The Online Newsletter of 

Volume 9, Number 5      November, 2002

ACT I STUDIO CLEAN-UP OFF TO A GREAT START

Hard working volunteers pictured in the Studio Rehearsal Hall: Alex Vasquez, Mary Horst, Rob Glass, Pat Lyons, Gerald Horst, Greg Walston, Ron Baldwin, and Rachael & Brian Larkin. Not pictured: Marcy Horst.

On Sunday, November 3, 10 enthusiastic ACT I volunteers arrived at the Studio to begin the second phase of Operation: Studio Clean-Up.  ACT I regulars who frequent the Studio above Clingman Pharmacy for rehearsals and costume fittings will appreciate the renovation process even in its beginning stages.

As Grease Paint reported in an earlier issue, a diligent group of ladies have been steadily sorting and arranging the considerable garments and accessories in ACT I Costume Shop.  This effort was greatly assisted by the construction of two new costume racks.

On November 3 the organizational efforts continued.  The 35-year-old carpet gracing the walls of the Rehearsal Studio was the first thing to go.  The carpet came down with relative ease and plenty of dust.  The crew uncovered studs with a bit of styrofoam insulation, and six windows covered with styrofoam.  The decision was made to leave the two best windows exposed, and to look into donations to replace those windows.  We will also be covering the exposed wall beams with paneling. 

Two pickup load of debris were hauled to the Dave Timmerman farm burn pile, and both Brian Larkin’s trailer and Greg Walston’s pickup were filled with junk for the dump.

Further plans include soliciting donations to paint and replace carpet. Some funding has already been procured.  Construction on more clothing racks has already begun and that work will be completed in the near future.

MARK SUNDAY, NOV. 24, ON YOUR CALENDARS FOR THE NEXT WORK DAY.  FESTIVITIES BEGIN AT 1:00.  HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE.  BRING FRIENDS!

IF YOU CAN'T BE THERE AND STILL WANT TO CONTRIBUTE:

ACT I has purchased 5 gallons of white paint from Travis Hardware.  If you ask, they will sell you a gallon of the same paint.  You can drop it off at the Horst's back porch. 

You can e-mail or call Marcy to make a small monetary donation toward this project.  All contributions are very much appreciated, and will be recognized in Grease Paint and the Reluctant Dragon program.

Remember, this is no place for young children...Greg Walston will be there! 

And we'll need an extension ladder for the stairwell, if anyone has one. 

For additional information about this production (including a full cast list and more pictures) go to the Intermezzo III page of this website at www.act1.org/intermezzo3.htm.  

The ACT I Ticket information line and Palace Theatre Box Office number is 472-9957.  Call now for reservations for Intermezzo III!  

2^nd Annual Cemetery Walk  Knocks ‘Em Dead!  

Several ACT I members braved Evergreen Cemetery on chilly October 19, 2002, to portray Vinton personalities from the past in this year's Cemetery Walk, sponsored by Overton-Van Steenhuyse Funeral Home and the Benton County Historical Society.  Highlights included Gerald and Patrick Horst tap dancing as Cobb and Jimmy Smock.  And the Smock family journeyed from California for the event!  Pat Lyons stepped into the bold character of Frank Ray with ease.  His informative, light-hearted approach brought the financier to life, and made one want to take another tour of the grand Ray House.  Alan Nebola, as Presbyterian minister Stephen Phelps, gave a fitting tribute to a man who was very active in the early United Presbyterian Church of Vinton, which celebrates its sesquicentennial this year.  Also, Greg Walston presented a moving performance as a blind math teacher, George Tannehill.  Greg himself gave personal testimony.  "I learned so much more than facts about Mr. Tannehill.  His life truly moved me as I hope my performance moved you, as well."  It did, Greg, very much.  Finally, Halane Cummings, known by ACT I audience members as a larger than life, brilliant comedic actor, showed her acting versatility, playing the prim and proper Elizabeth Williams, librarian.  Her performance up on the hill was both amusing and charming.

The opening production of our Events Series, Monster Medley Spooktacular, proved to be full of chills and delights as the Ray House was packed with record numbers of patrons for each of the two performances.  Our normal "capacity" for Ray House performances was stretched both times to about 65, and the show proved to be wonderfully entertaining if not entirely spine chilling.  Readers, musicians, dancers, and puppeteers of all ages saluted the Halloween holiday with this collection of familiar and unfamiliar spooky fare.  The festive mood began outside with the house decorated appropriately, including a return visit from Bogart the Ogre from this summer's production of The Good, the Bad, and the Ogre, and finished off with the festive table served after the show in the dining room.  The delightful Events Series production was a great way to begin the Halloween season and served as a reminder that ACT I's large talent pool spans all ages and includes a dynamic range of abilities!

 "The Scary Contest" -- in one of the skits from Monster Medley Spooktacular, several ACT I kids portray a children's Halloween party invaded by some real spooks who prove to be not as scary as they had hoped.

ACT I decked out the dining room of the Ray House with this ghoulishly festive holiday spread served following the performance!

For additional information about this production (including a full cast list and more pictures) go to the Monster Medley Spooktacular page of this website at www.act1.org/monster.htm. 

Act I Board Resurrects Membership Policy

The main topic of discussion at the recent ACT I board meeting, held on Saturday, November 2, was that of establishing an ACT I membership list.  This task has been neglected for the past few years, and the current board feels it would greatly benefit our ACT I organization to revitalize this effort.  According to the ACT I bylaws, anyone beyond 8^th grade, who participated in any way in last year’s season, can become a voting ACT I member.  Membership dues are $10.

There are many reasons to establish a formal ACT I membership, including the formation of a database that will allow us to contact members with information about upcoming auditions, performances, and opportunities to help and participate.  Collecting a minimal $10 fee from members assists our theatre company financially in a major way.  And finally, forming an active, voting membership gives all participating ACT I members a voice and a chance to shape our future organization.

Main Stage Series . . .

Auditions Announced!

Directors Marcy and Gerald Horst are pleased to announce auditions for the second production of this season's Main Stage Series, The Reluctant Dragon:

Tuesday, December 17 at 7:00 PM and Thursday, December 19 at 7:00 at the ACT I Studio

Casting Needs:

5 Women, 4 men, 1 young man of high school or college age

The Reluctant Dragon is an operetta based on the childen's story by Kenneth Graham, which is in turn based on the legend of Saint George and the Dragon.  It will be performed at the Palace Theatre February 21, 22, 23, 28, March 1 & 2. 

For additional information about this production (including a complete cast list) go to the Reluctant Dragon page of this website at www.act1.org/dragon.htm.

Guys and Dolls Scores a Hit at WHS

The recent WHS production of Guys and Dolls on November 8 and 9 featured many talented young faces well known to ACT I audiences.  Congratulations to director Susan Parker and music directors (both ACT I veterans) Rob Glass and Laura Zamzow -- as well as to the cast, including the many young ACT I veterans, for this delightful production!

Better Late Than Never -- WHS senior Josh Deutsch, a veteran of 14 ACT I shows beginning in fifth grade, had never before performed in a local high school production.  His belated Theatre WHS debut came in a big way, playing the leading role of Sky Masterson in Guys and Dolls.  With him above is Erin Horst, in the role of Sara, getting just slightly looped during the Havana scene in the first act of the show.

Wedding Bells
Ring Recently for ACT I Members

Two prominent ACT I members starred in wedding ceremonies during the past month and we would like to honor those marriages here in Grease Paint! April Noeller, a frequent pianist and music director for ACT I children's musicals, (including The Good, the Bad, and the Ogre earlier this season) was married to Cedar Falls attorney Kevin Ahrenholz on October 20 in an outdoor ceremony north of Cedar Falls.

Alex Vasquez, a frequent ACT I performer (last seen as the Prince in Romeo and Juliet) and currently a member of our board of directors, was married to Tina Martinez on November 16 at the Ray House.  Alex and Tina, both teachers for the Vinton-Shellsburg Community School District, will be known officially as Alex and Tina Martinez-Vasquez.

Congratulations to April and Kevin, and to Tina and Alex!

Those of us who attended the recent WHS production of the musical Guys and Dolls found ourselves unmistakably impressed by the performance of the young actor playing the leading role of Nathan Detroit, a familiar face to ACT I patrons during the past two seasons, but a young man who has not yet had that "breakthrough" role on the ACT I stage.  That actor is Blake Hansen, scion of one of ACT I's loyal, long time families.  Blake and his grandmother Dorothy Albert, who is celebrating 20 years with ACT I, are featured as ACT I's Members of the Month for November.

WHS sophomore Blake Hansen (center), a veteran of several ACT I productions, played his first leading role as Nathan Detroit in the recent WHS musical Guys and Dolls.  Blake is the grandson of longtime ACT I volunteer Dorothy Albert.

One of the great things about ACT I is the fact that this is a family organization, and many families are represented with multiple generations.  Dorothy and Blake come from such a family.  Dorothy and her husband John Bliss moved to Vinton in 1962 when John was hired to be the Chief Agricultural Engineer at Hawkbilt.  They raised their four daughters here, living for seventeen years in the beautiful Queen Anne Victorian home which was later purchased and restored by the Stuff family. Dorothy Bliss made her ACT I debut exactly twenty years ago as Lottie Molloy in The Murder Room, performed November 12 - 14, 1982 at the Old Creamery Theatre.  Soon after, Dorothy appeared in our production of A Thurber Carnival, then in 1984 took on the leading role of Edith Lambert in the comedy Never Too Late, playing a middle aged expectant mother with a married daughter.  She next appeared onstage in 1986 as Miss Freud in The Girls in 509 and the following year as Miss Pleasant in The Cat and the Canary.  When she wasn't onstage, she was doing programs, properties, and publicity for other shows.

Dorothy (Bliss) Albert made her ACT I debut as Lottie Molloy in The Murder Room twenty years ago this month.

In 1988, Dorothy married Roger Albert, but her new marriage had no effect on her involvement with ACT I.  Roger has helped out many times as well with set construction, and also lent a hand doing finish carpentry at the Palace Theatre during that construction project and has also helped construct costume racks at the ACT I Studio.  After her marriage to Roger, Dorothy appeared as Farley Goodbody in our melodrama Klondike Kalamity, performned in 1988 at IBSSS, and the following year she appeared in In 25 Words or Death as Olive Bunker Hill.  During this time, Dorothy also did set, publicity, properties, and Box Office work for other shows.  During this time Dorothy also served on the ACT I Board.

Dorothy Albert as Miss Pleasant in The Cat and the Canary

Following this, though she and Roger continued to be enthusiastic patrons of ACT I, Dorothy took several years off from our stage, returning in the fall of 1997 as the chairwoman of the Three Criples Tavern in Oliver!, her only musical.  Dorothy rounded out her ACT I credits with the role of Bridget in Life with Mother, her only performance to date in the Palace Theatre.

Dorothy and Roger reside in a beautiful home with a unique contemporary design, dramatically different in style from Dorothy's earlier Victorian home.  The couple maintains a very busy retirement life, enjoying the companionship of their blended families and their many grandchildren, and volunteering their time at church, the Palace Theatre, Habitat for Humanity, Elderhostel, and doing volunteer work in state parks.  Most recently, Dorothy and Roger have acquired a computer and are preparing to take the Internet plunge!

Dorothy (pictured here with Orin Calhoun) played a middle aged expectant mother as Edith Lambert in Never Too Late in 1984.

Dorothy's family also includes daughters Judy Baird of Cedar Rapids, as well as Jama Runyon, Jill Sutton, and Jennifer Hancock, all of Vinton.

Dorothy says of her twenty years in ACT I:  "It has been such a remarkable thing, it came along at a time in my life when I really needed it, it filled a void.  It has been very exciting to watch it develop.  It seems like there are always new people with more talent coming along.  It is especially rewarding to see Blake getting so interested."  She also recalled the talents of many of the performers from the early years, as well as director Steve Shaffer.

Blake Hansen carries on his grandmother's tradition of involvement in community theatre.  He is son of Dorothy's daughter Jennifer Hancock and Jeff Hansen, and his many school activities include sports (he has a great passion for football) and vocal music, including show choir, where he excels as a dancer.  His favorite activity is speech (Blake is quoted as saying "Speech Rules!")  He made his ACT I debut in The Emperor's New Clothes at the beginning of the 2001 - 2002 season.  He was later seen as Abram in Romeo and Juliet.

Blake Hansen (far right, with hat) appeared as Abram, one of the Montague gang in our February, 2002 production of Romeo and Juliet

In the opening scene of Romeo and Juliet, Blake spoke that famous line that begins the first fight in that show, "Do you bite your thumb at us, sir?"; a line which he delivered again this season during Kiss Me, Kate in one of the many moments in that show that parodied our Romeo and Juliet production.  Blake played the doorman in Kiss Me, Kate, as well as being part of the singing and dancing ensemble.  He was also seen in our Events Series production of Family Affair during last summer's Party in the Park.

Offstage for ACT I, Blake is currently serving as the youth member of ACT I's play selection committee planning our Season 2003 - 2004; he also served as Assistant Director during our summer Children's Theatre production of The Good, the Bad, and the Ogre.  Although a football injury soon after the close of Kiss Me, Kate took him out of the game for the remainder of the season, getting to play his first major role as Nathan Detroit at WHS provided some bright consolation, and now we're waiting for that first big ACT I role that is waiting for Blake sometime in the future!

In addition to Blake's mother Jennifer Hancock, his family includes his step- father Mark Hancock (Technology Director for the Vinton-Shellsburg school district -- Jennifer serves as his assistant) and younger siblings Rachel Hansen (a freshman at WHS), Will Hancock (second grade) and Katie Hancock (kindergarten).  Blake also has a step brother, Keith Hancock, 22, who lives in Indianapolis, and also performed in a high school production of Guys and Dolls, as well as The Music Man and How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying.  The Hancock family lived in Indianapolis for 14 years before returning to Vinton three years ago.  Jennifer described returning to Vinton without jobs, coming back just because they knew that here would be a better place to raise their family.

Blake Hansen (red shirt) dances up a storm in the "Too Darn Hot" production number from this season's musical Kiss Me, Kate 

Although Jennifer and Mark have yet to appear onstage with ACT I, Mark is known to be a good singer who has played leading roles in musicals elsewhere and Jennifer played the very challenging role of Barbara Allen in Dark of the Moon while a student at WHS in 1979.  She also appeared in a WHS production of The Music Man at the age of ten.  Although Will and Katie have yet to make their ACT I debuts, they often work with their grandmother Dorothy on performing projects for church and other occasions.  Hopefully the Hancock household will be sending a few more performers our way in the future!

During Kiss Me, Kate, one of Blake's classmates, Josie Rundlett, was overheard to say during a rehearsal, "Blake has the coolest grandma," a statement agreed with whole heartedly by Blake's other peers.  May we add, Dorothy's grandson is pretty cool, too!  We wish Blake and Dorothy many more years as a part of ACT I.  And Dorothy, congratulations on 20 years as an ACT I volunteer!

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.

With another round of national elections over with (Thankfully!) we take a look back at how politics and politicians have been portrayed on our stage!

1.  In which past production did a character have a telephone conversation with President Harry S Truman?

2.  On the set of which past show was a large picture of former President Ronald Reagan prominently featured?

3.  Which production presented a less than flattering portrayal of “future” President Ulysses S. Grant?

4.  In which play was President Grover Cleveland continually reviled?

5.  Which president was in office during the action of the very political comedy The Girls in 509?

7.  Which past play features a Senator in the cast of whom it is said "He's the only Republican who didn't run for the nomination?"

Submit answers to: act1ofBC@aol.com or mail to:

Answers to Last Month’s Quiz

Ghosts, Witches, and the Supernatural

1.  In which production did half the cast die at the beginning of the show to become ghosts haunting the other half of the cast for the remainder?
The Secret Garden (2000)

2.  In which past comedy was a man haunted by the ghosts of his two wives?
Blithe Spirit  (1981)

3.  In which play does the ghost of a murdered character make a chilling appearance to a relative? Romeo and Juliet  (2002)

4.  In which ACT I production were ghosts played by Ron Baldwin, Nancy Beckman, and Ed Dickerson?  A Christmas Carol  (Readers' Theatre, 2000)

5.  In what play did Kordereau Sellers play the ghostly memory of Emily Zimmer’s little brother?  The Miracle Worker  (1995)

6.  Name an ACT I production in which a witch was dressed in white instead of black.  The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe  (1999)

7.  Name the actress who played the witch in Hansel and Gretel.
Sarah Zimmerman

Witches both white and green . . . left, Morgan Horning as the White Witch from The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, and right, Sarah Zimmerman as the Witch in Hansel and Gretel

8.  Name the ACT I production in which numerous characters were falsely accused of witchcraft.  The Crucible  (Readers' Theatre, 2001)

9.  In which past show was a spell cast on a pair of shoes that forced a little girl to dance continuously?  The Red Shoes  (2001)

10.  In which show did a fairy transform a toy into a living creature?
The Velveteen Rabbit  (1999)

Minutes of all 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.

              Message from
the Editors

My favorite part of Grease Paint will always be the Member of the Month feature.  It's always an interesting task to prepare the articles; there are usually surprises about people I thought I knew well, and every month I'm reminded of how many fascinating people volunteer their services to ACT I.  Seldom does the space allotted allow for a really in-depth look at the subject, and that is certainly the case this month.  Preparing this month's article has been an especially enjoyable experience, and a reminder of what assets Dorothy and Roger Albert are to this entire community, not just to ACT I.  And it's good to see that the other generations of this family are making their own valuable contributions to the community.  Congratulations, Dorothy, on your 20th anniversary with ACT I!

Great performances by Dorothy Albert's grandson Blake Hansen and many others weren't the only bright spots of the recent WHS production of Guys and Dolls.  Something else was unmistakably present onstage.  Those of us who grumble that our school district doesn't support the arts with the same enthusiasm given to athletics couldn't fail to notice how good this show looked!  Clearly, some money had been laid out this time for costuming the show; and the results looked great!

 One more thing deserves a mention -- it was great to see such a nice turnout for our performance of Monster Medley Spooktacular!  Our Events Series -- small scale productions of more limited interest -- have sometimes proved to be of TOO limited interest to draw a respectable small crowd, especially for readings.  (I remember a readers' theatre performance where one half of the audience consisted of Dorothy and Roger Albert!)  It was good to see the Ray House packed to the gills for this delightful production and we look forward to seeing that same space filled again next month for Intermezzo III, Silent Night! 

See you at the Palace!  (and the Ray House!)

Marcy and Steve

That's Grease Paint for November, 2002!

To look back at previous online issues, visit our Grease Paint Archives page by clicking here!

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