By Steve Arnold

This story opens about 33 years ago, and begins, appropriately, with Romeo and Juliet. 

Those of us who were theatre students attending high school in Cedar Rapids during the late sixties had an excellent camaraderie between the various schools.  We enjoyed close friendships with our fellow thespians "across the river" and supportively attended each other’s productions.  It was during this time that I attended my first live performance of Romeo and Juliet, produced by Regis High School.  In that production, the role of Balthasar was played by a young actor named Larry Vogl.  But although I knew some of Larry’s classmates, I wouldn’t meet or develop a friendship with Larry himself for almost thirty years.

Jump ahead to December 1995.  A year after ACT I’s production of The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, Kevin Bookmeier and I attended a production of the same show at Theatre Cedar Rapids.  In a production "crawling with kids," I nevertheless took note of the fifth grader cast as Charlie Bradley, an obviously talented youngster named Charlie Vogl.  It would be another year before we actually met, but not nearly as long as it took me to meet his dad after first seeing him on stage. In 1996, Charlie and I were both cast in supporting roles in Peter Pan, also at Theatre Cedar Rapids.  (ACT I members Ryan Calderwood and Peggy Moen both had major roles in that production.) The following year, as I was preparing to direct Oliver! for ACT I, I invited the boys who had appeared in Peter Pan to audition for us.  Charlie came, and became the obvious choice for the Artful Dodger.

I already knew Charlie was an excellent singer and actor.  But there was one thing about Charlie that I didn’t know, but something we were all about to find out – the thing that is his very essence.  Charlie is a dancer.  He lives and breathes dance; it is the element of this very talented young man that defines him most fully.  He began dancing at age three, and he does it all -- tap, jazz, ballet.  I have known few people in my life who have worked so devotedly and so successfully to develop a special talent that God has given him.

Charlie as The Dodger with Larry Adams-Bowers as Fagin

When Oliver! opened a week after Charlie’s thirteenth birthday, it was clear that his was a very special talent, and that this was just the beginning. Charlie continued to perform now and then in Vinton, appearing in one of our Variety Shows and in Bye Bye Birdie.  He has appeared with dancers from the Cooling Dance Center, both in recitals and in the occasional competition. He has also worked with me to create and perform murder mystery dinners, both for the Lion and the Lamb Bed and Breakfast here in Vinton and on our own.

Charlie’s acting and dancing credits are long.  In addition to performing in school productions, TCR productions, and for ACT I, Charlie has performed with the Mt. Mercy College drama department and in the Frosty Follies musical revue for Theatre Cedar Rapids. In July, he appeared in the rock opera Tommy at Theatre Cedar Rapids as a member of the singing and dancing ensemble.  Those from Vinton who hadn’t seen him since Oliver! were blown away by his song and dance solo in the production number "Pinball Wizard." 

Currently, Charlie is a junior at Kennedy High School in Cedar Rapids where he is dance captain for Happiness, Inc., that school’s varsity show choir. The show choirs from all three of the Cedar Rapids public high schools are ranked among the top 15 in the nation, and of course it takes the members of those ensembles a lot of work to stay in that position.  Currently, dance and show choir allow Charlie little time for other extra curricular activities, though last year he danced in the Kennedy musical The Boyfriend and this season he has been able to share his talents with ACT I three times.  He served as choreographer for both A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum and our current production, Romeo and Juliet, and also appeared as a vocalist in last month’s classical recital, Intermezzo II.

Earlier this season, Charlie conducts a choreography rehearsal for
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum

Although dance is the focus of Charlie’s life, it isn’t his only interest. He played soccer for Kennedy as a ninth grader and also holds a recommended black belt in Tae Kwon Do. (I didn’t know before preparing this article that the hands and feet of a black belt holder are legal, registered weapons – which an underage individual is not allowed to carry. So although he has completed all the requirements of a black belt, until he reaches 18 at the end of August, his title is qualified by the word "recommended.")   He also studies voice privately and has developed a vibrant tenor voice.  He is very talented at a computer keyboard, a skill he has placed at ACT I’s disposal as our sound editor for Romeo and Juliet. He is quite expert at just about any aspect of technology and always manages to keep the latest equipment on his shelf.

Charlie is number two of the six children of Larry and Vicky Vogl of Hiawatha, all of whom dance and four of whom have appeared with ACT I.  Older sister Bonnie is a senior at the University of Iowa.  Next after Charlie comes Billy, currently in ninth grade at Kennedy where he dances with Protegé, the JV show choir, and swims competitively.  Billy appeared with ACT I in both Oliver! and Bye Bye Birdie.  The family is rounded out with younger sisters Dee Dee, Becca, and Jamie. Dee Dee has appeared with Theatre Cedar Rapids, and Becca and Jamie appeared with Charlie in ACT I’s January, 1998 Variety Show, Be Our Guest.  And the Vogls are like so many other ACT I families, where the children’s participation is followed by that of their parents.  Larry, who is a graphic arts technical advisor for Cedar Graphics in Hiawatha, appeared with us in Bye Bye Birdie, and although Vicky, who works part time at Hiawatha Care Center as well as being a full time homemaker, has never appeared onstage, she assisted with Oliver! as part of the makeup crew.

Charlie has another passion, clearly evident in the decor of his room – cars. He is quite knowledgeable about all things automotive and is quite a competent amateur mechanic. (He has been known to take apart and reassemble the entire motor of his car.) He also does free lance car detailing. And to help support his habit for electronic gadgetry as well as to help pay for vocal and dance lessons (and to save for college) Charlie is employed part time at Best Buy in Cedar Rapids, where he sells (and buys!) Palm Pilots and other electronic equipment. (Definitely a case of the fox guarding the chicken coop.)

Upcoming for Charlie, after R&J will be more show choir competitions, including one in Florida right after our show closes. Thus far, Charlie’s acting has involved appearing in song and dance ensembles and supporting roles, but one thing has escaped him thus far – that elusive leading role. But that is about to change in a big way as he assumes a role that is tailor made in every way to his talents. In April he will be featured in the Kennedy High School production of Grease in the leading role of Danny, a production for which he also serves as choreographer.

Charlie hopes for a career in the performing arts, and after he graduates from Kennedy in 2003 plans to enter a college program (location to be determined) to study dance and theatre. The possibility of eventually becoming a professional choreographer is certainly high on his list of career choices. But the easy going Charlie isn’t stressed out by the future. "I’d be happy to do something with computers," he says. "I’d even be happy selling cars."

For now, ACT I is very happy to have this talented young man among its many very talented young participants.

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