Although written by Australians, the script is set in the mythical American Wild West town of Fortune Gully.  Fortune Gully is beset with bad guys who are making life miserable for the townsfolk. A hero is needed and, as if a dream has come true, Calamity James stumbles into town. He is unanimously elected sheriff and proceeds to unravel the mystery which surrounds the disappearance of Mister Fortune, the town's founder. In the final round-up everyone receives their just rewards.  Calamity James features 12 original songs.

Sam Martin is featured in the title role.  Sara Walston plays Mother, and Tess Noeller is Miss Fortune.  The Fortune Cookies are Maddie Springer, Emma Horst, Annie Meyer, Rachel Monson, Danisha Pladsen, Kyra Blix,* and Bethany Stainbrook.  Hunter Vogt is Mr. Fortune.  The Good Guys are played by Jonah Blix,* Keaton Kline,* Johnathon Betterton,* Cole Garwood,* Nick Hyland, Nathan Sheeley,* Edee Vogt, Sydney Monson, Lexi Hicok, Karley Kenney,* and Kylie Miracle.  Gabby is played by Matt Walston, Nick Stout plays Joe, and Ryan Webster* is the Undertaker.  The Card players are Brinkley Gerber, Katie Boddicker, Claire Andreesen, Hannah Cayton, *and Noelle Noe.

Ben Hyland is the Banker and Sean Noeller is the Mini Banker.  The Banker's Gang are Kaia Monson, Kaitie Wade,* Eilish Wita,* Whitney Bohnsack,* Katie Hanson, and Natalie Ketchen.  Bad Bart is played by Gunner Tranel, and One-Eye Jake is Max Griffith.  Bad Bart’s Gang  is played by Josh Ridley,* Caleb Bendull, Matt Upmeyer ,Chandler Noe, Grant Sagan, and the Stampeding Horseys are Alex Pladsen,* Charley Cooling,* Kody Vogt,* Nolan Haisman,* Scott Betterton,* Blake Bohnsack,* Jack Higgins,* Ethan Horak, Conner Miracle, Connor Bendull, Jackson Meyer,* Jordan Yessak, and Keegan McKibben.*

The Calamity Maids are Grace Horst, Maylee McKibben,* Alex Maynard,* Baylee Bruce,* Brandis Gerber, Cassie Kenney,* Connie Upmeyer, Monet Elwick,* Rachel Tandy, Aspen Hepker,* Hannah Haisman, and Katlyn Clemens*.  The Damsels in Distress are Keri Webster,* Abby Gloede, Abby Scheel,* Alicia Saylor, Anna Sagan, Annebeth Ahrenholz, Bianca Balazhi,* Bristian Gerber, Emily Reisch, Lauren Tandy, Lily Horst, Maci Griffith, and Olivia Ketchen.  Bandit Sam is Samuel Ahrenholz and Outlaw Adam is Adam Ahrenholz.  (* indicates ACT I debut performers.)

The backstage crew is Patrick Horst, Rob Hanson, Jackson Tranel.  Set crew was Gerald Horst, Kirk Monson, Shirale Hanson, April Ahrenholz, Marcy Horst, Patrick Horst, Katie Hanson, and Tony Meyer.  The light crew is Greg Walston and George Ahrenholz.  The Prop Queen is April Ahrenholz.  Property and set donations were from John Ketchen, Duane Johnson, April Ahrenholz, Becky Primus, Shirale Hanson, Marcy Horst, Duane Randall & VPRD.  Costume design and donations were by Jeannie Springer, Theresa Strong, Shirale Hanson, Marcy Horst, Shawn Gerber, and Kathy Knutsen.  House Managers are Greg and Diane Walston, and Eric and Patti Upmeyer.

The volunteer coordinator is Angela Sagan, and intermission coordinator is Tammy Hicok.  Box Office is by Lu Karr and Megan Horst.  The photographer is Jan Andreesen.  Orientation directors for the opening week of camp were Marcy Horst, Sheila Monson, April Ahrenholz, Sara Walson, Jesse Bunge, Molly Ternus, Liz Blind, Brittany King, Blake Hansen, Kari Karr, Megan Horst, Bess Lippmann, Kate Welte, and Rachael Larkin.  The orientation treat coordinator was Laurie Hyland and rehearsal treat coordinator was Jodie Betterton.  Biography display was by Laurie Hyland and Melissa Tandy.

Calamity James is sponsored by the Kevin and April Ahrenholz family, John's Qwik Stop, the Louise Gilchrist Charitable Trust, the Kirkland Trust, and the Vinton Community Foundation.

The ACT I Ticket information line and Palace Theatre Box Office number is (319) 472-9957!  Call today for Reservations for Calamity James!  TICKETS ARE GOING FAST!

Board News:

New Board Members and Officers Lead ACT I for Season 27

Three new board members are now serving on our board due to resignations and elections held in our June annual meeting, and officers for the current season were elected by the board earlier this month.  Former board member Steve Arnold was appointed by President Joan Cooling to fill the unexpired term of Kevin Ahrenholz, and Julie Canaday was appointed to fill the unexpired term of Mike Modrow, both of whom resigned in May.

At our annual meeting in June, elections were held for the seats held by Joan Cooling and Greg Walston.  Candidates were Michelle Bookmeier, Joan Cooling, Mary Horst, and Alan Nebola.  Joan Cooling and Mary Horst were elected to new three year terms.

At an organizational meeting held last week, the new ACT I board elected officers for the 2006 - 2007 season.  The new president is Mary Horst; Sue Freet will serve as Vice President, Steve Arnold is the new Secretary, and Conni Huber was elected Treasurer.

Our board is off and running for a great new season!

Commentary:

Married to the Mob:
Living with Theatre People

By Rich Merritt
Involuntary Theatre Patron

Probably half the people receiving this newsletter are not theater people  -- they are just  married to or somehow involved with a theater person. I am one of those, and I feel your pain.  My wife and son are both hard-core theater people. My wife, Linda, is an actress who has appeared at local theaters in Cedar Rapids, Anamosa, Cedar Falls, Iowa City, Waterloo, and our own ACT I.  My son, Rob, is an actor who has appeared in New York in Cabaret, dozens of local productions, and is currently the Arts & Entertainment editor of the Gazette.

Our daughter Cathy and I have had theater crammed down our throats since our son’s high school days. We like to think we’ve been good sports about it – as you have, obviously, because you are reading this – and we are supportive.  Like you, we can’t believe that Linda is willing to drive 50 miles four nights a week for six weeks to appear in a show that lasts only six performances. Then she has to clean up the stage afterward (called “striking the set”).  After we (“we” means all of us supportive people) sit through yet another amateur production – maybe for the second or third time – we tell our mother/father/child/sister/brother/spouse or significant other, “You were the best actor! The rest of the cast was OK, but you really stood out!” And sometimes we really mean it. Sound familiar?

Cathy and I used to videotape Linda’s productions. Cathy is a former cameraperson for KCRG, and knows how to shoot. She did the shoots because she wanted to support her mum, but her heart wasn’t in it. She was just being a good sport and supportive. Even so, she did a nice job.  We took both our kids to London when they graduated from UI. Linda and Rob spent their afternoons in the West End theater district, going to matinees. Cathy and I spent our afternoons pub crawling.  Linda and Rob saw a production of Birdie, where one actor fed another by chewing up food and spitting it into another actor’s mouth (yuk!), and they raved about it. Great theater, my foot.

Cathy and I went to pubs like the Covent Rock Garden and drank every kind of beer and ale that came out of the taps. We raved over our discovery that the most popular beer in London was Bud Light. Our time was better spent, in my opinion.  I don’t think Cathy will ever come around to liking the theater. It took me a long, long time to finally appreciate it. I suffered through high school plays, local amateur productions of straight plays and musicals, and Broadway plays, many of which put me to sleep. I’ve slept though everything from Shakespeare to The Cripple of Inishmaan. As I suspect you have, too.  

When we saw the short-lived production of Jane Eyre on Broadway, I was impressed more by the technology than the singing. To change scenes from outdoors to indoors, they swung giant window frames, measuring 8x8 ft, out of the rafters. They swooped down, presumably on wires, and stopped dead, without swaying. To an engineer, that was a stupendous feat of motion control.  I am often more impressed by what lighting and scenery wizards are able to do on a stage than I am by what the actors do on that stage.  But over the years, I have learned to appreciate a good production. We go to New York once a year to see plays, and I enjoy most of them. It was an agonizing and expensive process, and I remember the pain from the early years.

My biggest problem with theater – amateur and professional alike – is that I don’t understand what’s going on most of the time, and I don’t understand the dialogue and song lyrics. I bet some of you don’t either.   Hardcore theater people – like your mother/father/child/sister/brother/spouse or significant other – know these plays cold. They study them beforehand, and may have read the script or seen productions two or three times already. So they understand the nuances, symbolisms, obscure references, mumbled dialogue, unintelligible song lyrics and all the other stuff that passes right over our uneducated heads.

I know a few plays cold. I’ve seen Cabaret 11 times (Rob has been in four different productions of it), Mamma Mia four times, and The Producers three times, so nothing in those plays has me scratching my head. But, whenever I see a play or musical for the first time, I have to ask Ms. Hardcore (Linda) in the next seat to explain it to me. Or I go to sleep.  What theater really needs is to have some of us supporting folks in the audience during rehearsals. I would love to take notes and tell the director, “That actor mumbles his words,” or “I don’t understand what’s happening,” or “this play really sucks.” Directors, of course, know the play cold, and can’t see anything from an audience’s point of view. In their view, if we don’t understand it, we’re just dumb.

If they let some of us sit in the audience during the last week of rehearsals and critique away, we could not only improve the production for the rest of the uneducated audience, we’d actually understand what the play is all about. Maybe we’d come to appreciate local productions better. Besides, it would give us something to do while our mother/father/child/sister/brother/spouse or significant other is emoting away.

On Our Stage
5 - 10 - 15 - 20 - 25 Years Ago