Grease Paint Online; August, 2002

ACT I's twenty-third season was off and running with our seventy-fifth production, our ACT I STAGE! children's theatre summer production of The Good, the Bad, and the Ogre. The triple bill, consisting of Ogre Here, Ogre There directed by Mary Horst, Once Upon a Vine, directed by Theresa Werner and Jaimie Walker, and The Truly Remarkable Puss-in-Boots, directed by Marcy Horst, was a clever and carefully prepared production and a visual delight. The three one-acts became one cohesive production, being unified by the handsome and complex set designed by Mary Horst that served all three productions. The production was choreographed by Joan Cooling with music direction by April Noeller. Nearly 70 elementary and middle school students participated in the performances, assisted by several adults and five high school assistant directors.

A good job by all, and thank you to Marcy and the ACT I STAGE! directing staff for making this production happen for the youth of Benton County!

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.

The ACT I board met on Monday, August 12, at 4:00 PM at Pizza Ranch. After taking care of regular ACT I business, discussion centered on the growing dispute over ACT I ticket prices. President Marcy Horst referred to a survey filled out by all summer theatre camp participants, in which half of the returned surveys mentioned the high cost of ticket prices. Some members expressed concern that lowering the ticket prices would cause the ACT I board to incur a budget deficit, and greatly reduce the operating funds available to directors. However, the board voted to lower the ticket price to $5 per person for all, beginning with Kiss Me, Kate. (A ticket price of $3.00 per person for patrons 5 and under will apply only to summer children’s theatre production.)

The ACT I board hopes that the theatre community will show support for this decision by purchasing a GEM sponsorship for the season. GEM dollars support every aspect of our productions, from costuming to publicity, and with our full season, we incur numerous costs. Sponsors receive a variety of benefits, including tickets to productions and an invitation to our special season’s end reception. Other benefits are listed below.

*Your name/business/organization listed in Ľ page in season programs and on our website

*Your name/business/organization listed in 1/2 page in season programs and on our website

*Your name/business/organization listed in full page in season programs and on our website

*Your name/business/organization on Palace marque for a season production of your choice

Please make checks payable to ACT I of Benton County, and forward your payment to:

Vinton had reason to celebrate Friday night, August 2, as Celebration Iowa, a collection of the best high school musicians in the state of Iowa, presented its annual summer program at Riverside Park in Vinton. And ACT I has reason to celebrate as well -- for two of its finest youth performers were part of the show. Aaron Murphy and Beckie Stravers, both recent graduates of WHS and also veterans of many ACT I performances, were part of the Celebration Iowa Singers. In addition, another VHS student, Matthew Ternus, was a member of the Celebration Iowa Jazz band, playing alto saxophone. Together, the two groups presented a fast paced and finely crafter evening long performance, and their highly skilled ensembles dazzled the audience without let up with great music and precision dancing. Congratulations, Beckie, Aaron, Matt, and all the Celebration Iowa performers! Thank you also to Kurt and Lu Karr, whose sponsorship and advance work helped to make the Vinton performance possible.

Aaron Murphy of Vinton, a recent graduate of WHS and a dedicated ACT I performer with a long list of credits on the local stage, is pictured delivering one of his solos during a song and dance routine consisting of Biblical numbers from Broadway shows.

During the same Biblical sequence, Beckie Stravers (front row right) was also featured with a solo number during the Friday, August 2 performance by the Celebration Iowa Singers.

Following intermission, the second half of the Celebration Iowa performance had a western theme. Vinton students Aaron Murphy, Beckie Stravers, and Matt Ternus were all given featured solos during the evening's performance. ACT I had the pleasure of helping to sponsor these three members of the company by donating to Celebration Iowa the proceeds from our concession sales during our recent production of It Runs in the Family in their behalf.

The ACT I Ticket information line and Palace Theatre Box Office number is 472-9957. Call now for reservations for Kiss Me, Kate!

As usual, the food booth operated by ACT I at the annual Vinton cruise netted extra cash for ACT I's operating expenses. ACT I Treasurer and Booth director Linda Radcliffe (The Unofficial Queen of Funnel Cakes) reported that patrons and sales were down this year, perhaps due to the stifling hot weather. While usually a very lucrative fundraiser for our community theatre organization, this year the food booth only netted approximately $400. Despite the unusual low consumer turnout, hardworking ACT I volunteers reported a great time had by all, and vowed to return next season.

If you haven't visited our website for a while, check out a new section called the ACT I Scrapbook! This has replaced our old history section, and has been up since June. The scrapbook is an ever expanding section of archival photographs and information, and includes a page for each of ACT I's seventy-five past shows. All the individual show pages include a complete cast and crew list as well as photographs and program and poster graphics. There are also special pages that features past sets, costumes, and makeup designs, as well as rehearsal and dance photographs and photographs of all our past venues. We hope you visit again and again, as new photographs are always being added! Unfortunately, for a few of our past shows there are no known photos, so if you see a show page without pictures and you have shots of that production, let us know so we can borrow them and scan them in! Currently, the shows for which we have no archival performance photographs include:

Cheating Cheaters (1991), Said the Spider to the Spy (1995), Same Time Next Year (1995), Knock 'Em Dead (1996), The Girls in 509 (1996, the second production), Be Our Guest (1998), Steel Magnolias (1998), and Marvin's Room (1999). Some other shows, as you will see, have only a limited photographic record.

Baltimore, Maryland -- September, 1948: Cody Robison and Greg Walston portray a pair of gangsters that invade the stage of Ford's Theatre during rehearsals for a musical version of Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew in our upcoming musical, Kiss Me, Kate, pictured here in recent photographs taken in rehearsal on stage at the Palace Theatre.

The Cole Porter musical opens on the Vinton stage September 5. Also featured in the production are Sherry Stout in the title role of Lilli Vanessi / Kate, BHS senior Kara Stumpff in her ACT I debut as Lois Lane / Bianca, Jeff Cumberlin as Bill Calhoun / Lucentio, Alan Nebola as Senator Harrison Howell, and Ron Baldwin as Harry Trevor. Kevin Bookmeier and Travis Hendricks appear as Bianca's suitors, Kayla Comer is Hattie, and Dave Timmermans appears as the Stage Manager and the Cab Driver. Steve Arnold directs the production along with music director Rob Glass, Assistant Director / Stage Manager Sue Freet, and choreographer Heather Happel.

For additional information about this production, go to the Kiss Me, Kate page of this website, www.act1.org/kate.htm

We often lament the fact that young people raised in Iowa small towns don't come home after college, but seek their fortunes in the big cities or outside of Iowa altogether. This month, we observe a situation where this trend doesn't hold, as a young man from Vinton comes home to practice law in the family firm. And since this young man was one of the very first of the ACT I youth to take to the stage, we think this is a good time to honor the contributions made to ACT I by one of its founding families.

The Mossmans are one of ACT I's three generation families. Local attorney Keith Mossman and his wife Becky were instrumental in establishing our community theatre organization from the very beginning, in its early partnership with the Old Creamery Theatre. Although neither their son Mark nor his wife Kathy have ever appeared on stage, they have both done crew work and Mark, a law partner with his father, has served on the Palace Theatre Board of Trustees from the beginning. But both of Mark and Kathy's sons -- John and Burns -- have appeared on our stage, and Burns has the distinction of being the first underage male to ever play the lead in an ACT I production. And this month, John returns home to Vinton to join his father and grandfather in the Mossman family law practice.

Keith Mossman is a Vinton native and Becky is from Mansfield, Illinois. It was Becky, known within the family as "Muzzie," who played our first female lead -- Penelope Sycamore in our opening production, You Can't Take It with You in 1980. She was back in November of that same year as Harriet Stanley in The Man Who Came to Dinner. In that same production, Keith made his debut with us in the role of Banjo, and in our third production, Sir Noel Coward's Blithe Spirit (1981), Becky and Keith appeared as a married couple, Charles and Ruth Condomine. During this time, each also took a hand at crew work -- Becky doing costumes and properties and Keith having a go at publicity.

Becky Mossman (right) played the leading role of Penelope Sycamore in ACT I's first production, You Can't Take It with You in April of 1980.

For Becky, three more roles followed soon after. She was seen as Florence in The Curious Savage (1982), and in that show, another Mossman took to the stage with young grandson John got the chance to appear onstage with Muzzie playing a cameo role as a small child. Becky was back on stage as Mrs. Boyle in The Mousetrap (1985) then it was John's turn again, as one of the cherubs in the Skeet Powers musical Lovingly Yours (1986). Then Becky was back for the leading role of Aunt Hettie in the political comedy The Girls in 509 in 1986.

A who's who of ACT I's early years . . . Keith and Becky Mossman are at left as Charles and Ruth Condomine in our third production, Noel Coward's Blithe Spirit (1981) with Colleen Stufflebeam as Madame Arcati, and Marsh Berry and Ellyn Paulus as Dr. and Mrs. Bradman.

Following The Girls in 509, the Mossman family took a seven year sabbatical from our stage, returning in the fall of 1993 when they both appeared in the courtroom drama The Night of January 16th. This time, the lawyer took the witness stand and Becky donned a Swedish accent as they each played witnesses in a murder trial before a jury of ACT I patrons.

Again in Blithe Spirit, Keith Mossman as Charles Condomine is teased by the ghost of his first wife Elvira (Anna Bess Rice).

A few months later, another member of the Mossman family took to the stage. Grandson Burns, then in fifth grade, became the first child actor to play a leading role in an ACT I production. That show was the children's musical Bridge to Terabithia, and Burns was kept busy the entire show. When he wasn't on stage he was rushing through his next costume change, usually assisted by one of his parents, Mark and Kathy. Kathy is a native of Independence and a kindergarten teacher at West Early Childhood Center in Vinton. This service on the costume crew of Terabithia is Mark's only ACT I credit to date; Kathy was also on the set construction crew for that show and did costumes for another show as well. Burns also served on the set construction crew for that show and for our next show, Twigs, he was assistant technical director and a member of the makeup crew.

Becky Mossman delivered a comic tour de force that brought down the house as Mrs. Armstrong in The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, her final major role on the ACT I stage.

Burns appeared twice more in major roles; and both times his grandparents were in the cast as well. Burns portrayed Leroy Herdman in our next show, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, a show that also featured Keith in a cameo role as the fire chief and Becky in a marvelous comic supporting role as the bedridden Mrs. Armstrong. The Mossman family made one final appearance with ACT I late in 1995 when they appeared together in The Sound of Music. Keith and Becky played minor roles -- Baron and Baroness Elberfeld -- and Burns appeared as Freiderich, one of the von Trapp children.

John Mossman (third child from left) appeared as one of the cherubs in our 1986 production of Lovingly Yours by Skeet Powers.

Keith also took a stint on the ACT I board. With the impending closing of the Old Creamery Theatre in Garrison, ACT I began to toy with the possibility of owning its own facility. The idea at the time seemed insurmountable, and Keith held his ground that it wasn't doable. When the building was finally closed, Keith served on a committee to study the feasibility of the project, and he seemed to remain unconvinced. Then, in an early meeting, Keith made a statement that would change everything. "Now if you were to show movies as well," he suggested, "then the idea might work." The rest is history.

In April of 1994, Burns Mossman (pictured here with Kim Hanneman) played the role of Jesse Aarons in our production of Bridge to Terabithia. Burns and Kim appeared in the same three ACT I productions and always played brother and sister.

In addition to Mark, Becky and Keith have three other sons; Hugh, Burns, and Mike. (Hugh, an artist, contributed two paintings to ACT I to be sold at auction as part of a Palace Theatre fundraiser during the construction of the building). Becky and Keith have five grandchildren. In addition to John and Burns, each of Mark's brothers has one daughter. Keith Mossman, now 82, continues to practice law with his son Mark, who currently serves as the President of the Palace Theatre Board of Trustees. John Mossman graduated from WHS is 1995, and after graduating from the University of Iowa attended law school at Drake, graduating last spring. After considering various options, John made the decision to return to Vinton and join Mark and Keith, to make the law firm a three generational business.

There are some important changes planned down the road for the Mossmans. John plans later to purchase his parents' home, a beautiful white Queen Anne house of Second Avenue after Mark and Kathy complete construction of their planned new house in rural Vinton. This will be quite a change for Mark, who has lived in the house on Second Avenue for fifty years, since age two. Coincidentally, Becky Mossman's childhood home in Mansfield, Illinois was identical to this one in Vinton where she raised her family. (The Mossman home also has another ACT I connection. It was built originally as a wedding present for Linda Radcliffe's grandmother.)

Kathy Mossman says "ACT I has been a wonderful addition to the community and very important to the Mossman family and to their lives, both as participants and viewers."

As a third generation of the Mossman family settles in Vinton (and hopefully continues the family's involvement in ACT I), we salute their support of community theatre and thank them for their contributions that have helped make this organization what it is today!

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.

Enron . . . Haliburton . . . Adelphia Communications . . . Gary Condit . . . WorldCom . . . Martha Stewart . . . James Kalifant . . . Monica Lewinski . . .

Every day we read news of some new public or corporate scandal. Whether the dirty dealing is insider trading, government corruption, corporate loans, a crooked congressman, or anything else, the high and mighty are falling at a frightening rate! This month, our trivia quiz looks back at scandals portrayed in past ACT I productions. Can you name the plays in which . . .

1. A fundamentalist minister is discovered to be a leader in an underground political hate group

2. An international financier guilty of massive stock manipulation and other financial infractions is murdered

3. A low level corporate type attempts to knock off his wife in order to clear the way for a romantic fling with his secretary

4. A federal official running for governor places his son on his staff, and the young man causes an international incident involving Arab oil interests

5. A security breach causes a head of state to wander unprotected through dangerous portions of the capital without proper identification

6. A corporate CEO appears before government officials to answer for his company’s responsibility for nearly 2000 deaths

7. A corrupt head of state resorts to murder and attempted murder in order to retain power

8. A corrupt government official persuades an easily manipulated head of state to divert funds designated for national defense to his own personal use

9. A stockbroker attempts to persuade a client that a stock with a declining value is still worth its original price

10. Family members attempt to gain control of a woman’s fortune by placing her in a mental institution.

12. A group of witnesses give false testimony in court intentionally to have certain individuals convicted for crimes of which they are innocent.

Answers to Last Month’s Quiz

Children's Theatre by
ACT I STAGE!

1. The acronym STAGE! was created by a committee of five students and one adult. After the committee settled on the word to be used, they struggled to come up with words to fit the letters. What words did the committee settle on for this acronym? STAGE! stands for Student Theatre, a Great Experience! (Editor's Note: During the three seasons, operating decisions were made by a student board appointed by the main ACT I board. STAGE! was named during its first season, which was devoted to planning. Productions began the second season. The name STAGE! was selected by the Youth Board; Maggie Karr, Jessica Coulter, Megan Williams, Kevin Bookmeier, and Josh Deutsch, with Steve Arnold as their unofficial advisor.)

2. What was the first show ever produced by ACT I STAGE!? And in March of what year was this show performed? The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe in 1999.

3. What was the first ACT I production to have under age cast members? You Can't Take It with You; November, 1980

4. Name the show which had the following youth cast: Tracy Beau, Beth Calhoun, Micki Davis, Cassandra Fowler, Kelly Ketchen, Johnny Mossman, Alexa Russell, Shea Woodhouse, Emily Zimmer
Lovingly Yours, February, 1986

5. In which other ACT I production had John Mossman appeared earlier as a young child? The Curious Savage, 1983

6. What was the first ACT I production in which students played major roles? Bridge to Terabithia, 1994

7. What was the first ACT I production with no adults in the cast?
How to Eat Like a Child, 1996

8. Which youth cast had the unfortunate experience of collectively learning what it feels like to be victims of a crime?
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, 1994

Congratulations to Lu Karr, Maggie Karr, and Kevin Bookmeier, who jointly answered all eight questions correctly! (A rare feat!)

The next meeting of the Board of ACT I of Benton County will be TBA, in September. This will be our next quarterly membership meeting.

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.

ACT I’s 2002-2003 season, A Cast of Outcasts, continues early next month with the opening of Kiss Me, Kate! I don’t think director Steve Arnold anticipated the original cast taking the season’s title quite so literally! Unfortunately several cast members have been forced to drop out of the production due to unforeseen circumstances. Fortunately, ACT I has no small store of willing and remarkably talented talent, and the show will go on! I’ve heard rumors of live animals and motorized vehicles on stage!!?? If such rumored speculation coupled with a hilarious script and a jazzy 40’s music score doesn’t have you calling in your reservation, our new $5.00 ticket price should send you banging down the door with your friends and family in tow!

Answers to Last Month’s Quiz Children's Theatre by ACT I STAGE!

Answers to Last Month’s Quiz

Children's Theatre by
ACT I STAGE!