| Inaugural Season for Youth Program: ACT I STAGE! |
Bye Bye Birdie Opens 1998-1999 ACT I Season September 10 | |
Introduction to Theatre,
Grades K - 2 Recognition Dinner Set for 1997 - 1998 Season Vinton -- Productions from the previous season will honored at our annual awards banquet on Saturday, September 26 at Michael's Cafe. Event organizer Larry Adams-Bowers reports that the evening will begin with cocktails at Doc's between 5:00 and 5:30 with the main event commencing at the cafe at 6:45. The menu will include two meats and the cost is $6.95 for adults and $4.95 for students, with children under 5 free. Awards will be presented beginning between 7:30 and 7:45. The shows to be honored include "Oliver!," "The Benton County Variety Show," "Sleuth," and "Steel Magnolias." Awards will be given for both acting and technical achievement in adult and youth categories. Those wishing to attend should RSVP Larry Adams-Bowers (472-4637) by September 19. Don't Forget Your Membership! Memberships for the current season cost $10.00 per person. What a great way for participating members to support ACT I! Mail your payment to ACT I Subscriptions, Box 222, Vinton, Iowa, 52349. And don't forget that subscription to Grease Paint (but if you're reading this, you obviously remembered!) Remind your friends who can't figure out why they didn't get the September issue to pay up! Snail Mail Subscriptions (sent to the address above) cost $6.00 for this monthly publication. Grease Paint ONLINE (which contains everything in the Snail Mail edition) is a free service you can get simply by sending your e-mail address to Steve Arnold (sarnold@prodigy.net) and asking to be added to our e-mail list.
Consider Yourself
ACT I Board News Board Vacancy A vacancy currently exists on the Board of Directors for ACT I. Faith Brown has recently resigned her board position, citing scheduling conflicts with her job. Board President Mike Williams is expected to announce his appointment of Faith's replacement shortly.September Meeting The next meeting of the Board of Directors will be held at 8:00 PM September 22 at Ron Baldwin's home. In addition to the board meeting, this will be our first quarterly membership meeting of the season. All members are urged to come!Appointments The Board of Directors has made two important appointments for the current season. Ray Bookmeier has been reappointed to another term as archivist. Ray has worked to build a collection of ACT I memorabilia from previous seasons. The Board also named Kevin Bookmeier as Property Manager. The new staff position replaces the former Resources Committee. Kevin will be responsible for supervising and maintaining ACT I's inventory of equipment, props, costumes, and set components. He will be in charge of our storage facilities, including the garages (where furniture and set pieces are kept) and the LaGrange apartment where props and costumes are stored. Kevin, now a senior at WHS, has been involved in every phase of ACT I since 7th grade.Member of the MonthWe begin a new feature in Grease Paint, the Member of the Month. Each month we will focus on a member or family from ACT I, highlighting their contributions to theatre and the Benton County community. For our first story we have chosen the Williams family of Newhall - Mike, Annette, Melanie, and Aaron - all of whom are active in ACT I. Mike and Annette are both attorneys with undergraduate degrees in music education (Mike also holds degrees in mathematics, computer science, and piano performance), and their many talents have been valuable assets to our organization since Annette’s debut as Maria in "The Sound of Music" in late 1995. This summer has been incredibly busy for the young family. Mike, a patent attorney, recently began a new job with the Simmons Perrine law firm in Cedar Rapids. (He was previously employed by a firm in Texas, conducting business by fax and e-mail.) On top of that, he is serving as co-director for our opening show, "Bye Bye Birdie" and shortly after being elected to ACT I’s board of directors in June he was also made our new president. Annette, a clerk for Judge David R. Hansen, United States Court of Appeals in Cedar Rapids, is expecting the couple’s third child shortly after the show. In addition to "The Sound of Music," Annette also appeared last year as Nancy in "Oliver!" in which Mike made his debut with us as music director. Their other children, third grader Melanie and first grader Aaron, both students at Atkins Elementary, also appeared in that show. Melanie was also a dancer in "The Sound of Music." In addition to theatre, Melanie and Aaron count dance, flute, and violin among their interests. Mike grew up in Waverly, Iowa, where his father, Frank Williams, was head of the music department at Wartburg College there and also directed that school’s orchestra. (Frank, a flautist, joins us as a member of the band for "Bye Bye Birdie.") Annette grew up in Blooming Praririe, Minnesota, where she was active in speech, music and theatre in high school. Mike and Annette think ACT I is a great asset to the community, providing excellent opportunities for both youth and adults. They are looking forward to the renovation of the Palace Theatre. "It's been great fun to do a show outside," Mike adds, "but having a real home for ACT I productions will be an added luxury." We wish the Williams family every success in "Bye Bye Birdie." We are very grateful for their involvement in ACT I and we eagerly await the arrival of the newest member of their family and ACT I!
Showing a wacky side of themselves other ACT I members rarely see, Mike and Annette ham it up as participants in "Murder at the Opera," a mystery dinner held at The Lion & the Lamb Bed and Breakfast in Vinton. Also pictured is ACT I member Charlie Vogl, a regular cast member for "Murder at the Opera." . |
Vinton -- The musical "Bye Bye Birdie" by Mike Stewart, Charles Strouse and Lee Adams opens the new ACT I season on Thursday, September 10 and continues on September 12, 13, 17, 19, and 20. The large cast extravaganza, directed by Mike Williams and Joan Cooling, comes to life at the Riverside Park Bandshell, with a rain site at Tilford Auditorium.
ACT I veteran Austin Karr, a '98 graduate of WHS whom Vinton audiences have seen in such varied roles as tough guy Judd Fry in the WHS "Oklahoma" and as a slinky female impersonator in ACT I’s "Boardwalk Melody Hour Murders," appears as Conrad Birdie, a rock star adored by screaming millions, about to be drafted into the army. As Conrad’s managers we have two welcome debuts - Gerald Horst as Albert Peterson and Joan Cooling as Rose Alvarez. Joan, of course, is a frequent contributor to ACT I, having choreographed three previous musicals, but she will be making a dual debut with this show as both actress and director. Gerald, like many members of our group, has been preceded on our stage by two of his children, Erin and Clare, who join him this time for a show stopping tap number. Gerald’s excellent tenor voice makes him a welcome addition to our roster of performers.
As Kim MacAfee, the lucky girl who will receive Conrad’s last kiss on the Ed Sullivan Show, we will see Peggy Moen, a veteran of several major roles for both ACT I and Theatre Cedar Rapids. Appearing as her parents are ACT I veterans Rhonda Westergard and Cathi Calderwood, alternating as Doris MacAffee, and Steve Arnold as Harry MacAffee. Matt Eldred returns to our stage as little brother Randolf MacAffee, sharing the role with newcomer Matt Meyer. Halene Cummings returns as Mae Peterson (a role she also played in high school), and the principal cast is rounded out with Aaron Murphy as Hugo Peabody, Brooke Salger as Gloria Rasputin, Becky Stravers as Ursula Merkle, and David Raines and Lois Ewins as the mayor and his wife. Sarah Zimmerman makes her ACT I debut as stage designer and Jay Appleby returns as tech director. Also in the cast are adult ACT I veterans Pat and Dianna Sheahan and Annette Williams, joined by newcomers Marlyn Duncan, Cindy Forsyth, Pat Lyons, Margie Ortgeissen, Larry Vogl, and Dan Wiley. The youth cast features return performances by Travis Hendricks, Clare Horst, Erin Horst, Denise Laughton, Dannielle Lindsey, Meghan Kriz, Trisha Stander, Billy Vogl, Charlie Vogl, Kate Westergard and Katie Wilberg, joined by first timers Jake Fowler, Emily Forsyth, Erin Haefner, Jarrod Hendricks, Bree McClenning, Kendra McClenning, Beth Schmelzer, Greg Tucker, and Whitney Pflughaupt. In addition, the cast is joined by a group of Joan’s regular dance students, dubbed the Sweet Apple Dancers, who appear in the final scene of the first act, and several groups of gentlemen from within the community who will appear during the "Shriners" number in the second act. A special feature of the evening will be the preshow picnic and entertainment, served up to patrons prior to the performances. A variety of acts will entertain picnickers who gather in the park for the show. Curtain times are 6:30 for the Sunday performances and 7:00 for Thursday and Saturday performances. (We remain dark on Friday nights in deference to our WHS home football games.) Tickets for the show are $7.00 and $5.00, with an additional charge of $6.00 for patrons wanting the picnic. Tickets can be purchased from any of the local banks or obtained from Lu Karr (472-3130 or ReLady001@aol.com), Claudette Alpers (472-4226 or CLAlpers@aol.com) or Linda Radcliffe (742-4300). "DUH!" Department The Annual Meeting of ACT I of Benton County was held on June 20, not May 20 as reported in two different articles in last month’s issue of Grease PaintACT I Trivia Quiz! Each month, a quiz
featuring ACT I trivia comes your way in Grease Paint, with prizes for the winning
entries! Online subscribers can submit entries to Steve Arnold (sarnold@prodigy.net).
Snail Mail subscribers can mail entries to Trivia Quiz, ACT I of Benton County, Box 222,
Vinton, 52349, or call Steve Arnold (472-5308) or Mary Phillips (472-2621) with your
answers! 1. We Three Kings of Orient Are 2. An Ordinary Couple 3. How to Torture Your Sister 4. Spirits of the Grove 5. Anything Goes 6. If I Knew You Were Coming I’d Have Baked a Cake 7. Where Is Love? 8. Charlie, My Boy Answers to Last Month’s Quiz (Players were asked to identify performance venues for various ACT I shows from the past.) 1. "Twigs:" Old Creamery Theatre Brenton Stage 2. "Said the Spider to the Spy:" Tara Hills Country Club 3. "Boardwalk Melody Hour Murders:" Vinton Country Club4. "Sleuth:" Ray House 5. "The Girls in 509:" Old Creamery Theatre Main Stage 6. "Klondike Kalamity:" IBSSS Auditorium 7. "The Odd Couple: " Tilford Middle School Auditorium Congratulations Eric and Patty Upmeyer for submitting the winning entry for August. Thanks for playing!Quote of the month:
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