In ACT II, Skeet easily charmed viewers with his down-to-earth, yet earnest interpretation of a dream he’d had that featured the final song in the program, a hymn entitled "I Am His." In his final curtain call, Skeet informed the audience that Words and Music would be his last composition. However, those of us who were privileged to work with him predict we’ll get at least one more glimpse of Skeet’s faithful ukulele on our ACT I stage.

Folks in northeast Iowa have had a lovely reprieve from the usual cold and bluster of November, but with the passing of our Thanksgiving holiday, winter seems to have found its way to Benton County. Last year ACT I brought Intermezzo I to the Palace Theatre to warm our hearts, nourish and cheer our souls, and offer a bit of local sophistication to our area audience.

Back by popular demand, Intermezzo II promises the same cultural appeal. However this year’s classical concert will be held at The Ray House, and is scheduled to run on January 19 and 20, at 7:00 pm. Ticket price is $2.00 and includes hor’doerves and beverage. The concert is part of our Events Series, which is generously sponsored by Jon and Julie Clingman, of Clingman Pharmacy.

The ACT I Ticket information line and Palace Theatre Box Office number is 472-9957.

Cedar Rapids Cultural Alliance Coupon Books Now Available

This year's edition of the Cedar Rapids Cultural Alliance coupon book, "Sample the Arts and More," has just become available and can be purchased from the various member organizations, including ACT I.  The coupons are good for a variety of performances and other arts related activities. Discount coupons are available from ACT I, Theatre Cedar Rapids, The Cedar Rapids Symphony, The Cedar Rapids Museum of Art, Starlighters II of Anamosa, and many more; nearly every arts organization in the area is represented.  In addition to performances, many restaurants are listed as well.  Like many of the other participating organizations, ACT I offers a "buy one get one" coupon, giving two Main Stage Series tickets for the price of one.

The books can be purchased from ACT I for $25.00, or $20.00 for those who purchased a book last year (and you get a $5.00 coupon toward the purchase of next year's book.)  Using just two of the coupons -- for ACT I and Theatre Cedar Rapids -- you will more than pay for the entire book of coupons.  To purchase your book or for more information, contact Steve Arnold at 472-5308 or SArnoldIA@aol.com.  It's a great deal to get some big savings and enjoy all the wonderful arts offerings available in the Cedar Rapids/Vinton/Iowa City area!  Don't pass it up!

While there are many Horsts milling around the ACT I stage lately, and most of them look like at least two of the others, and two of them even have the same name, let us not confuse the Vinton contingency, a.k.a. The Horst Family Players, with the B-town Horsts, that is, the Horsts that hail from Blairstown, those cousins from down south, or more aptly…The David and Mary Horst family, complete with Ann, Nathan, and Ellen Jane.

Annie Horst, 11, was the first of the B-town bunch to grace our ACT I stage, as a Sweet Apple dancer in Bye, Bye, Birdie. The following summer, she, Nate, 9, and Ellie, 7, all appeared in The Velveteen Rabbit, spelling, whirring, and hopping, respectively. And, (I’m thrilled to inform our readers) it was during that summer of chauffeuring, observing rehearsals, and occasionally filling in for a missing toy, that Mary Horst was bitten by the persistent, consuming ACT I bug.

Another year passed as Mary scratched and itched, played hand bells on stage with Annie, attended more shows, and eventually said yes to a small role in Charlotte’s Web. Now that she was a full-fledged volunteer, cast, crew, "I’ll find my own costume" member of ACT I, it was easy and natural for her to take on the task of directing the annual variety show. And, of course she did so with flair, a photography showing, and her whole family (including banker husband, Dave-theatre’s-not-for-me, who stuck a flashlight up his nose for the occasion.)

However, Mary’s itch finally found its niche last summer when she joined the directing team of You’ve Got To See It To Believe It, the ACT I Stage! summer theatre camp. Her production of Henny Penny thrilled and amused audiences and earned her the title of ACT I Puppet Queen. Mary is to be commended for completely researching and teaching herself and her young actors the art of puppetry. She took a group of campers to West Liberty to a puppet workshop, and the result was a first rate set of puppets and many, many great ideas that eventually found their way into production.

Although it may seem they spend all their time traversing highways 30 and 218, the B-town Horsts have many interests beyond the theatre. The whole family stays active playing soccer, hiking, go-carting, and carousing with friends and family. They are all voracious readers, love to play board games, and take great pride in their prolific family of rabbits (who inhabit a luxury condominium built by Dave.) Notably, during all this great variety and flurry of activity, Mary may be found carting her trusty camera, documenting the occasion with award winning photographs.

Mary is currently already gearing up for her next directing stint, which will happen during the summer of 2002, and is working with the play selection committee to choose the new ACT I season. In the meantime, she and Annie have both prepared poems for From Soup To Nuts, the Event Series poetry reading which takes place this weekend. Nathan will be seen by ACT I audiences in February when he performs as an altar boy in Romeo and Juliet.

Hopefully, you’ll now recognize those B-town Horsts when you run into them at the theatre. Dave, Mary, Annie, Nate, and Ellie are the ones spreading the ACT I word throughout all of southern Benton County, hauling up a bit more talent in their Dodge Caravan every time they make their way to Vinton.

ACT I 's Events Series features simple, small scale productions that might appeal to a more limited audience than our main stage series.  We have presented many such productions in the past, though this is the first year we have formally named it the Events Series.  Productions like last month's Words and Music by Skeet Powers and next month's Intermezzo II have become a new tradition for us.  How many of these past "small shows" can you remember?

1. This weekend, ACT I performs the poetry reading From Soup to Nuts at the 4th Street Coffee Co. We previously performed at the coffee shop in December of 1998 when we presented “Gifts of the Magi,” a story focusing on a young married couple and featuring a gold watch and long hair. Which prominent ACT I couple -- a short haired actress and her husband -- was featured as the young couple?

2. ACT I first began presenting musical recitals with the visit to Vinton of guest artist Kathleen Berger in 2000, who presented two very different vocal recitals. What was the theme of her first recital, presented a week after her arrival?

3. Later this season, ACT I brings history to life by performing our readers' theatre production of The Titanic Disaster Hearings, dramatized cuttings from the transcripts of the U.S. Senate hearings into the Titanic disaster. Name another important historical event which ACT I has dramatized in a readers' theatre production.

4. Although ACT I normally hopes to fill the house with as many people as possible, one show was an exception to that rule. Name the past ACT I production where seating was limited to 16 per night.

5. ACT I brought the universally known lines "God bless us, every one" and "Bah, humbug" to life last season in a readers' theatre production of this holiday classic at the Ray House last season.

6.  The Ray House has been our favorite "small venue," though some of our small shows have been presented at the 4th Street Coffee Co. and some at the Palace Theatre.  What has been our fourth venue, site of two such presentations?

7. As our play selection committee plans our Season 2002 - 2003, what are some new and different events you'd like to see brought to our stage?  What would you like to see performed in our Events Series next season?  Here are some possibilities we could consider. . . 

        A. A hard edged avante garde "performance art" piece involving silly string and Redi-Whip, performed jointly at the Ray House by Pat Lyons and Larry Adams-Bowers.

        B. Mother/daughter mud wrestling.

        C. A reprisal by Rick Murphy, Austin Karr, and Ron Baldwin of their critically acclaimed “drag” roles, as they perform The Supreme’s Greatest Hits.

        D. Kathleen Berger returns to perform the works of KISS (in full Gene Simmons makeup) with Matt Meyer, Kayla Comer, and Aaron Murphy completing her vocal ensemble.

        E. Others?

 Let’s see what you remembered about our musical production that ran in October!