McElroy
Children’s
Theatre Series
in Rehearsal
Casting Announced for premiere season of ACT I STAGE!
Vinton -- Two children’s theatre productions are now in rehearsal for the first season of ACT I STAGE!, our new youth program. The first offering in the McElroy Children’s Theatre Series is The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, to be presented at Wesley United Methodist Church March 12, 13, and 14. The Prince and the Pauper will hopefully be presented at the Palace Theatre May 7, 8, and 9. Both shows will be approximately one hour in length and are intended for an elementary age audience. Curtain times for both shows will be 7:00 Friday nights, 10:00 AM and 3:00 PM on Saturdays and 3:00 PM on Sundays. The two shows have a combined cast of 47 students and 2 adults. Tickets for both shows in the McElroy series are $5.00 for adults and $2.00 for students. Seating for The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe is limited to 100 for each performance. Reservations can be made by calling 472-4300 or 472-4556.
Morgan Horning as the White
Witch and Peter Shawinsky
as Aslan the Lion rehearse a tense moment from The Lion,
the Witch, and the Wardrobe.
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe is a particularly fitting choice for a production during the Easter season. The play is based on the novel of the same name by C. S. Lewis, the second book in his eight part series The Chronicles of Narnia. It is an allegorical telling of the Passion of Christ, portraying the fall and redemption of mankind. The production is performed in a dramatic adaptation written by Joseph Robinette. The story takes place in 1940. As German bombs pummel London, four children, Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy, are sent by their parents to the country to escape the blitz. Living in the home of an old professor, they discover that an old wardrobe in an unused bedroom magically leads them into an enchanted kingdom called Narnia. The kingdom is populated with a variety of animal characters, nymphs, fauns, beavers, and wolves. Narnia is ruled by a wicked white witch who has made it perpetually winter, but never Christmas. The citizens of Narnia quietly wait for Aslan the Lion to return and save their kingdom. They also await the fulfillment of a mystical prophesy -- that four human children will come to sit in the four thrones of Cair Paravel. The witch is always on the lookout for human children with the intent to destroy them. As Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy arrive in Narnia they are quickly caught up in the confrontation between good and evil and the mortal struggle between the forces of Aslan and the forces of the Witch. The pivotal role of Edmund represents fallen man. He betrays the others and the witch demands that he forfeit his life, which can only be saved if Aslan will sacrifice his own to save him. The salvation of Edmund becomes the central focus of the drama.
Mark Pingenot explains
combat techniques to cast
members as Matt Meyer (Edmund) looks on.
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe features a particularly strong cast, with 22 students and 2 adults. Heading the cast are Morgan Horning as the White Witch and Peter Shawinsky as Aslan the Lion. Morgan is a junior at Washington High School in Vinton and has appeared in several ACT I and WHS productions. Peter is an architect who lives in Atkins and makes his ACT I debut in this production. He has also appeared at Theatre Cedar Rapids. The four children are portrayed by ACT I veterans Josh Deutsch as Peter, Kate Westergard as Susan, Matt Meyer as Edmund, all of Vinton, and newcomer Haley Ridnour-McHenry of Brandon as Lucy. Other new faces to ACT I audiences include Amy Cook as Mrs. Beaver, Kaitlin Karrick as the Unicorn, Jason Long as the Dwarf, Andy Hanson as an Elf, as well as Megan Horst, Patrick Horst, Robert Hanson, and Tess Noeller as forest animals and members of the witch's army. Returning ACT I veteran performers include Ryan Calderwood as Mr. Beaver, Stacy Williams as the Centaur, Aaron Murphy as Mr. Tumnus, Greg Tucker as Fenris Ulf, John Westergard as the White Stag, Steve Arnold as Father Christmas, and Clare Horst as a forest animal.
Josh Deutsch as Peter and
Patrick Horst as a member of the Witch's Army practice stage
combat techniques they have learned from Mark Pingenot as they rehearse the final battle
scene.
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe is ACT I's first ever student directed production, produced by co-directors Maggie Karr and Jessica Coulter, both juniors at WHS. They both have many acting and technical credits with us and WHS theatre. Technical director for the production is Austin Karr. Sarah Zimmerman has designed the set, and Mark Pingenot serves as lighting designer and stage combat coordinator.
Because of the intensity of the drama and onstage deaths, ACT I STAGE! advises parents to use discretion in bringing very young children to the show. Preschool children who are easily scared may find the story too overwhelming.
The McElroy Children's
Theatre Series concludes in May with performances of "The Prince and the
Pauper," based on the novel by Mark Twain. Heading the cast of that show are
identical twins Josh Brewer as Prince Edward and Kyle Brewer as Tom Canty. The Show
is directed by Steve Arnold. A complete cast list and further information about the
show will appear in the April issue of Grease Paint.
ACT I STAGE! is fully funded by a grant from the McElroy foundation,
Waterloo, Iowa.
Josh Brewer (left) plays
Prince Edward and Kyle Brewer (right)
is Tom Canty in The Prince and the Pauper, which closes the
McElroy Children's Theatre Series in May.
Board Seeks to Fill Vacancy
ACT I President Mike Williams, citing various personal reasons, has resigned from the ACT I board. Treasurer Linda Radcliffe has been elected by the board as the new president, and the board is now soliciting our membership for possible candidates to fill the board vacancy. Those interested should contact Linda or one of the other board members, Ron Baldwin, Margie Ortgeissen, Bunny Feller, Le Cox, or Joan Cooling.
We're Back!
act1.org Debuts!
You may have noticed our website was down for a couple of weeks. Our apologies for this inconvenience. We are now back up and running, finally with a permanent, secure, and easy to remember address! We are now act1.org! In the coming weeks we hope to make this site fully functional for a variety of purposes. We will have a hyperlink to Grease Paint and soon you will be able to order tickets online as well! So have a look and e-mail us your comments, good or bad, on the new site, at our current e-mail address, act1ofBC@aol.com.
Members of the Month
Beverly and Larry Adams-Bowers and Nicholas Radcliffe
In our past two issues of Grease Paint we have focused on members who have recently moved into new homes, as ACT I will also soon move into its new home. Continuing that theme, we feature Beverly and Larry Adams-Bowers and Beverly’s son, Nich Radcliffe. All three have been involved in ACT I for several years. The family has recently purchased a charming Victorian cottage near downtown Vinton and are now comfortably moved in.
Beverly generally remains behind the scenes (aside from being murdered on stage seconds after her entrance in The Boardwalk Melody Hour Murders) but Larry is a frequent performer and director with us. His major roles for ACT I have included Max in The Sound of Music, Fagin in Oliver! and Milo Tindle in Sleuth, which he also directed. Larry also directed The Foreigner and will also direct this season’s final production, Marvin’s Room. He has previously served as a board member and secretary to ACT I and has organized the awards program during the past three seasons. Larry is a former teacher who taught drama in Laredo, Texas, and is now a customer service representative for MCI. He wants it understood that he is NOT a telemarketer! Beverly is a phlebotomist at St. Luke's Hospital in Cedar Rapids. In addition to Nich and Larry her family also includes her older son, John Wilson and his wife Brenda and their children, Jonathan and Martha.
Nich, a 1997 graduate of Washington High School in Vinton, is currently a student at National Lewis University in Chicago majoring in theatre. He played numerous major roles at WHS, including The Stage Manager in Our Town, Tom Robinson in To Kill a Mockingbird, and Charlie in Flowers for Algernon. He also appeared in several ACT I shows, and co directed our production of Same Time Next Year. In Chicago his roles have included Lysander in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and the Father in The Yellow Boat, as well as appearances in Godspell and Wolfchild. Both Nich and Larry have also taught theatre classes for ACT I STAGE!.
Beverly and Larry’s new home is a charming Victorian with a large attic the couple hopes to renovate as a family room. Larry and Beverly think ACT I has been "a wonderful avenue for their creative energies." They look forward to staging our shows at the newly renovated Palace Theatre. Best wishes to Larry and Beverly and Nich in their new home and we hope for years of involvement in ACT I from them in the future!
ACT I Trivia Quiz
Following are memorable
lines from previous ACT I shows.
Identify the show in which each of these was spoken. (A bonus for naming the actor and/or
character as well!)
1. "Please, sir, I want some more!"
2. "You are evil and must be destroyed!"
3. "That’s not spaghetti, it’s linguini!"
4. "Hey! Unto you a child is born!"
5. "Wa-wa"
6. Cigars, cigarettes, nuts . . . "
7. "No one here, sir!"
8. "Going down!"
Enter, even if you don't know all the answers! E-mail your answers to Act1ofBC@aol.com or snail mail them to ACT I of Benton County Trivia Quiz, Box 222, Vinton, Iowa, 52349.
Answers to last month’s quiz (ACT I and Holiday Observances)
1. The decorations on the Christmas tree featured in Steel Magnolias were beauty products.
2. The Christmas gift Leslie Burke gave Jesse Aarons during Bridge to Terabithia was a puppy, played by Buster, a Yorkshire terrier.
3. Twigs occurs after Thanksgiving.
4. Local ministers alternated in the role of a minister in The Best Christmas Pageant Ever.
5. In The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, Christmas is never celebrated in Narnia.
That's Grease Paint for
February, 1999!
Thanks for joining us!
To look back at previous online issues, visit our Grease Paint Archives page by clicking here!
Home
Grease
Paint Online Current Season
Scrapbook
Palace Theatre
Virtual Tour ACT
I STAGE!
Gems
E-Box
Office Auditions
and Calendar
All
About Us
Links