Many ACT I veteran members and supporters will recall the year 1986 when the first locally written musical debuted on our stage - Lovingly Yours, by Skeet Powers. Our friend Skeet has been at it again, and this month ACT I offers Words and Music, a collection of 25 songs, a handful of poems and prose, and a readers’ theatre, all written and arranged by this Benton County celebrity.

This collection of Skeet’s creative mission spans a lifetime of more than seventy years. He shares with us his experiences with love, his world, and his faith. Twenty ACT I vocalists, actors, and musicians, directed by Pat Lyons and under the musical direction of Lori Ferguson, come together in this production to offer something for everyone; top tapping 40’s ballads, a country western ditty, hymns, and even a bit of science fiction.

Words and Music by Skeet Powers is an eclectic mix of song, dance, poetry and prose that will tickle your funny bone one minute and have you wiping away a tear the next. This ACT I Events Series production promises nonstop entertainment at the easy-on-your-pocketbook price of $2.00. You can’t afford to miss it!

Remember, Words and Music by Skeet Powers is just the first offering in our Events Series for Season 2001 - 2002.  Join us next month for a Poetry Reading at the 4th Street Coffee Company, the classical recital Intermezzo II in January, our readers' theatre production of The Titanic Disaster Hearings in April, and a family recital, Family Affair, in June!  All Events Series performances are only $2.00 per person and all are sponsored by Clingman Pharmacy!

If you online Grease Paint readers are bypassing the ACT I website and simply accessing your theatre news through your Grease Paint link, you are truly missing out. Due to the daily dedication of longtime ACT I member Steve Arnold, (who has made it his noble, personal mission in life to maintain and update our ACT I website) at the click of your mouse you can log-on and find current, comprehensive local theatre news and information.

Once you’ve clicked and arrived, you’ll be greeted by our ACT I logo, ever-changing photos and a directory down the left hand side of the computer screen. You may access any one of these specific areas, including Grease Paint (our monthly newsletter), Current Season, E-Box (ticket information), Auditions and Calendar, Benton County Educational Theatre (local school fare), Board of Directors, ACT I STAGE! (our youth theatre group), The First 20 Years (detailed history on every past show), Membership, In Rehearsal (constantly updated photos and information), Links (find out what’s happening at other theatres and related companies), Palace Theatre (a look at the Palace and its history), and E-mail Directory.

Long-time Vinton resident Skeet Powers became a member of the ACT I community in 1986 with the production of Lovingly Yours, a musical he wrote and arranged. Lovingly Yours played to sold out houses at Tilford Auditorium, and Skeet’s newest offering, Words and Music by Skeet Powers promises to do the same.

Over the past seven decades Skeet has been creating a variety of poetry, prose, lyrics, and music. A few churchgoers may have been lucky enough to hear parts of his eclectic collection, as some select pieces have been performed at Wesley United Methodist Church. You may also have been privileged to hear a ballad or two if you were stationed at Pearl Harbor during World War II. Some of Skeet’s songs were performed on base at the Officer’s Club. However, very few of Skeet’s works have been enjoyed outside of his own living room.

Together with his wife, Evelyn, Skeet is known for his dedication to the students and families of the Iowa Braille and Sight Saving School, and is a committed member of Wesley United Methodist Church in Vinton. His steady faith in God was a strong theme throughout Lovingly Yours, and reappears in Words and Music. Another thematic thread in Skeet’s material is love and family. One lovely song in the first act, Evelyn, was, of course, written for his wife, whom Skeet fondly refers to as "Evy." Another of Skeet’s sentimental tunes is entitled Hane and is dedicated to Skeet and Evy’s adopted daughter, Hane.

A generous, soft-spoken man, whose life’s work speaks volumes, Skeet Powers, poet and composer, is an inspiration and blessing to ACT I of Benton County. He has chosen to share his creativity, artistry, and loving faithfulness freely with his friends, family, and neighbors. ACT I looks forward to Skeet III!

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum had everyone rolling in the aisles with laughter. But wait! Didn’t we tell you to watch carefully, because there’d be a quiz afterward? Well, here it is! When you were laughing so hard, did you retain all the textual details of the story? Let’s see what you remember!

1. What compliment did Philia pay Hero when they first met?
2. What was the principal ingredient in the sleeping potion Pseudolous mixed for Philia?
3. Why didn’t Philia drink the potion?
4. What served to reveal the secret true identities of Miles Gloriosis and Philia, that they were actually the long lost children of Eronius?
5. Why did Senex return home with the bust of his wife Domina?
6. While impersonating a sooth sayer, what did Pseudolous instruct Eronius to do?
7. In order to con Marcus Lycus into sending Philia out of his home, what did Pseudolous persuade Lycus was wrong with her?
8. What was the price paid by Miles Gloriosus for Philia?
9. ESSAY QUESTION – EXTRA CREDIT! The opening number of Forum, "Tragedy tomorrow, comedy tonight!" easily defines the current ACT I season. "Tragedy tomorrow" might well refer to our next Main Stage production, Romeo and Juliet following our "comedy tonight" -- Forum. These two plays couldn’t be more different. Or could they? How many similarities can you think of between A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum and Romeo and Juliet?