2001-2002 Season Announced!

    The Board of Directors of ACT I of Benton County has approved our productions for the 2001-2002 Season.  This special edition of Grease Paint is devoted to presenting next season to our members.  Our usual monthly features will appear again in our regular April issue, which will come out next week.

the following dates are subject to change!

Main Stage Series offers Music, Comedy, and Tragedy

    THE MAIN STAGE SERIES offers our three major, fully stage theatrical productions -- a musical, a drama, and a comedy, presented at the Palace Theatre in Vinton.  A common thread of these three plays is that in each, the central character is a mixed up teen age boy, with each of them about as different from the other two as he could be!

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum by Stephen Sondheim
October 4, 5, 6, 7, 12, 13, 14 2001 The Palace Theatre, Vinton
    Director:  Larry Adams-Bowers
    Assistant Director:  Pat Lyons

 "Tragedy tomorrow, comedy tonight!"

    The Main Stage Series opens with this delightful musical comedy by Stephen Sondheim, one of his earliest works for the stage.  The setting is ancient Rome.  The handsome young Hero has his heart set on the girl next door, but the people living next door aren't your typical ordinary family!  Two bumbling slaves, Pseudolus and Hysterium, will do anything to make Hero's romantic desires a reality, earnestly hoping their efforts will win them their freedom.

"Everybody ought to have a maid!"

For our next production, we remain in Italy and the subject is still young love, but the results are very different.

Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare
February 22, 23, 24, March 1, 2, 3 2002 The Palace Theatre, Vinton
    Director:  Steve Arnold
    Assistant Director/Stage Manager:  Alexander Vasquez
    Technical Director:  Kevin Bookmeier
    Choreographer: Charlie Vogl
    Wardrobe Design:  Ida Higgins

                "Two households, both alike in dignity,
                        In fair Verona, where we lay our scene . . ."

    She's 13, he's 15.  They meet at a party and fall in love.  What could be a more ordinary beginning to a typical teen romance?  But these two young lovers from Verona, Italy in July of 1303 have a romance that is anything but typical, for their fathers are mortal enemies.  The glorious poetry of William Shakespeare transforms this teen romance into the ultimate love story of all time -- a story that pits the beauty of young love against the savage violence of an Italy emerging from the Middle Ages.

"For never was there a tale of more woe, than this of Juliet and her Romeo."

First Hero, then Romeo -- if you thought these two love sick boys were a bit peculiar, wait until you meet Leslie! 

It Runs in the Family by Ray Cooney
May 10, 11, 12, 17, 18, 19, 2002, The Palace Theatre, Vinton
    Director:  Nancy Beckman
    Assistant Director:  Len Taylor

"Hello, Dad!"

    Actor, author, and director Ray Cooney is noted for a string of offbeat, door slamming "British farces," including Run for Your Wife, Funny Money, and Cash on Delivery, which have enjoyed successful runs at Theatre Cedar Rapids and The Old Creamery Theatre.  Next season, Ray Cooney comes to the ACT I stage with this hit farce, set in a London hospital on Christmas Eve.   Dr. David Mortimer, about to receive a major award, finds an unexpected visitor waiting for him -- a nurse with whom he'd had a brief affair eighteen years earlier.  And with her, waiting in the car, is an even bigger shock . . . the son he never knew he had -- a spike haired, deranged punk, wanted by the law, who is more than eager to meet his long lost father.  This is a fast paced, action packed, hysterically funny romp with unexpected plot twists on every page, and some wonderful roles to spotlight our impressive group of ACT I comic actors and actresses.

    "Well, don't worry,
with 200 neurologists out there you won't go short of tranquilizers!"   

Events Series offers variety of Music and the Spoken Word

THE EVENTS SERIES for 2001-2002 is an interesting potpourri of simple, small scale productions, a collection of readings and musical performances in a variety of locations, simply staged, with little or no technical elements.  The Events Series includes vocal recitals, poetry, and readers' theatre.  For performers, this series offers the added advantage of being able to be in a show that involves significantly less time commitment that a major production.  

Family Affair  A Celebration of Family
September 8, 9, 2001  Riverside Park Bandshell
Coordinators:  Gerald and Marcy Horst

    The series opens with an informal vocal recital presented in a casual setting.  Bring your lawn chair and kick back for an amusing, light-hearted look at the evolution of the American family.

Words and Music By Skeet Powers by Skeet Powers
November 17, 18, 2001  The Palace Theatre, Vinton
Director:  Pat Lyons

    Local composer and personality Skeet Powers, whose musical production "Lovingly Yours" was presented by ACT I in 1986, gives Vinton another musical production for ACT I to bring to life on the Palace stage to start your holiday season.

Poetry Reading
December 1, 2, 2002  Fourth Street Coffee Company
Coordinator:  Larry Adams-Bowers

    Join us in the relaxed atmosphere of the coffee shop as various ACT I members share their favorite poetry selections!

Intermezzo II  A Classical Vocal Recital
January 19, 20, 2002   The Ketchen Building
Coordinators:  Gerald and Marcy Horst

    Join us for what is becoming an ACT I tradition -- a January classical recital!  Settle into winter with some beautiful music presented in an elegant and intimate setting, served up with wine and cheese.  

The Titanic Disaster Hearings
Readers' Theatre, adapted by ACT I from the transcripts of the 1912 United States Senate Hearings 
    Director: Larry Adams-Bowers
    April 19, 20, 21, 26, 27, 28, 2002   The Ketchen Building

" . . . had the Frankfurt been any reasonable distance nearer we should have informed the Frankfurt of the whole business and repeated each word we sent to him about a dozen times, to make sure he got it."
                                                        --Harold Bride, Jr. wireless operator

"Senator Smith:  Do you know what an iceberg is composed of?
Officer Lowe:  Ice, I suppose, sir."

Children's Theatre Series offers Exciting new Format For ACT I STAGE!

THE CHILDREN'S THEATRE SERIES presents two productions in repertory presented at the Palace Theatre by our youth program, ACT I STAGE!, showcasing the talents of our ever increasing numbers of young members.  The productions will be prepared during a seven week camp sponsored by ACT I STAGE! and feature a musical and a triple bill of one acts, including a puppet presentation.

The two productions will be presented in repertory in alternating performances on July 20, 21, 22, 27, 28, 29

The ever increasing number of young people wishing to participate in ACT I STAGE! productions has prompted STAGE! directors Marcy Horst and Shirale Hanson to devise an exciting seven week summer camp, aimed at providing a quality theatre experience for any student who has finished kindergarten through high school students and adults.  And so, with great pleasure, the directors of STAGE! announce . . . 

You’ve Got To See It To Believe It!

ACT I STAGE! Summer Theatre Camp 2001

Elementary Orientation Week: June 11 – 15

Teen and Adult Auditions: June 10, 2:00 PM, The ACT I Studio

Performance Dates: July 21, 22, 23, 27, 28, 29

    Over the course of the past few years, an ever-increasing number of young people have expressed a wish to participate in ACT I STAGE! productions. This abundance of local enthusiasm has prompted STAGE! co-director Marcy Horst to coordinate an exciting seven week summer camp, entitled "You’ve Got To See It To Believe It!" The mission of the ACT I STAGE! Summer Theatre Camp is to give all youth an opportunity to develop their stage potential and to encourage and foster creativity, self-assurance, and generosity in young actors. The camp offers a variety of great theatrical, dance, and musical experiences, as well as an introduction to the rudimentary elements involved in producing a show for an audience. The production schedule has been expanded to four separate shows in two separate time slots: The Emperor’s New Clothes (a musical), and The Red Shoes (a musical), Stone Soup (a straight play), and Henny Penny (a puppet theatre).

    Previous summer theatre directors, Marcy Horst and Shirale Hanson, along with new directors Gerald Horst and Mary Horst, musical directors Kari Douma and April Noeller, and choreographer Joan Cooling hope to offer a quality theatre experience for any student who has finished kindergarten through high school, as well as adults, to promote a full family experience. The new camp format features an environment in which children can gain familiarity with theatre, cultivate their imaginations, discover their own individual talents, acquire vital communication skills, and learn to respect and work in cooperation with the other members of a cast.

Productions:

The Emperor’s New Clothes written by Ruth Perry
Based on the story by Hans Christian Andersen
Music and Lyrics by Allan Jay Friedman and Paul Francis Webster
Directors: Gerald and Marcy Horst

    The following three one act plays will be presented as a triple bill:

Stone Soup written by Gary Peterson
Music and Lyrics by Larry Nestor
Director: Shirale Hanson

The Red Shoes written by Shirale Hanson and Marcy Horst
Based on the story by Hans Christian Andersen
Director: Shirale Hanson

Henny Penny written by Joy Chaitin and Sarah Stevens-Estabrook
Director: Mary Horst

Playing Shakespeare Class to be Offered in June

    This coming season we will experience ACT I's first production ever of a play by the world's greatest playwright, Willam Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet.  To give potential actors and actresses for that production (and anyone else who is interested) a head start on preparing for that show, the directors of Romeo and Juliet are offering a special class this June entitled PLAYING SHAKESPEARE.  The class will focus on learning the techniques for delivering Shakespeare's poetry in a meaningful way.  Each participant will prepare and perform three different scenes.  In addition, the class will include background on Shakespeare and the theatre of his day, watching videos of some of his plays, reading aloud and discussing his play A Midsummer Night's Dream, and reading and discussing other source material.  The class will meet in nine two hour sessions beginning June 11.

Required reading for the class will be Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream (The New Folger Library Annotated Edition) and the novel King of Shadows by Susan Cooper.  Cost for the class will be $16.00, to cover the cost of the books.  Enrollment is open to anyone from incoming seventh graders through adults.

For further information, contact Steve Arnold at SArnoldIA@aol.com.  

Audition Dates Announced for 2001-2002

Audition dates for the coming season have been set.  Mark your calendars!  All auditions will be at the ACT I Studio, 410 1/2 Fourth Street (above Clingman Pharmacy) unless otherwise announced.  In addition to the dates announced above for the ACT I STAGE! summer camp, these dates have been set for the Main Stage and Events Series.

June 25, 26  7:00 PM    A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum AND Romeo and Juliet 

September 24, 25  7:00 PM     Words and Music by Skeet Powers

February 25, 26    Titanic Disaster Hearings AND It Runs in the Family

Message from
the (Interim) Editor  

Several weeks ago, the play selection committee solicited the input of Grease Paint Readers, including all our online and snail mail subscribers, regarding plays we were considering for our Main Stage Series.  We very much appreciated the input which came from the ACT I members who responded to this survey.  The results were very interesting, and although no clear pattern emerged from your responses, the information was very useful in making our selections.

    The survey went to nearly 100 households, and 22 responses were received.  As we indicated, this was not a ballot, as many factors influence play selection.  However all comments were considered by the committee and were of great interest to us.

    The two plays which drew the most positive comments were Arsenic and Old Lace and Romeo and Juliet.  Arsenic and Old Lace was also drew the most negative comments -- the response for that show ranged from "That's my favorite play!" to "Yuk!"  Most of the negatives focused on the fact that the show has literally been done to death.  (Sorry, the pun was irresistible.)

    As for Romeo and Juliet, the positive response, particularly from young people, (definitely not our core audience) has been very encouraging -- telling us that trying Shakespeare is worth the risk.  As an example, Lisa Hopkins, the head cook at West Childhood Center and a fairly new patron of ours, asked me a few days ago what plays we had finally selected.  When I told her she commented "Thank you for doing Shakespeare!"  This selection won't be to everyone's taste, of course, but then nothing ever is.

    The other plays which received the most positive comments were The Sunshine Boys, Kiss Me, Kate, Lost in Yonkers, and It Runs in the Family.  In regard to The Sunshine Boys and Lost in Yonkers, there were many comments indicating a desire to see a play by Neil Simon, a playwright we have performed only once before.  Although Simon is missing from next year's lineup, rest assured that you have made your wishes known and that next year's committee will be looking very carefully at the two titles considered this year as well as other potential Simon choices.  As for the show we did choose for next year's comedy, It Runs in the Family, our audience members who have seen the show performed elsewhere have told us in glowing terms how much they enjoyed it, and we know our audiences are in for a treat with this riotously funny piece.

    Selecting a musical can be a daunting task.  Many factors such as available voices and the difficulty of a musical score must be considered.  One factor in ruling out Kiss Me, Kate, which topped the list of the musical titles we offered, was the fact that the show is currently running on Broadway in a revised version that is musically stronger than the original.  This is definitely a show we'd like to see in Vinton, perhaps a few years down the road when the updated score becomes available.  In the meantime, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, which was a close second to Kiss Me, Kate, in our survey, also drew glowing comments from you and we know our audiences will love this brilliant and irreverent look at love in ancient Rome.

    Several plays were suggested that were not on our list, including Cinderella, L'il Abner, The Pirates of Penzance, Beautiful Mourning, Into the Woods, and A Chorus Line.  Of the entire list of plays we submitted to our audience, only one received no comments at all -- the funky offbeat melodrama The Physicists by Friederich Durrenmatt.  This is one of my personal favorites, and one I hope eventually gets noticed by more than just myself!

    A word about the Events Series, which we have added formally to next season after having several "events" previously without giving it an official name.  We like the idea of staging several "quick and easy" productions that can be done in a very simple way to provide an enjoyable evening of live entertainment to Vinton audiences without going to the work of a fully staged production.  We know shows on this series are likely to draw between 50 and 100 patrons in their short runs, but we still find those audiences very appreciative of our efforts.  Our recent poetry reading is a case in point.  For two out of the three performances, there were fewer people in the audience than there were performing, yet in watching the faces of those attending, it was clear that we were connecting in a meaningful way.  One reader, Ed Dickerson, commented after the final performance, "We're not doing this for them, we're doing it for ourselves."  And all of us wanted to do it again.  Audience member Morris Higgins commented afterward that he didn't have any idea what a poetry reading was going to be like, but that he really enjoyed it.  And so the poetry reading returns again next season, with the performers caring most about simply having the opportunity of sharing their favorite poetry with who ever is willing to listen.  (I did suggest to Larry that in an effort to draw a larger audience we change the title to Women's Mud Wrestling, but he didn't like the idea.)

    I have very much enjoyed being interim editor for Grease Paint.  Next week, when our April issue comes out (preparing two issues in two weeks has been a stretch!) Marcy Horst returns to the editor's role.  Marcy and I have decided to do Grease Paint together, which is an arrangement that has a lot of appeal to both of us.  When one of us is heavily into a particular production, the other can do the lion's share of the work, and we can trade off month by month on the editor's role.  So I'll hand things over to Marcy for now and when summer comes she'll hand it back to me while she takes charge of our STAGE! summer camp.

    Thank you for reading.    

                                      Steve Arnold
                                      SArnoldIA@aol.com
                           472-5308

That's our Special Edition of Grease Paint for April of 2001!

Home
Grease Paint Online    Current Season    Scrapbook
Palace Theatre Virtual Tour    ACT I STAGE!   Gems
E-Box Office    Auditions and Calendar   All About Us    Links