Grease Paint Online; June, 2003

Friday, July 11 marks opening night of our ACT I STAGE! children's theatre production and of Season 2003 - 2004

No, it's not a 50s political statement! It's a little red haired girl in a red dress -- a red, white, and blue historical revue, red valentine hearts for a life long love story -- a murder mystery -- the ghost of a famous actor -- these are the components of the new ACT I season, with the theme "Better Red Than Dead." And ACT I's new season, our 24th, gets under way July 11 with American Hysterical, an original work written and directed by Marcy Horst of Vinton and Mary Horst of Blairstown, with original music by Tom Jessen.

American Hysterical is a production by our youth program, ACT I STAGE!, and will feature 80 students on stage. ACT I STAGE! conducts an annual summer camp for all grades culminating in our summer production. During the camp's orientation held the week of June 9, special activities and classes were held for over 90 participants at the Palace Theatre. These were conducted by Marcy Horst, Mary Horst, Shirale Hanson, Joan Cooling, Sheila Monson, and Alex Martinez-Vasquez. Orientation week culminated on Friday of that week with a performance for family and friends of a series of skits. Work began the following week on American Hysterical. Excerpts from both the play and the orientation week skits were performed for the public during Party in the Park on June 28.

Members of the cast of American Hysterical in rehearsal on stage at the Palace Theatre

American Hysterical is a series of vignettes that cover the whole course of American history. In the cast are Jesse Bunge, Laura Van Steenhuyse, Jackson Tranel, Patrick Horst, Nate Horst, Rob Hanson, Matt Walston, Nicholas Stout, Ben Stainbrook, Trevor Walker, Gunner Tranel, Ellie Horst, Clare Cooling, Emma Horst, Maddie Springer, Ashton Vore, Annie Meyer, Luke Shafer, Wesley Lyons, Kolton Sellers, Grant Sagan, Max Nguyen, Dakoda Sellers, Aric Hanson, Kate Martin, Katie Kullmer, Ashley Kullmer, Alyssa Hanson, Mattie Walker, Jane Martin, Haley Luther, Evan Lueckenotto, Nick Hyland, Clare Horst, Erin Horst, Abby Hilton, Kordereau Sellers, Matt Meyer, Brittany Hamling, Kaitlin Karrick, Andy Schanbacher, Katie Hanson, Corey Cooling, Megan Horst, Cali Arbuckle, Courtney Summer, Lily Horst, Sydney Monson, Kylie Miracle, Bailey Lyons, Elizabeth Fischer, Allie Canaday, Kacie Struve, Kaia Monson, Anna Sagan, Emily Howes-Vonstein, Lilly Gibson, Annie Horst, Curtis Lueckenotto, Ben Hyland, Emma Clingman, Rachel Monson, Brittney Werner, Dustin Martens, Tess Noeller, Taylor Hoffman, Maria Covington, Laura Wilberg, Cailey Summers, Tonia Mauer, Zach Hyland, Brian Fischer, Sara Walston, Clayton Ender, Quinn Monaghan, Luke Owens, Matt Upmeyer, and Katie Akers.

ACT I STAGE!'s production of American Hysterical is sponsored by Lori Smith and Expressions, and Cedar River Ink and Mike and Joyce Svoboda.

During a recent rehearsal of American Hysterical two different groups of young
actors ran scenes in the Green Room while a third scene was rehearsed on stage.

For additional information about this production go to the American Hysterical page of this website at www.act1.org/hysterical.htm.

The ACT I Ticket information line and Palace Theatre Box Office number is 472-9957. Call now for reservations for American Hysterical, our ACT I STAGE! summer Children's Theatre for 2003!

ACT I's 80th production and our second production ever of a play by Neil Simon concluded its five performance run on May 18th. The small cast who brought this comic drama to life included Linda Merritt as Grandma Kurnitz, Blake Hansen as Jay Kurnitz, Jordan Graham as Artie, Julie Canaday as Aunt Bella, Chris Braden as Uncle Louie, Judy Burkle as Aunt Gert, with director Steve Arnold filling in at the last minute as Eddie. Audiences were warmed by the comic moments as well as moved by the pathos of the drama that propelled the story. Here is a photographic look back at the closing production of our Season 2002 - 2003: A Cast of Outcasts.

"You think I'm cruel? You tink I'm a terrible person? Dot a
grandmother should say tings like dis? I can see it in your faces
vot you tink. Goot. It'll make you hard. It'll make you strong."

"So what do you think is IN the bag? Money? Fives and tens and twenties and
hundreds all stuck together with rubber bands? What?? I said WHAT!!!"

"I don't wanna sit! Change the picture. Picture
everybody else sittin' and me standin', all right?"

"Me! He wants me! He wants to marry me! I want to marry him . . . I want to
have his children . . . I want my own babies."

"Thieves and sick little girls, that's what you have, Momma.
Only God didn't make us that way. You did. We're alive, Momma,
but that's all we are. Aaron and Rose are the lucky ones."

For additional information about this production go to the Lost in Yonkers page of this website at www.act1.org/yonkers.htm.

Our annual meeting was held on Sunday, June 22 at the Ray House. The meeting also served to honor our gem sponsors. Eighteen voting members attended the meeting. The election of board members was held, and Joan Cooling was reelected to another three year term on our board of directors, and David Canaday was elected for the first time to a three year term. Mark Mossman was reappointed to a three year term on the Palace board of Trustees. Following the business meeting, those in attendance were treated to catered hors d'oeuvres and a performance of a number from The Reluctant Dragon, which was presented at the Palace in February and which will be performed again in August at Riverside Park.

Reminder: Members are defined in our by-laws as anyone who participates in an ACT I production, including patrons. If you participate in or attend a production, you are automatically a participating member! Voting members are participating members who have paid their membership fee (set by the board - currently ten dollars) and includes adults as well as students from ninth grade up. Please, let's have more than 18 voters next June!

Officers for the coming season will be elected by the board from within its membership at an organizational meeting to be held in July.

Bravo! Members of the cast of The Reluctant Dragon perform at the
Ray House as the entertainment portion of our annual meeting, held June 22.

Scenes from our upcoming productions of American Hysterical and Annie were performed during the afternoon entertainment portion of Party in the Park in Riverside Park on Saturday, September 29. Members of ACT I STAGE!, our youth program, performed an excerpt from their upcoming production American Hysterical, to open at the Palace Theatre July 11. Young performers also presented a skit produced by STAGE! during a performance for parents during the first week of their camp.

Party in the Park audiences were then treated to a performance of one number from our upcoming Main Stage musical Annie, to be presented at the Palace in September.

Several girls who are participating in our ACT I STAGE! summer camp
perform a recreation of a women's Suffragette scene.

Members of the cast of American Hysterical performed portions of the
Paul Revere scene from that show for the Party in the Park audience.

Our Main Stage musical for the coming season, Annie, opening at the Palace Theatre September 12, will features the talents of David Canaday as Oliver Warbucks. David, who debuted with ACT I in The Reluctant Dragon this February, heads the adult cast announced recently by directors Mike Williams and Joan Cooling. Also in the adult cast are Lincoln Intermediate teacher Shelly Haisman in her debut as Miss Hannigan; ACT I veterans Alan Nebola as President Franklin Roosevelt, Alexander Martinez-Vasquez as Rooster, Eric Upmeyer as Drake, Annette Williams as Grace Farrell, Joan Cooling as Lily St. Regis, Greg Walston as Bundles McCloskey, and Casey Cooling as the dog catcher. Vinton attorney Keith Mossman, a major figure in ACT I's early years, returns to our stage after an eight year absence to play another attorney, Justice Brandeis. Others in the adult cast (including youth cast in adult roles) include ACT I veteran performers Kevin Bookmeier, Lois Martin, Sherry Stout, Brian Larkin, Rachael Larkin, Katie Larkin, Natalie Stout, Erin Horst, Marlin Duncan, Frank Williams, Pat Lyons, Halane Cummings, and Camille Studer. We welcome to our stage for debut appearances Beth Owens, Connie Huber, Kimberly Shafer, John Walton, Ian Wardon, Mark Noe, John Summers, Kevin Hertle, Dean Studer, Laura Studer, and John Fuoto. Casting for the youth roles was announced previously and can be found in the May, 2003 issue of Grease Paint online.

Performing a scene from Annie at Party in the Park on Saturday, June 29 were
Felicia Hertle as Annie and David Canaday as Oliver Warbucks. The musical
opens at the Palace Theatre on September 12.

For additional information about this production go to the Annie page of this website at www.act1.org/annie.htm.

ACT I's youngest member, arriving on May 19, is Marissa Jo Yessak. Marissa is the daughter of Jason and Anita Yessak and little sister to Jordan Yessak, all of whom have done set construction crew work for ACT I. Marissa's well known ACT I uncle is Kevin Bookmeier, and her ACT I grandparents are Barb and Ray Bookmeier. This season, Marissa's Grandpa Ray will be directing our production of Noises Off, for which her Uncle Kevin will be serving as Technical Director.

Marissa arrived without incident, but then led her family on a frightening journey three weeks after her birth and was in critical condition for some time. Happily, Marissa is doing much better now and returned home about 10 days ago. We celebrate her birth with the Bookmeier family and celebrate her recovery as well! We know that as soon as she can hold a hammer, Kevin will have her working on an ACT I set!

Youth participation is a very valuable component of ACT I. We happily extend our congratulations to the following recent high school graduates who have participated in ACT I during their school years! Following each name are the ACT I shows of which that student was a part. An asterisk* indicates a non acting assignment, otherwise all mentions are for onstage appearances.

Josh Deutsch
(The Sound of Music, How to Eat Like a Child, Life with Father, Oliver!, Bye Bye Birdie*, Sleuth*; The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe; The Prince and the Pauper, Marvin's Room, Life with Mother, Romeo and Juliet, Kiss Me Kate* )

(The Secret Garden*, Hansel and Gretel*, My Fair Lady*, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum*, Kiss Me Kate*, The Reluctant Dragon* )

Bree McClenning
(Bye Bye Birdie, The Prince and the Pauper, The Secret Garden)

(A Christmas Carol, What God Says to Me when I am Alone, The Crucible, Romeo and Juliet*, Kiss Me Kate*, The Reluctant Dragon*, Lost in Yonkers*)

Jaimie Tucker
(The Prince and the Pauper, My Fair Lady, The Crucible, Harvey*, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum*)

(The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, The Miracle Worker, Oliver!, Bye Bye Birdie; The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe; The Prince and the Pauper, The Velveteen Rabbit*, The Secret Garden, My Fair Lady*, Intermezzo II)

(Bridge to Terabithia, The Sound of Music, How to Eat Like a Child; The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe)

(Oliver!, Bye Bye Birdie, Be Our Guest, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum*, Intermezzo II, Romeo and Juliet*)

Congratulations to all and many thanks for your valuable contributions to live theatre in Benton County! We hope that you all always continue to participate and enjoy attending theatre!

Our upcoming ACT I STAGE! children's theatre production of American Hysterical is in rehearsal, and a dedicated group of adults are mentoring over 80 young actors and actresses during the processing of putting this show on the Palace stage next month. Among those adults is a young man very familiar to ACT I audiences as an actor, a young man who also serves the young people of our community as a teacher in our local school district. His involvement in our current endeavor plus a featured role in our upcoming production of Annie make this a good time to honor Alex Martinez-Vasquez as our Member of the Month for June.

Alex Vasquez (right) appeared as Pablo, shown in this rehearsal
shot of our 1999 production of A Streetcar Named Desire

A native of Davenport, Alexander Vasquez came to Vinton in the fall of 1997 as a second grade teacher at West Early Childhood Center in Vinton, a position he held until the fall of 2001, when he became a fifth grade teacher at Lincoln Intermediate School in Vinton. Last fall, another job change took Alex to the subject matter that is his first love, when he became eighth grade social studies teacher at Tilford Middle School. Alex became involved with ACT I during his first year with the Vinton-Shellsburg School District, making his debut in May of 1999 as the jailer in The Prince and the Pauper. He next appeared with us that fall, as Pablo Gonzales in A Streetcar Named Desire. He also did crew work for that production. In February of 2000, Alex appeared in our production of The Secret Garden as part of the vocal ensemble, and again Alex did crew work for that show. He next appeared as part of the ensemble of our readers theatre production of A Christmas Carol in late 2000. In February of 2001 for our production of My Fair Lady he wore two very different hats, as technical director, and on stage in the role of Zoltan Karpathy. Next up for Alex was our production of Harvey, in which Alex showed his comic side in the role of Wilson. During our summer, 2001 children's theatre series, Alex played the role of the old soldier in The Red Shoes. In February of 2002, Alex again wore multiple hats for our production of Romeo and Juliet, serving as assistant director stage manager, fight coach, and also played the role of the Prince. Alex took a breather from performing this season, though he did take on a completely new role for us when he was elected to a three year term on our board of directors last June. This year he also took time out to get married, tying the knot with fellow Vinton-Shellsburg teacher Tina Martinez in a ceremony that took place at a frequent ACT I venue, the Ray House. Tina teaches first grade at West Early Childhood Center in Vinton. Now Alex returns to being active in productions as he works with the American Hysterical summer camp, and this September he will be seen in Annie, playing the role of Rooster.

Alex Vasquez as Wilson (right) plays a scene with Kari
Douma as Myrtle Mae in our 1999 production of Harvey

In addition to his extensive involvement with ACT I, Alex has also been active in many other local pursuits. He has coached Little League baseball, and has served as a negotiator for the Vinton-Shellsburg Education Association.

Alex is a Civil War living historian with several different re-enactor groups, both Union and Confederate. Accuracy is very important in this hobby and he spends a great deal of time in research. It is also a good way of blending acting with history, two of his favorite things. Alex has an extensive collection of Civil War memorabilia which he uses in his historical performances. Other hobbies include gardening, restoring Chrysler muscle cars, helping friends, and tap dancing. (He appears regularly in Joan Cooling dance recitals and performances.)

Alex Vasquez as the young Prince in Romeo and Juliet surveys
the carnage after the deaths of Mercutio and Tybalt

At home, Alex and Tina share their lives with their Boston terrier, Pig. Their other "child" is their nine room 1895 Queen Anne Victorian home which they purchased from another long time ACT I family, the Brewers. Issues such as kitchen remodeling and restoring stained glass now continually dominate their lives! The house demands heavy commitments from Alex and Tina and promises to continue to demand their fascination, attention, time and money for many years to come!

Alex (downstage center left) as the bearded Zoltan Karpathy in My Fair Lady.

Alex says "ACT I is an excellent way to involve all people in the community. As a teacher, I always stress that cooperation and unity are the best tools for success. ACT I embodies this belief because you need everyone working together to make a good production. This shows me that the district I'm a part of is a strong one and I'm very happy to be involved with the Vinton-Shellsburg Schools and ACT I."

We thank Alex for his years of dedication to this community and to ACT I and for his continuing commitment to us. (And many thanks to Tina for continuing to share him with us!) We appreciate the time he has put into ACT I productions and hope that he can be active with us for years to come!

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.

The clever theme of our new season is Better Red than Dead, but our upcoming season isn't the only season that can be color coded. As we look back on Season 2002 - 2003, A Cast of Outcasts, it's easy to see that this was clearly our season to be green! How many of these uses for the color green last season can you remember? And so, with apologies to Kermit the Frog for stealing the title of the song he made famous, we look back at our past season by observing "It's not easy being green."

Sherry Stout as Lilli Vanessi arrived at the Palace
with Oberon in a green 1928 Ford ten minutes before
curtain for each performance of Kiss Me, Kate. Green was
clearly the dominant color of the season just concluded.

1. Jealousy, the green eyed monster, reared its head in Kiss Me Kate when actor/director Fred Graham learns that his ex-wife Lilli Vanessi plans to marry Republican politician Harrison Howell, played by Alan Nebola. In our new season, Alan switches parties and rises to the presidency when he plays Franklin Roosevelt in Annie. What political office did Alan's character hold in Kiss Me Kate?

2. Jealousy wasn't the only green thing dogging Alan Nebola last season. In our Halloween production, Monster Medley Spooktacular, Alan was pursued by a most unusual yet animated inanimate object, a green pair of pants with no one inside them. Name the author of this piece that Alan so delightfully performed (with Evan Lueckenotto as the green pants.)

3. Cars . . . trousers . . . this was definitely the year for green inanimate objects to take center stage in our productions. During Monster Medley Spooktacular, Gerald Horst performed a number from Little Shop of Horrors, a play about a man eating plant. Well, we didn't have a man eating plant among our inanimate objects this year, but we DID have a different sort of horticultural monster featured in The Good, the Bad, and the Ogre, our summer children's theatre production by ACT I STAGE!. What sort of green monster plant was featured in the Once Upon a Vine segment of that show?

4. It wasn't just a season of green inanimate objects for ACT I, this was a year for green characters as well. Billy Beyer donned green makeup for his role as the ogre in the Puss 'n Boots segment of The Good, the Bad, and the Ogre. And in the first segment of that show, Ogre Here, Ogre There, we featured a green character that was so large that it took five puppeteers to operate it! What was the name of this large green ogre? (Hint: the name is derived from a word for ghost in common usage in northern England.)

5. Ogre Here, Ogre There wasn't the only show this season to feature an over sized beast which used multiple actors to play one character. Our Main Stage production of The Reluctant Dragon featured a quartet of performers both to fill out the giant green body costume for Alistair the Dragon and also to sing the dragon's lyrics. Name the actor who portrayed the head of the dragon, and performed his spoken lines.

6. The halls were decked with boughs of holly and plenty of other green things at the Ray House for Intermezzo III, Silent Night. Our Christmas vocal recital took time to honor the beloved Christmas Carol "Silent Night," with Gerald Horst and Rob Glass recreating its first performance 1818. For what musical instrument was this carol originally written?

7. Even away from ACT I, ACT I members were doing green shows this year. Four ACT I performers (including Oberon the dog) appeared in productions at Theatre Cedar Rapids this year. Name the young ACT I performer who debuted at TCR in an all green costume, complete with green makeup.

8. What part of the Palace Theatre was exposed to the audience for the first time ever to be used as part of the playing space for Kiss Me Kate?

9. Lost in Yonkers was unique among the past season's shows for many reasons. First, its production company was smaller by half than any other show this season; it was the only show this season where no one on stage burst into song at any time, and it was the only show that couldn't boast at least one cast member named Horst. It was also the only show of the season that didn't feature green makeup, green pants, green cars, or green mythical beasts. However, it was STILL green stuff that motivated much of the plot - MONEY. The play began with a quest for $9,000. As the story unfolds we learn that between $10,000 and $15,000 is hidden somewhere in the apartment. We also realize that Louis has a large amount of money concealed in his satchel. As the play climaxes, the mentally challenged Aunt Bella nurtures hopes of starting a restaurant with her equally deficient boyfriend. What amount of money does Bella want for the purpose of opening a restaurant?

1. Several years before Lost in Yonkers, Neil Simon produced a piece that was the first in a trilogy about a character based on his own life. Brighton Beach Memoirs

2. Neil Simon's The Odd Couple was originally written featuring two men but re-written twenty years later with the genders of every character being switched. It was this female version that was produced by ACT I ten years ago this month. Give the original male names of the two main characters who became Olive Madison and Florence Ungar. Oscar Madison and Felix Ungar

3. Neil Simon wrote the book to this musical with a score by Burt Bacharach. Promises, Promises

4. Three separate stories held together with a common thread -- all three took place in the same suite in New York's Plaza Hotel. Plaza Suite

5. This play was a trio of stories featuring one male character's not always successful romantic pursuits. The Last of the Red Hot Lovers

6. A series of playlets based upon the short stories of Russian author Anton Chekov.
The Good Doctor

7. This drama was his first departure from his famous "laugh a minute" comic format, featuring Maureen Stapleton as a middle aged alcoholic. The Gingerbread Lady

8. The story of the reunion of a feuding, cantankerous vaudeville team for one last, failed performance. The Sunshine Boys

9. Play about the misadventures of a pair of newlyweds remains a favorite Simon plays with the public today. Barefoot in the Park

Congratulations to Linda Merritt, who answered all nine questions correctly!

The next meeting of the Board of ACT I of Benton County will be some time in July, somewhere in Vinton.

Members and visitors are always welcome at board meetings!

Minutes of 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.

Curtain speeches at Theatre Cedar Rapids tout the fact that over 800 volunteers participate with that theatre every year. And while the achievements of TCR are excellent and its quantity of volunteers impressive, ACT I's has impressive statistics of its own. Our six productions were staged by no less that 180 different volunteers, 53 who were working with ACT I for the first time. That's a good number for a town that is only 1/27th the size of the Cedar Rapids metro area. And those 180 volunteers don't include ushers, parents and family of cast members, or other volunteers whose numbers are far more difficult to count. So to each of our 180+ volunteers who helped make our recent season happen, Grease Paint extends a hearty thank you and congratulations. You have done well. And now on to the new season!

Too often, it is easy to sell ACT I short. Two weeks ago, I went with a group of friends to attend a production at a community theatre an hour from us. My expectations were high. This group has as its resident facility a classic movie house, recently renovated at great expense, in a university area that boasts three community theatre organizations and a highly regarded university theatre program at its back door. I was expecting to be blown away by a first rate show, with exciting performances and first rate tech, the likes of which ACT I could never hope to match. WRONG! After enjoying a grossly overpriced and over spiced meal at a pretentiously trendy restaurant, I sank into my new but miserably uncomfortable seat to watch what amounted to a tedious production of an even more tedious script, with only one member of the eight person cast sufficiently involved in his role to yield a satisfying performance. And the tech? Let's just say it had all the ear marks of small town high school productions. On the drive home, it was impossible not to realize that for all its faults ACT I is a treasure for Vinton and for those who dedicate their time to making theatre happen in this most unlikely of places. Still, good or bad, there are few things I enjoy as much as attending live theatre, and I encourage all our volunteers to support your fellow ACT I contributors by seeing all our shows during the coming season and treating yourselves to performances at theatres in nearby communities as well. The arts face tough times ahead, and arts organizations can't survive without support.

That's Grease Paint for June, 2003, Grease Paint and for Season 2002 - 2003: A Cast of Outcasts! Join us in two weeks for a new volume of Grease Paint as ACT I begins its twenty-fourth season of live theatre in Benton County!

Answers to Last Month�s Quiz The Plays of Neil Simon

Answers to Last Month�s Quiz

The Plays of Neil Simon