by Steve Arnold

Our recent production of It Runs in the Family brought back an old, familiar face, absent from us for far too long.  Mary Phillips, long time technical director, director, actress, graphic artist, past president, past Grease Paint editor, past webmaster, and past board member, returned to the fold to create the set for our recent hit show.

Mary on the set of The Odd Couple, to which she let her talents in lighting and set construction.

Currently, Mary spends her time working for her family at Phillips Funeral Homes, Inc. (remember how we all used to call it the "fun home" when ACT I activities were scheduled there?), volunteering as an EMT for North Benton Ambulance Service, and spending time with her family.  Family right now includes brother and sister-in-law Mike and Kristy Phillips and their sons Robert, who will be entering third grade this fall and Jack, who recently turned 1, and her parents, Bob and Sharon, who now reside in Keystone.  Mary, who lives above the funeral home in Vinton, moved here with her family from Davenport when she was 7.  Except for a stint in Iowa City during her post high school years, she has lived here ever since.

Mary's latest creation for ACT I was our set for It Runs in the Family.

Mary graduated from WHS in Vinton in 1982, where her activities included theatre (what else?!) and Girls' State (she served as governor).  She earned a B.A. in theatre design and production from UNI in 2000, and served for several years on the board of the Old Creamery Theatre, including a year as president.

Mary's unit set for The Sound of Music (1995) was a simple yet elegant creation that served as an excellent backdrop for the entire show, eliminating time consuming scene changes.

Mary's credits with ACT I are as long as anyone's who has participated with us during the past twenty-two years.  Mary first hit the ACT I stage in April of 1986, when she served as assistant technical director, stage manager, and lighting person for our production of My Three Angels.  Seven years went by between her first and second shows with us.  (Insert those Iowa City years here!)  She returned in June of 1993 when she did set construction and lighting for The Odd Couple, Female Version.  At this point, Mary's involvement with ACT I snowballed.  She worked the next sixteen consecutive shows, serving as Technical Director for twelve of them.  She did six more shows with us before taking a long break, finally coming back with It Runs in the Family.  An unprecedented record, Mary a career total of 16 shows with us as Technical Director!   In The Night of January 16th, (fall of 1993) Mary made her acting debut as Defense Attorney Stevens.  Poster design, lighting design, lighting operator, sound operator, publicity, program layout, and Stage Manager were all credits that Mary earned during that period in addition to Technical Director.  Her other major acting credits include Ida Gormley in Said the Spider to the Spy, Roxie Barn in Knock 'Em Dead, and Queenie "Mad Woman" Malone in The Boardwalk Melody Hour Murders.  Her acting cameos include a firefighter in The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, Viney in The Miracle Worker, and Fraulein Schweiger in The Sound of Music.  In September of 1995, Mary made her directing debut with Same Time Next Year, and she later directed our production of Steel Magnolias in 1998.  Some of Mary's more unusual assignments include music transcription for How to Eat Like a Child (scanning the score for the show into a computer so that it could be played back by computer (great software, that!) and creating the eerie laughing sailor for Sleuth.

Mary was a long time member of our board and served two terms as ACT I president.  She also created ACT I's first website in the fall of 1997.

Mary created a multi-leveled mountain on the stage of the Old Creamery Theatre in Garrison for our 1994 production of Bridge to Terabithia. 

For our 1998 production of Sleuth, performed at the Ray House, Mary created the all important prop of the laughing sailor mannequin, which lent an ironic creepiness to the show.

Mary's work schedule makes it difficult for her to accept ACT I assignments on a regular basis of late but it was good to see her working with us again!

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