by Steve Arnold

On March 8 a new ACT I member was born, a young lady that has come into the world related to more ACT I members than anyone else whose last name is not Horst.  Emma Jean Arnold was born into an ACT I family that involves both of her parents and relatives on both sides of her family.

In celebration of Emma's birth, we are honoring all of her ACT I relatives as our Members of the Month for March, 2003.  Emma's parents, David and Sara Arnold, met at Luther College where they were both music majors.  They were both very involved in college musical activities, including a concert band tour to Japan.  David was also active in the Luther jazz band.  Sara (the former Sara Yedlik) is a Vinton native.  After they married in the summer of 1999, they returned to the Vinton area to live.  Since that time both David and Sara have been active in recent musical productions.

Sara is a graduate of WHS in Vinton and currently in her fourth year as elementary vocal music instructor for the North Linn Community School District, serving attendance centers in Walker and Coggon.  She also served as choir director for the Vinton Presbyterian church for three years.  Sara made her ACT I debut in the role of Ruth St. Martin in our 1995 dinner theatre murder mystery production Said the Spider to the Spy when she was a high school senior; a production directed by her uncle, Ed Yedlik.  (Sara had the dubious distinction of playing the killer.)  Returning to ACT I after graduation from Luther, Sara was in the ensemble for The Secret Garden in 2000, and last season she portrayed the role of Philia in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.

Sara Arnold (right) as Philia in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, joined by two reasonable look alikes.

It was in Forum that her husband David made his ACT I debut, as the drummer in our pit band.  David returned to the pit, again on the drums, for our production of Kiss Me, Kate this past fall.  David, originally from Grinnell, is a musician par excellance, with his main instrument as saxophone but also able to play any wind instrument as well as drums.  (He declares that Emma will be a saxophonist.)  David is a jazz specialist, and for his last two years in high school was a member of the jazz band for the State Fair Singers, now known as Celebration Iowa.  David is currently an instructor and a member of the sales staff at West Music in Cedar Rapids.  David and Sara lived in rural Vinton after their marriage until this past summer, when they built a house in Walker and moved to that community to be closer to Sara's job.  Sara and David also share a music studio in their home where Sara teaches piano and voice and David teaches wind and percussion.  In addition to Emma, their family includes a cat, Samantha, and a shih tzu named Bartok.

David Arnold (far left) in the onstage band for Kiss Me, Kate.

Another ACT I relative for Emma is her cousin Steve Arnold.  (Steve's Dad and David's grandfather are brothers.)  On her mother's side, Emma's grandmother, Marilyn Yedlik, has frequently donated many hours to us sewing costumes.  Marilyn is the elementary school nurse for the Vinton-Shellsburg school district.  Marilyn's sister-in-law, Linda Greaser, has helped ACT I backstage with makeup and other tasks, and Emma's cousin, Dan Greaser, (Linda's son) has appeared in our productions of Oliver!, The Velveteen Rabbit, The Prince and the Pauper, and Romeo and Juliet.  Dan is in tenth grade at Washington High School in Vinton and has also appeared in school theatre and competed in Mock Trial.

Dan Greaser (right) onstage in Romeo and Juliet.

Emma's great uncle Edwon Yedlik, a former professional actor who was with a theatre in Leadville, Colorado for many years, has been active with ACT I as both an actor and director.  He first appeared with us as Pa in Twigs in 1994.  Following his performances in that role, he directed our three dinner theatre productions, Said the Spider to the Spy (1995) Knock 'Em Dead (1996) and The Boardwalk Melody Hour Murders (1997).

Ed Yedlik (center) as Pa in Twigs in our production at the Old Creamery Theatre in 1994.

In addition to theatre, Ed's many interests include organic farming, coffee farming in Hawaii, traveling to such faraway locations as China, and reading.  He was an independent candidate for Benton County Supervisor in 2000.  A long time student, Ed has a PhD in metaphysics.  He also once served in the Peace Corps in Afghanistan.

Besides those already mentioned, Emma will be picking up two more ACT I relatives in a couple of months.  Her Aunt Carrie, Sara's sister, is engaged to Mark Pingenot, who has been active with us for some time, both in technical work, as a musician in Bye Bye Birdie, and as the fight coach for The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.  And Mark's brother Aaron was a member of the pit band for Kiss Me, Kate.

In addition to her local ACT I relatives and other relatives who live in Iowa, Emma has cousins, aunts, and uncles who live variously in Washington DC, Maryland, California, England, Switzerland, and Bolivia; and who have also lived in at various times in Cameroon, Nigeria, and Kenya.

David and Sara, congratulations on your new arrival, and to Emma, welcome to ACT I!  We hope you and all your family members continue to be a part of our community theatre!

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