
Events Series at The Ray House, November 22 and 23, 2003

84. Love Letters by A. R. Gurney
Events Series at The Vinton Country Club, February 7 and 8, 2004

85. Noises Off by Michael Frayn
The Palace Theatre, February 27 – March 7, 2004

86. Mother Goose Memoirs by Mary Horst, with music by John Hayden
Produced by ACT I STAGE!
Benton Community High School Auditorium, June 25 – 27, 2004

87. The Adventures of Beatrix Potter by Joseph Robinette,
with music and Lyrics by Evelyn Swenssen
Produced by ACT I STAGE!
The Palace Theatre, July 9 – 18, 2004

88. The Sound of Music Music and lyrics by Richard Rogers and Oscar Hammerstein
with book by Howard Lindsey and Russel Crouse
The Palace Theatre, September 9 - 19, 2004

89. Live at the Palace (variety show)
Events Series at The Palace Theatre, January 15 and 16, 2005

90. Intermezzo IV Silly Love Songs (vocal recital)
Events Series at The Ray House, February 6 and 13, 2005

91. You Can’t Take it with You by Moss Hart and George S. Kaufman
The Palace Theatre, March 5 – 13, 2005

Blithe Spirit in rehearsal: Madame Arcati (Jill Bopp) gives instructions to Charles and Ruth Condomine (Tony Bopp and Diane Maxwell) and Dr. and Mrs. Bradman (Michelle Bookmeier and Mike Modrow)

The final production of Season 2004 - 2005: ACT I Take II, Blithe Spirit, opens May 6 at

the Palace Theatre. This farce by British author Sir Noel Coward opens Friday at the Palace Theatre in Vinton for a six performance run, through May 13. This revival of the third production ever produced by ACT I is directed by Nancy Beckman; it was originally presented by ACT I on March 27, 28, and 29, 1981, at the Old Creamery Theatre in a production directed by Old Creamery staff member Howard Blanning. The play was written and first produced in 1941, and the story is seemingly oblivious to the horrors of World War II that were simultaneously shaking England on a daily basis. Featured in the cast are Tony Bopp and Diane Maxwell as Charles and Ruth Condomine. Mike Modrow and Michelle Bookmeier portray Dr. and Mrs. Bradman, Jill Bopp plays Madame Arcati, Patti Upmeyer is Edith, and Director Nancy Beckman plays the role of Elvira, Charles' late first wife. Kevin Bookmeier is handling the technical challenges of the special effects. The production is sponsored by Cedar River Ink, Tim and Emily Wilson.

Additional features about the show will be included in our May issue, which will come out during production week!

Anna Bess Rice and Becky Mossman in our original production of Blithe Spirit in March, 1981

For additional information about this production go to the Blithe Spirit show page of this website at www.act1.org/spirit.htm. For pictures and information from our original production, go to www.act1.org/blithe.htm.

Call now for tickets for Blithe Spirit! The ACT I Ticket information line and Palace Theatre Box Office number is 472-9957!

The centerpiece of Season 2004 - 2005: ACT I Take II, You

Can't Take it With You, concluded its run on March 13, 2005 at the Palace Theatre in Vinton This revival of the first production ever produced by ACT I is directed by Patrick Lyons and Nancy Geiken; it was originally presented by ACT I on April 25 and 27, 1980, at the Old Creamery Theatre in a production directed by Old Creamery resident actor Howard Blanning, with Nancy Geiken as assistant director. This 1936 classic American comedy was written by George Kaufman and Moss Hart. Featured during the run was the evening of Saturday, March 12, which marked ACT I's 400th performance. The production was sponsored by Clingman Pharmacy and Kerdus and Barron, P.C, Certified Public Accountants. The production was introduced each night by a video presentation on the twenty-five year history of ACT I.

Performance Photographs
(with apologies for certain liberties taken with the dialogue)

"These will be perfect for ACT I's 25th anniversary celebration! Let's set them off in the alley beside the Palace! Or better yet, behind Lu's house, about midnight!"

"Did you know that the ACT I Studio was once an accordian school? Can you believe that in twenty-five years ACT I has never put an accordian on stage before? I'm going to talk to Marcy Horst, I think the next time we do an Intermezzo recital it should be all accordians!"

"First A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, and now this. Next time I'm adding a 'no toga' clause to my contract."

"The next board meeting is at 3:00 AM Tuesday in the alley behind Pizza Ranch. Pass it on."

"No! This is a DIFFERENT play! We DID A Streetcar Named Desire back in 1999!"

"You should have seen me onstage in the LAST play I was in. Wait, this IS the last play I was in!"

"I thought about trying out for the Sound of Music, but black just isn't my color! Besides, if I hear 'Do-Re-Mi' one more time, I'm going to scream!"

"And look up there, the roof doesn't even leak! We've come a long way from the Old Creamery Theatre!"

For additional information about this production go to the You Can't Take it with You show page of this website at www.act1.org/take.htm. For pictures and information from our original production, go to www.act1.org/can't.htm.

Fifteen years ago this month at the Tilford Middle School Auditorium, ACT I presented the comedy Play On by Rick Abbott. The play ran April 19 - 22 and was directed by Steve Weiss of Cedar Rapids, a frequent performer with The Old Creamery Theatre and Theatre Cedar Rapids. The cast included Faith Brown, Linda Radcliffe, Jim Hilliard, the late Geneva Bridge, Sarah Nicholas, Steve Koch, Eric Upmeyer, Shauna Sturtz, the late Elizabeth Young, and Colleen Stufflebeam. The Assistant Director and Stage Manager was Brenda Witt (Hackbarth).

Sarah Nicholas, with Eric Upmeyer, who made his ACT I debut as Billy Carewe in Play On, our tenth anniversary production at Tilford Middle School in April, 1990.

The play is a humorous look at a community theatre presenting an original production by an aspiring author, and is filled with community theatre personality types and foibles with which we are all so familiar! The crews for the show included Steve Koch, John Wombacher, Dick Bridge, Nancy Beckman, Jim Hilliard, Ron Baldwin, Eric Upmeyer, Brenda Witt, Linda Radcliffe, Shauna Sturtz, Elizabeth Young, Dick Paulus, Jill Roberts, Abby Koch, Kathy Thole, Dean Beckman, Nancy Stroschein, Dorothy Albert, Geneva Bridge, David Nolte, Bob Fischer, and Deb Wilson.

For additional information about this production, including pictures and full cast list, go to the See How They Run show page of this website at www.act1.org/play.htm.

In this, our twenty-fifth anniversary month, we honor the organization that first breathed life into ACT I, the Old Creamery Theatre, and the individuals there who worked with us in our early years to establish ACT I as a viable arts organization for Benton County!

Last season, at a performance of Amadeus in the Old Creamery's depot stage in Amana, I struck up a conversation with the woman sitting next to me while waiting for the show to start. The woman, it turned out, was the mother of the Texas born actress who played Constanze in the production. She described the surprise she and her husband felt when their daughter decided to major in theatre, wondering what sorts of job opportunities could be had for that field of study. "And we were really surprised when she told us she was considering an offer from some theatre in Iowa. We didn't even know they HAD theatre in Iowa!"

And where would be the most likely place to find Iowa's only Equity theatre company? Des Moines? Cedar Rapids? Ames? Iowa City? All of those are much better guesses than Garrison, but it was in Garrison, Iowa where in 1971 a group of young, hopeful actors headed by five-year State University of Iowa Theatre faculty member Tom Johnson, purchased a former dairy cooperative building in the tiny hamlet of Garrison, Iowa, with the intention of turning it into a professional theatre company to serve rural Iowa. Now, thirty-four years later, the Garrison theatre is just a crumbling shell. The dream of an artists colony in Garrison has died away. But the Old Creamery Theatre lives on, stronger than ever, both financially and artistically. In an era when arts organizations are struggling, when theatre attendance nationwide is dropping alarmingly, the Old Creamery is a thriving, vital company, still producing top flight theatre for rural Iowa in their new home in the Amana Colonies.

For over 20 years, The Creamery's main performance venue was the Garrison facility. In 1988, in an effort to attract a larger audience base, the company began performing in the Amana Colonies during the summer months. At the invitation of The Amana Society, the company opened its first season at the welcome center in Amana. The first season was underwritten by The Society and by many Amana merchants who were members of The Amana Colonies Convention and Visitors Bureau. Over the next nine years, the seasons in Amana grew in length. The company performed its last repertory season in Garrison in 1996 and is now based in Amana. (I personally attended the final performance by the professional company and the final performance in the building by ACT I several weeks later. Leaving the building behind was like attending the funeral of a dear friend.)

The Creamery's departure in 1996 left a void for those who love the arts in Benton County, but they also left behind something very special that all of us appreciate very much. For in 1980, Tom Johnson secured a grant for the establishment of a community theatre to serve Benton County under the mentorship of the professional company. Now, twenty-five years later, ACT I of Benton County is flourishing on its own, as our parent company continues to do. And the relationship between the Old Creamery and ACT I continues to this day, as Tom and his staff continue to be a resource for us, and although not by formal design, ACT I members have served continuously on the Old Creamery Board of Trustees (ACT I members Ron Baldwin, Steve Arnold, Lois Banse, Bob LaGrange, Mary Phillips, Julie Zimmer, Janet Woodhouse, and Marsh Berry are among past and present ACT I members who have served on the Old Creamery Board. There are surely more!) And of course ACT I members continue to be enthusiastic patrons of the Creamery productions, 40 minutes away from our new home stage in Vinton. But without question, the largest Vinton audience for the Old Creamery is that made up of the Vinton Shellsburg elementary school students, who annually enjoy performances by the Old Creamery Young People's Tour, in which members of the .

Since its founding, the company is dedicated to performing high-quality live professional theatre for audiences of all ages and interests and offers a wide variety of plays each season. The company constantly strives to represent the experimental and repertory presentation of both approved and untried dramatic works.

Old Creamery Theatre Producing Director Tom Johnson, 65, now of South Amana, has headed the Old Creamery Theatre since its founding in 1971 right up to the present day, an almost unheard of accomplishment for a theatre administrator. His wife, Meg Merckens, is the company's Associate Artistic Director and one of the company's leading actresses.

Tom Johnson founded The Creamery in 1971 along with a number of colleagues and former students from Iowa State University. He has served as C.E.O. of the company since its first season. For the past 34 years, he has written, directed, designed sets, and occasionally acted. He will be remembered as the irrepressible Beanhole in many productions of Cowchip Jamboree. His scripts include Playing Doctor, Beautiful Mourning, Home on the Iowa, Lost and Found, Holiday Hijinks, 1963, With All My Love, Bill, Blue Star Mother, and Holiday Hijinks, 2004. The theatre's current season includes two of Tom's new works, Holiday Hijinks, Independence Day, and Mr. Pennypincher Presents. He is currently preparing to semi-retire from theatre after nearly 45 years as a professional. He has recently opened an antique shop, and plans to stay involved with the The Creamery on a part-time basis as a writer, director and scene designer. Tom has two grown children, and one grandson.

Although he never directed an ACT I production, it was Tom who was instrumental in making ACT I happen in the first place. Tom and his wife, Creamery actress Meg Merckens, whose tenure of twenty-nine years with the company has made her unquestionably the most recognizable personality at the company, have both helped ACT I in many ways behind the scenes, right up to our most recent production, when they attended a rehearsal of You Can't Take it With You and then offered a critique to the company. Meg, a Cleveland, Ohio native (Merckens Chocolates was the family business) describes herself as a cheerleader for ACT I, and she put together much of the information for this article.

Three members of the Old Creamery company served as directors for the earliest ACT I productions, Howard Blanning, the late Tom Cunliffe, and Steve Shaffer. Howard was the company's 25-year old playwright in residence when in 1980 he was tapped to direct the first three ACT I productions, You Can't Take it With You in April, 1980; The Man Who Came to Dinner in November of 1980, and Blithe Spirit, in March of 1991.

Howard Blanning, right, conducts auditions for You Can't Take it With You in January, 1980, with Richard Paulus, who was later cast as Kohlenkhov, reading. The young playwright in residence at the Old Creamery Theatre directed the first three ACT I productions in 1980 and 1981.

"It more or less got started during the course of our productions down here," Howard Blanning was quoted as saying in a Cedar Valley Daily Times interview on January 23, 1980. "Inevitably we'd get regular patrons and inevitably somebody would say, 'Boy, we ought to have a community theatre' ... Finally enough people seemed to want to get it started and we decided to go ahead and give it a little push and offer our facilities."

In December of 1981, another Old Creamery performer took over the mantle as Director for ACT I, an individual whose contributions to ACT I continue to be very fondly remember by all who worked with him. In writing Member of the Month articles, I have found that when interviewing those members involved in the very first productions, one name is mentioned more often than any other, and all the recollections of that individual aren't simply 100% positive, they are 100% glowing. When I entered Jefferson High School in Cedar Rapids in the fall of 1967, hoping to find a place for myself in that school's highly regarded drama department, the name of one former student had become legendary. Steve Shaffer, who graduated from Jefferson in 1965, was the gold standard that every serious theatre student there worked toward. In early 1971, on the eve of the formation of the Old Creamery Theatre, I was in the chorus of a community theatre production in which Steve played the lead, my one and only chance to see him work. Over twenty years later, when I became involved with ACT I, once again I found myself working on a stage where the talents of Steve Shaffer had gone before me. Steve directed five ACT I productions, beginning with Deadwood Dick in December of 1981, The Curious Savage in March of 1982, and The Murder Room in November, 1982. Our next production, Woody Allen's Don't Drink the Water, was directed by the third Old Creamery member, Tom Cunliffe, in March of 1983. Steve Shaffer returned to the director's chair for two more productions, A Thurber Carnival in November, 1983 and Never Too Late in April, 1984. After Steve Shaffer's final directing assignment, Tom Cunliffe returned to direct twice more; first with See How They Run in March, 1985. The final production to be staged by a member of the Old Creamery Theatre staff was the February, 1986 Skeet Powers musical Lovingly Yours, which was written by Skeet Powers and Tom Cunliffe and also directed by Mr. Cunliffe. After Lovingly Yours, ACT I productions were directed from within the organization. Former ACT I president Tony Bopp recalled "a time when it actually came to a vote whether we should disband the organization or not," as interest had begun to fall off. But the Powers/Cunliffe production quickly rejuvenated the organization and things took off once again.

Steve Shaffer was a member of the Old Creamery company for over 15 years, serving as Assistant to the Artistic Director in addition to acting. In addition to appearing with the Old Creamery, he performed for 13 seasons at the Timberlake Playhouse in Illinois, where he later served as Artistic Director. He toured with the Barn Dinner Theatres in North Carolina, Georgia, and Florida. He appeared at Charlie's Showplace in Des Moines, at the Iowa Shakespeare Festival, and performed in many radio and television commercials throughout the state. Some of his Old Creamery Roles included Mr. Frank in The Diary of Anne Frank (a role he first performed at Jefferson High School), and Charlie in The Foreigner.

Director Steve Shaffer, onstage during a rehearsal of ACT I's production of Deadwood Dick in 1981.

After leaving the Old Creamery Theatre, Steve Shaffer moved to Minnesota where he has been a full time actor. "My base has been the Old Log Theater in Excelsior, Minnesota," he told me in a recent e-mail, "and I've also done a couple of shows at the Great America History Theatre in St. Paul. Presently, I'm taking a break from the Old Log to do a show at the Guthrie Theatre (She Loves Me), which opens next month and runs through the latter part of June. This fall, both my sons will be in college at the University of Minnesota, Morris. My wife, Mary, (former Creamery actress Mary Woolever) is Director of Theater Ministries at Lake Harriet United Methodist Church in Minneapolis. She also has a furniture re-covering business."

C. Thomas Cunliffe performed with the Old Creamery for many years, in such roles as Lennie in Of Mice and Men and Senex in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. He returned to the Creamery from Chicago where he performed in several area theatres. A theatre graduate of the University of Tulsa, his career, which spanned more than 25 years, included work with Joseph Papp in the New York Shakespeare Festival. In addition he appeared in the feature film On the Right Track and an episode of Hill Street Blues. Tom Cunliffe died in May of 1989 in Dubuque, Iowa. In getting additional information from the family, Meg Merckens was able to learn from Tom's son Charlie, who lives in Dubuque, that the tradition continues in the Cunliffe family. Tom's eighteen year old grandson Rob has just been accepted to the BFA Actor training program at Harrt (affiliated with the University of Hartford.) Tom's other grandson is a senior engineering student at Iowa State University.

Old Creamery Staff member C. Thomas Cunliffe, who staged three of ACT I's early productions between 1983 and 1986.

ACT I gives its sincerest thanks to the Old Creamery Theatre for helping bring our group into existence and for twenty-five years of support; of being allowed to use their facilities, equipment, costumes, and props; and for the help and support of Tom Johnson, Meg Merckens, Steve Shaffer, Tom Cunliffe, and Howard Blanning, as well as the entire staff of the company throughout the years. As of tonight, April 25, 2005 we have had 25 great years, a continuing association with Iowa's only Equity theatre, and the promise of a bright theatrical future.

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 in this archive section have been updated to bring the members' accomplishments up-to-date! To visit the Member of the Month Archives, go to www.act1.org/mom.htm.

One of the best written and wittiest scripts every presented by ACT I is Sir Noel Coward's Blithe Spirit. The play has many similarities with other past ACT I shows. Which of these other show can you name?

1. In which past ACT I production does the ghost of a man's late wife appear to him, but NOT Blithe Spirit?

2. In which past ACT I production does a character arrive on a bicycle, but NOT Blithe Spirit?

3. Name another past ACT I show taking place in the English Countryside in the early 1940s, which also features the supernatural, but NOT Blithe Spirit.

4. In which past ACT I show does an English writer set the plot in motion by experimenting for one of his stories, but NOT Blithe Spirit?

5. In which past show is a certain character invisible to everyone in the cast but one, but NOT Blithe Spirit?

Thus Martin Vanderhof in You Can’t Take it with You addresses the Lord as he says grace at the dinner table. (Or perhaps, in our case, he could be addressing Vinton once again as his family returns to ACT I after twenty-five years!) Eating a meal on stage during a scene is a great challenge to any actor, who must carefully make the meal look as convincing as possible while consuming as little as possible. Which of these past ACT I productions can you name in which meals are served, or attempted to be served?

1. In which past ACT I production does a meal of linguini one character is eating end up being hurled at the back wall of the set? (If you’re having trouble with this one, yet another meal scene in this play is aborted due to a capon being burned to a crisp in the oven!)
The Odd Couple, Female Version

2. Which play, focusing on the Thanksgiving holiday, contains a meal scene in which a chocolate cake is ultimately worn by the characters on stage rather than eaten by them?
Twigs

3. In which play is a character’s meal interrupted by a police detective arriving to accuse him of murder? Sleuth

4. In which play is breakfast served which includes Kippers? Life with Mother

5. Around which food item does the plot of Noises Off revolve? sardines

6. In one past ACT I production, three full meals are served, one in each act, and the second act meal is ultimately scattered and smeared all over the set. Yet the scene in which this happens is anything but comic; it's part of the high drama of this intense show. Name the play. The Miracle Worker

The next meeting of the Board of ACT I of Benton County will be held soon. Check back to this box for the exact date.

Members and visitors are always welcome at board meetings!

If you get a chance, catch the two shows playing in repertory right now at the Old Creamery Theatre, Last Train to Nibroc and See Rock City. The two heart warming shows about the relationship of a young couple are by Arlene Hutton and are each about 90 minutes in length; both featuring the the same characters. I haven't seen them yet, but my spies who have tell me they're both great! They can both be caught on a Saturday when the story line of the two is presented chronologically - see Last Train to Nibroc in the afternoon, catch dinner at your favorite Amana restaurant, and then back to the theatre for See Rock City.

On a personal note, tomorrow, April 26th, the day after ACT I's anniversary date, is Oberon's tenth birthday. Oberon, as some of you may remember, was a belated director's gift from the casts of Twigs and The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, which I directed back to back while my house was under construction in the fall of 1994. When my plan to acquire a dog after the house was finished became known, the two casts of these shows responded with a very special gift of cash to be used for this purpose after the house was ready. As we pause in our busy season to thank the Old Creamery Theatre for their help and support through the years, I would also like to thank ACT I once again for the joy their gift of my little friend has brought to me. Oberon, by now a true theatre dog, has appeared on stage for both ACT I (Kiss Me, Kate) and Theatre Cedar Rapids (Inspecting Carol).

And now, on to the next 25 years! First with Blithe Spirit, and after that to Season 2005 - 2006, the details of which will be presented in our May edition, which will feature the opening of Blithe Spirit!

Answers to Our Last Quiz