The
Online Newsletter of ACT I of Benton County
Volume 5, Number 9
June, 1999
Marvin's
Room
Wraps Current Season,
Opening June 11
Halane Cummings (center) as
Lee, shares a tense
moment with her son Hank (Josh Deutsch, left)
and Hank's psychiatrist, played by Linda Radcliffe
in this scene from "Marvin's Room,"
now in rehearsal at Tilford Middle School.
Vinton -- Terminal illness, aging, and damaged family relationships all work together to create the fabric of the play Marvin's Room, the closing production of ACT I's 1998 - 99 Season. The play, written by Scott McPherson, will be performed at Tilford Middle School June 11, 12, 13, 17, 18, 19, and 20. Featured in the cast are ACT I veterans Diana Lamphier as Bessie, Halane Commings as Lee, Nancy Beckman as Ruth, Greg Killberger as Dr. Walli, Jim Hilliard as Bob, Josh Deutsch as Hank, Linda Radcliffe as Dr. Charlotte, and Marsh Berry as Marvin. Making their debuts with us are Joe Treloar as the Retirement Director and his son Jason Treloar as Charlie. Larry Adams-Bowers directs, assisted by Lisa Elliott. Tickets for the production are $7.00 for adults and $5.00 for students. Curtain times are 7:30 Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights and 2:00 on Sundays.
New Board Members Elected
The flooded Cedar River
comes dangerously
close to Linda's cabin, but that didn't stop the
ACT I membership from holding
their Annual Meeting there recently.
At our annual meeting held May 22 at Linda Radcliffe's cabin, the membership of ACT I elected three new board members. Elected to new three year terms were former board members Steve Arnold and Larry Adams-Bowers. Joan Cooling was re-elected to fill the remaining year of the term held by Bunny Feller, who resigned. The membership also approved reappointing Richard Kerdus to the Palace, Inc. Board of Trustees. New officers will elected later and be announced when they have been selected.
Auditions
Announced for
The Velveteen Rabbit
The opening production of the 1999 - 2000 McElroy Children's Theatre Series is slated to be cast this month. Co Directors Marcy Horst and Shirale Hanson, both in their directing debuts with ACT I along with the show's music director, April Noeller, will stage "The Velveteen Rabbit" for ACT I STAGE!, now in its second season. Auditions will be held Wednesday and Thursday, June 9 and 10, at 7:00 PM at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Vinton. Needed for the cast are 28 children, ages 5 and up. The cast also has four men's and two women's roles, which can be played by either adults or older students. Performaces will be July 30, 31, and August 1 at a location to be announced.
Palace to
Open August 1!
Streetcar
Named Desire Scheduled
for Long Awaited Opening of
ACT I's Permanent Home
The Lobby of the soon to be
finished
Palace Theatre in downtown Vinton.
The Palace Theatre is in the final stages of
renovation and is now scheduled to be ready for use on August 1, 1999. Opening the theatre will be the ACT I production of
A Streetcar
Named Desire, previously announced as the opening production of ACT I's main season
for 1999 - 2000. That production will run August 13 - 22. Appearing in that
show will be Nancy Beckman as
Blanche, Nicholas Radcliffe as Stanley, and Darran Sellers as Mitch. Also in the
cast are Lois Ewins, Joe Trealor, Alexander Vasquez, Adam Frederick, Aaron Murphy, Lisa
Elliott, and Linda Radcliffe. Larry Adams-Bowers directs. More information
about Streetcar will appear in the July edition of Grease Paint.
Following the run of Streetcar, the Palace will be open
seven nights a week as a movie theatre. Movies will shut down periodically as ACT I
returns to the facility in December for the ACT I Variety Show, in February
for The Secret Garden, and June for Life with Mother. ACT I
will also perform its children's theatre production of Hansel and Gretel at
the Palace in March, but with no evening performances scheduled the movie schedule will
not be affected.
ACT I purchased the Palace in December of 1997 and has been
renovating
the theatre since that time. Nearly $500,000 has been raised by the community for
the project. Although ACT I will continue to own the facility, the community theatre
will lease the building to Palace Inc, who will maintain the facility and operate the
movie business.
Work Days Announced
for Palace Theatre
The facilities committee of ACT I is soliciting volunteer labor for finish work at the Palace Theatre. Many tasks need to be carried out before the theatre is ready to use, including applying the fabric wall covering to the auditorium walls. Help is needed now, so don't delay if you want to pitch in and play a part. Interested individuals should contact Kurt or Lu Karr to volunteer their time. If you are available, please contact Kurt or Lu and they will get back to you with times when work needs to be done. Their home phone is 472-3130, or you can e-mail Lu at LMKarr@aol.com. Volunteers are needed for woodworking (not finish work), carpet installation, painting, cleanup, installation of bathroom accessories and shelving, and to sew teasers for the stage lighting. Please note: Insurance liabilities prohibit anyone under the age of 18 from working at the site.
Kevin
Bookmeier Named
Outstanding Fine Arts Student
Kevin Bookmeier, a graduating senior at Washington High School in Vinton and one of ACT I's most active participants, has been named the recipient of the WHS fine arts award for the current year. Earlier this month Kevin was also named Best Thespian for the year. Congratulations, Kevin, for many jobs well done!
Member of the Month
Josh Deutsch
Over 150 students have participated in ACT I during the last five years. One of the busiest of all with us has been Josh Deutsch, who just completed eighth grade at Tilford Middle School. Josh has appeared onstage with us in seven productions and he has contributed to ACT I in countless if not always visible ways. From acting to set construction to fund raising to blanketing the town with posters, Josh is always there helping. And his acting roles have been as varied as those of any ACT I member. Josh began with us as a fifth grader, playing Kurt in The Sound of Music, showing us then that here was a performer to keep an eye on. He has appeared in musicals, comedies, and dramas, and he has played all types of characters. He has been a hard-core street thief (Charlie Bates in Oliver!), yet as Whitney Day in Life with Father he spent most of the play practicing his catechism. On stage he has arrested a king as the Constable in The Prince and the Pauper and had a belching contest in How to Eat Like a Child. As Peter in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, he led a battle against the forces of evil, but his upcoming role is anything but heroic. Later this month ACT I patrons will see Josh in his most challenging role to date as Hank, the psychotic young arsonist in Marvin’s Room, a role played in the film version of the play by Leonardo diCaprio.
Josh (far right) made his ACT I debut as Kurt in
The Sound of Music.
In this dramatic scene from Oliver! in
1997,
Josh as Charlie Bates restrains an angry Artful Dodger (Charlie Vogl).
Besides performing with ACT I Josh has
appeared in four school productions, most recently as Leonard, the butler in Little
Miss Christy. He is a member of the ACT I Youth Board, and last season did technical
work for Sleuth. And although it’s a bit unusual to know one’s
acting assignments a year in advance, next June Josh will be reprising his role as Whitney
Day when ACT I mounts the sequel to Life with Father, the uproarious comedy
Life with Mother, our final show of next season.
In addition to theatre, Josh is interested in sports. He started
football in 8th grade after not doing it in 7th due to Mononucleosis. Speedy D is his
track name, mostly doing sprints. Basketball is one of his favorite sports, but whether he
is wrestling or playing basketball his freshman year is still up in the air.
His family includes his parents, LeRoy and Bonnie Deutsch, his sister
Shawna, another sister, Trudy Seidel, two nephews Joey and Jake, and a 6th month old niece
named Jaycee. Like many parents, Bonnie Deutsch followed her son into ACT I, and
frequently lends a hand sewing costumes and doing other errands.
Like everyone in ACT I, Josh looks forward to the opening of the Palace
Theatre. Josh thinks the theatre is a necessity to ACT I. He feels Vinton needs not only
live theatre but also a movie theater. "It will keep kids off the street and give
them something to do."
Josh says ACT I is a big part of his life. "I wouldn't be close to being
the person I am today without ACT I. I wouldn't be as confident in giving speeches
or even speaking to the class if not for ACT I. Theatre is a great thing for people
to do. The thing about doing theatre that I like the most is the curtain call. Not because
the show is over, but because you see that those weeks that you put into the show are
appreciated. My favorite curtain calls would have to be the ones for
‘Oliver!’ and ‘Bye Bye Birdie.’ The people just loved the show and the
music just kinda said, "Hey, we're glad you enjoyed yourself and come again."
Join Josh and the rest of our very talented cast for Marvin’s Room, June 11 - 20!
ACT I Trivia Quiz
Unseen Characters
In the play Marvin's Room, the character of Marvin originally does not appear onstage, remaining in his room offstage. (Director Larry Adams-Bowers has changed that and has added Marvin to the story, casting the mute role with ACT I veteran Marsh Berry.) Following are a list of other characters from plays presented by ACT I, who never appeared onstage, but were still crucial to the action of the stories. List the ACT I productions in which these characters did NOT appear.
1. Agnes Brownlow (As in Marvin's Room, the director of this show also added this character to the production in a mute role, but she does not appear in the original script.)
2. Phil Madison and Sidney Unger
3. Drum
4. Marguerite Wycke
5. President Cleveland
6. President Roosevelt
7. King Henry VIII
Answers to
Last Month's Quiz
(Darran Sellers Roles)
1. In Darran's debut production, The Night of January 16th, he used a Swedish accent.
2. In Twigs, Darran portrayed the character "Swede."
3. Darren was regularly asleep in a window seat during Said the Spider to the Spy.
4. Darran played Nazi heavy Herr Zeller in The Sound of Music.
5. Darran's other historical role was Captain Keller in The Miracle Worker.
6. In Oliver! Darran portrayed Mr. Bumble, and in The Prince and the Pauper his son Kordereau played Bumble the whipping boy.
That's
Grease Paint for June,
and for the 1998 - 1999 Season!
Next Month begins
our sixth year for Grease Paint
as our 1999 - 2000 Season gets underway!
See you at
To look back at previous online issues, visit our Grease Paint Archives page by clicking here!
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