1999 - 2000 Season
Announced!
Classic Titles Make Up First
Palace Season
It's all but official that ACT I will not be producing any of this season at its new home, the Palace Theatre in downtown Vinton. Construction is moving along well but it appears that we will wait until next season to perform in our new permanent home, and what an exciting season our first year in the Palace promises to be! Our main season of four productions will include three classic plays and another addition of our variety show. Our youth program, ACT I STAGE!, will again produce the McElroy Children's Theatre Series for its second season. The board or directors of ACT I of Benton County takes great pleasure in announcing our productions for the 1999 - 2000 Season.
Please note that all dates are tentative and subject to change.
A
Streetcar Named Desire
written by Tennessee Williams
Our main season gets underway in August with a production of a play which is arguably the finest piece ever written for the stage by an American author. "A Streetcar Named Desire" by Tennessee Williams, originally produced in 1947, and set in New Orleans, features sizzling drama between sisters Blanche Dubois and Stella Kowalski and Stella's husband, Stanley. Larry Adams-Bowers directs, with the production designed by Nicholas Radcliffe. Presented at the Palace Theatre August 13, 14, 15, 20, 21, and 22, 1999.
ACT I Variety Show
In December we again present the ACT I Variety Show, again directed by Brenda Hackbarth. This time with a holiday theme, the show will feature the broad range of talent offered by Vinton and the Benton County Community. Performed December 3 and 4, 1999.
The
Secret Garden
music by Lucy Simon, book and lyrics by
Marsha Norman
based on the novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett
ACT I enters the new millennium with a very special show. The enchanting musical "The Secret Garden" is an allegorical tale of death and rebirth, in which an orphan girl, a crippled boy, and a grieving widower find emotional renewal within a garden that itself is reborn after the ravages of winter and neglect. The production will be directed by Steve Arnold. WHS vocal music teacher Greg Douma will make his ACT I debut as music director and the production designer will be Nicholas Radcliffe. Scheduled for performances February 17, 18, 19, 20, 24, 25, 26, 27, 2000.
Life
with Mother
written by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse
based on the book by Clarence Day, Jr.
In May we are pleased to have a return visit by the Clarence Day family as we present the comedy "Life with Mother." The play is a sequel to "Life with Father," presented by ACT I in May of 1997. Reprising their roles from "Life with Father" will be Steve Arnold and Cathi Calderwood as Clarence and Vinnie, and their sons will again be Austin Karr as Clarence, Matt Salger as John, Josh Deutsch as Whitney, and Ryan Calderwood as Harlan. Many new characters also join the fun. The plot of the play turns on an engagement ring when Father's old flame shows up, still wearing the ring he had given her years before, and Mother will stop at nothing to get it! Ray Bookmeier directs, with performances scheduled for May 12, 13, 14, 19, 20, and 21.
The McElroy Children's Theatre Series
The Velveteen
Rabbit
based on the book by Margery Williams
produced by ACT I STAGE!
This classic children's story comes to life on our stage this summer as our youth program begins its second season. The production will be directed by Marcy Horst and Shirale Hanson, with music direction by April Noeller. Performed July 30, 31, and August 1, 1999.
Hansel and
Gretel
a children's version of the opera by Englebert Humperdinck,
based on the tale by The Brother's Grimm
produced by ACT I STAGE!
The
popular operatic treatment of this tale was first performed in 1893. This version
offers a scaled down score suitable for children's voices which highlights the best known
melodies from the opera and putting them in play form. Performances will be March
18, 19, and 25, 2000.
King Edward VI, who reigned
from age nine until his death at
age 15, is the central character
in "The Prince and the Pauper."
The concluding production of this season’s McElroy Children’s Theatre Series will be "The Prince and the Pauper," a delightful blend of comedy and drama based on a novel by one of America’s great story tellers, Mark Twain, in a dramatization by Anne Coulter Martens. The show will be produced by ACT I STAGE! at Wesley United Methodist Church and opens Saturday, May 8, with performances that day at 10:00 AM, 3:00 PM, and 7:00 PM, and again Sunday afternoon, May 9, at 3:00 PM. Ticket prices are $5.00 for adults and $2.00 for students. The story is a fictional account of the real life King Edward VI of England, who came to the throng in 1547 at the age of nine after the death of his father, King Henry VIII. In the popular story, Prince Edward meets Tom Canty, a poor boy from a London slum, and the boys trade clothes for fun. Trapped in each other’s identities, the play shows in
parallel scenes the struggle the two boys each have to restore themselves to their proper station in life. Featured in the title roles are Josh Brewer as
Prince Edward and his twin brother Kyle as Tom Canty. The sixth graders are the sons of
Steve and Christine Brewer of Vinton. Josh and Kyle have appeared in five previous ACT I
productions, and Kyle was featured last year in the title role of "Oliver!" In
other featured roles we have the ACT I debuts of Megan Christy as Lady Jane Gray, Lisa
Elliot as Old Biddy, and Britt Roster as Mrs. Canty. ACT I veterans in featured
roles include Kate Westergard as Lady Gwen, Aaron Murphy as Miles Hendon, Greg Tucker as
the Old Hermit, John Westergard as Lord Hertford, Kordereau Sellers as Bumble, and Erin
Horst as Bet. Other cast members include newcomers Derek Ferguson, Jared Helms, Cody
Robison, Jamie Tucker, and Meghan Owens. Other returning cast members include Kelly
Robison, Jake Fowler, Dan Greaser, Bree McClenning, Josh Deutsch, Lindsey Renken, Tasha
Kauten, Lori Strong, Dakoda Sellers, and Kolton Sellers. Two adult cast members join the
youth cast in featured cameo roles. Darren Sellers, one of our most versatile veteran
actors, makes a welcome return to our stage as a guard, and Alexander Vasquez, a second
grade teacher at West Early Childhood Center, makes his ACT I debut as the Jailer.
"The Prince and the Pauper" is directed by Steve
Arnold, assisted by Morgan Horning. Kevin Bookmeier is Technical Director, with set
designs by Sarah Zimmerman.
Auction to Benefit ACT I’s
Palace Theatre Project
The Palace Theatre Auditorium
Annual Meeting
to Be Held May 22
The annual membership meeting for ACT I of Benton County will be held Saturday afternoon, May 22, at Linda Radcliffe's cabin on the Cedar River. Among the matters to be decided will be the election of two board positions. Terms currently held by Margie Ortgeissen and Joan Cooling will expire. More details about the meeting will be in next month's issue of Grease Paint. Members who have not paid their membership fee of $10.00 are reminded that you will need to do so before voting in this important membership meeting. Any adult and students in ninth grade and above are eligible to be voting members by paying the membership fee.
Time is Running Out --
Let's Make Every Dollar Count!
The Palace Theatre project now approaches its culmination, giving ACT I its long awaited and long dreamed of
permanent performance space along with providing the community once again with a local movie theatre. But with many elements of the structure still unfinished, fund raising remains an unfinished part of the project as well. With approximately $400,000 raised by the community for the project, we are on the home stretch to raise that last $100,000 needed. For those members of ACT I who have not yet taken the opportunity to be a part of this project, this is an excellent time to make that commitment to this community fine arts and cinema facility. We need $26,000 to equip the facility with theatre lights for ACT I’s productions, so we encourage all ACT I members to help realize this dream.Member of the Month
Linda Radcliffe
From the time ACT I was founded nearly twenty years ago until the present, only one person has remained active in the group the entire time. That person’s name is virtually
synonymous with ACT I -- Linda Radcliffe. Usually in charge of our box office and almost always a member of our board of directors, frequently as treasurer, Linda assumed the presidency earlier this year on short notice to fill an unexpected vacancy. During her years with ACT I Linda has done virtually everything except serve as a show director. She has worked on backstage crews, frequently doing props; she has worked set construction and painting, and has been house manager. Linda has had numerous acting roles through the years, and she will be seen as a psychiatrist in our upcoming production of "Marvin's Room." Linda also hosts our annual meeting, always held at her cabin on the Cedar River.
In her most recent onstage role, ACT I doyenne
Linda Radcliffe
portrayed the Von Trapp family housekeeper, Frau Schmidt,
in our 1995 production of "The Sound of Music." In this
scene, Linda prepares one of the two children's casts for
the party scene. Her young charges include, from left,
Stacy Williams, Chloe Stuff, Dan LaGrange, Megan Williams,
Becky Stravers, Brian Hanneman, and Sarah Pohlman.
Linda's family includes her daughter and son-in-law, Angela and Brad
Mullinex and their two sons, Bray, age 6, and Marshall, age 3. Linda's son Joe
Radcliffe has three children, Georgia, age 4, Maxwell, age 2, and Josephine, age 1.
Her household is completed by several cats and a dog.
Linda says she can't remember life without ACT I. "I am
really so excited about the Palace Theatre I can hardly stand it," she says.
"To once again have a facility for movies and the added bonus of having a permanent
home for ACT I is fabulous!"
The membership of ACT I thanks Linda for the years of dedicated participation and wishes her a long and continued involvement in our program!
ACT I Trivia Quiz
SiblingsSibling relationships play a prominent role in our plays for next season. "A Streetcar Named Desire" deals with the complicated relationship between sisters Blanche and Stella. "The Secret Garden" features the ten year old children of twin sisters, Lily and Rose. "Life with Mother" brings back our old friends, the Day brothers -- Clarence, John, Whitney, and Harlan. Our second children's theatre production features one of literature's most famous sets of siblings, Hansel and Gretel. Below are listed several groups of siblings from past ACT I shows. Identify each show by the family groups.
1. Liesl, Friederich, Louisa, Kurt, Brigitta, Marta, and Gretel
2. Catherine and Ellard
3. Imogene, Ralph, Leroy, Claude, Ollie, and Gladys
4. Jimmy and Annie
5. James and Helen
6. Emily, Celia, and Dorothy
7. Charlie and Beth
8. Jesse, Brenda, Ellie, and Maybelle
9. Kim and Randolf
10. Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy
Remember, you don’t have to have all the
correct answers to win!
Submit your entries to Act1ofBC@aol.com
or by snail mail to
ACT I of Benton County Trivia Quiz
Box 222, Vinton, Iowa 52349
Answers to Last Month’s Quiz
Act I and Religion
1. Which play was set in an eastern European country with 4,000,000 inhabitants, including 3,975,000 atheists, 24,000 agnostics, and 1,000 Jews? Don’t Drink the Water2. In which ACT I show was baptism central to the plot? Life with Father
3. Name the show in which Eric Upmeyer spoke the line "I don’t belong to any organized religion, I’m a Presbyterian." Twigs
4. Which portrayal has NEVER occurred in an ACT I show?
Casey Cooling as a Catholic priest5. Of the following, which has also NEVER been portrayed on our stage?
Nancy Beckman as a nun8. Name a minister who has appeared on our stage as a doctor, a mayor, and a shriner, but never as a minister. Dave Raines
9. In which production did a wedding occur onstage?
Twigs (In her final ACT I role, Geneva Bridge married Ed Yedlik in a secret ceremony performed by "Father" Casey Cooling. Some answered "The Sound of Music," although that wedding occurred off stage.) 10. Name the religion depicted in each of the following shows:The Sound of Music Catholic
That's Grease Paint for April, 1999!
To look back at previous online issues, visit our Grease Paint Archives page by clicking here!
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