The Theatre Department Newsletter
Edition 7, Issue 3
November 2006 |
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A Disenchanting Evening
What do you want out of life? That is the question that the actors are facing in Eastern Standard by Richard Greenberg. On Nov. 10-12, 2006, the Studio Theatre will host the next show about four successful business people who have been thrown together by a hapless bag lady. Together, they will explore what's really important in life.
The play is set in 1989, "Eastern Standard is intense with the moxie of the Reagan administration," comments Jovon Eberhart, who plays May Logan. This period in time also marked the beginning of the AIDS epidemic.
"The actors have been presented with some tough characters and are working hard. The show is really coming together," says director Emily Clifton "I think there's a really nice blend of the serious and the comedic."
The cast is as follows:
Stephen: Dan Hernandez (SAU Freshman)
Drew: Jacob Kendall (SAU Senior)
Peter: Joe Feldman (SAU Senior)
Phoebe: Colleen Winters (SAU Junior)
Ellen: Stephanie DeLacy (SAU Sophomore)
May: Jovon Eberhart (SAU Sophomore)
The show will be performed Nov. 10-12 at 7:30 in the Studio Theatre. The production contains strong adult language and content. Tickets are $6 general admission and, as seating is limited to 50, reservations are strongly recommended. Call Galvin's box office at (563) 333-6251 to reserve tickets!
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Narnia Cast List Announced
This season's children's show has been cast! Narnia is a musical based on the C.S. Lewis book The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Come and experience the magic as the four Pevensie children travel through the wardrobe and encounter the White Witch, the majestic lion Aslan, the loveable Mr. Tumnus and the other enchanted inhabitants of Narnia as the children battle to save the land from the evil magic of the White Witch. With enchanted statues, evil Cruelies and talking Beavers, this show will be a delight for children of all ages.
Narnia will be directed by Michael Kennedy with musical direction by Marti Dunn-Hall. Choreography will be created by Shellee Frazee and Dianne Dye will serve as costume designer. The production will be staged managed by Kelly Beitzel and Kristy Heithoff.
Production dates are Saturday, December 2nd and Sunday, December 3rd at 3:00 p.m. Tickets are $7 adults, $6 faculty/staff/alumni/senior citizens, $6 students/ children, $5 groups. SAU students with a valid student ID are free. Call (563) 333-6251 for ticket information.
Bringing the magical world of C.S. Lewis' Narnia to life will be:
Lucy Pevensie - Abby VanGerpen
Edmund Pevensie - Travis Meier
Peter Pevensie - Brendan Meir
Susan Pevensie - Ashley Damato
Aslan - Andrew Parks
The White Witch - Emily Kurash
Mr. Tumnus - Adam Burnham
Dwarf - James Bleecker
Professor Diggory / Father Christmas - Dan Hernandez
Fenris - Mike Kline
Ryweth - Marcie James
White Stag - Ashely Gillen
Mr. Beaver - Joe Feldman
Mrs. Beaver - Jaci Entwisle
Cruelies - Catie Osborn, Jess Stratton & Rachel Mayer
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Looking Back on The Threepenny Opera
This month, St. Ambrose opened its 2006-2007 mainstage season with The Threepenny Opera, a revolutionary musical written by Bertolt Brecht and featuring music by Kurt Weill. The production ran October 12-15.
The show was originally set in London's Soho District, but Director Corinne Johnson decided to update the story, setting it in the midst of America's Great Depression, just before the first inauguration of Franklin Delano Roosevelt. The story follows Macheath, a notorious crook, and the trouble that unfolds after he marries Polly Peachum. The wedding upsets Polly's father, Mr. Peachum, a powerful businessman who controls the city's beggars. Mr. Peachum, with the help of his wife, soon sets out to have Macheath hanged. However, this proves to be a difficult task because Macheath has many allies - loyal gang members, past lovers, and even the Chief of Police, Tiger Brown.
Because The Threepenny Opera makes a point of ignoring musical theatre conventions, Brecht's masterpiece can be difficult for an audience to swallow. However, the show was well-received by the public. Allaert Auditorium saw reasonably large audiences at each of the four performances. Also, the production received positive reviews from the Quad-City Times and River Cities' Reader newspapers.
Tom Woldt, an adjudicator from the American College Theatre Festival attended the Friday evening performance and nominated two of the show's performers to compete in our district's Irene Ryan Acting Competition this January. Those two students were SAU Sophomore Seth Kaltwasser (Mr. Peachum) and SAU Freshman Abby VanGerpen (Polly Peachum).
By the end of the production's run, everyone involved could feel good about the effort they put into this important show. The show featured a cast of 21 actors, as well as many other people working on technical and production crews. Congratulations to these students and faculty: Director Corinne Johnson, Musical Director Keith Haan, Choreographer Shellee Frazee, and all others involved on a fine production!
Sources:
Nancy, Ruby. "Ambrose moves 'Threepenny Opera' to 1933-era D.C." Quad City Times 14 Oct 2006.
Schulz, Mike. "Naughty and Nice: 'The Threepenny Opera' at St. Ambrose University." River Cities' Reader 18 Oct 2006.
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The "Crème de la Crème" at Ambrose
This spring, Broadway director Phil McKinley will be guest directing Crème de Coco by William Luce. This will be the debut production of this version of the play. Director McKinley's resume includes directing The Boy from Oz, which starred Hugh Jackman, and The Most Happy Fella with Paul Sorvino, both Broadway productions.
Crème de Coco is all about the life of Coco Chanel, a Parisian fashion designer who changed the face of haute couture while carrying on illustrious love affairs with various men, including a Nazi during World War II.
"I'm excited that Mr. McKinley is coming to direct on the campus, anxious to start on the show, and looking forward to meeting with him soon. I expect it to be a wonderful opportunity for anyone who will be involved," said SAU senior Kristy Heithoff, who is stage managing the show.
Auditions will be held on February 5-7. The times are still pending. There are many technical positions still open as well; if interested, contact Kris Eitrheim. The show will run from April 20-22, 2007.
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Students Prepare for January's KC/ACTF Festival
It's that time of year again. Every January, the St. Ambrose Theatre Department takes students to the Kennedy Center / American College Theatre Festival, where nominated students have the chance to perform in the Irene Ryan Acting Competition. With the fall semester starting to wind down, all nominated students are busy preparing their scenes. January will be here before we know it.
Irene Ryan was the actress who played Granny in the television series "The Beverly Hillbillies". After the show ended its run, Ryan created a trust fund that would award scholarships to superior college-aged performers across the country. This year, SAU is taking a total of eight actors who have been nominated for their work on Galvin's stages in the last calendar year. Nominated this year are Seniors Marianna Caldwell and Claire Richards for A Lie of the Mind, Senior Andrew Harvey and Junior Colleen Winters for Three Days of Rain, Graduate Scott Peake and Senior Joe Feldman for Much Ado About Nothing, and Sophomore Seth Kaltwasser and Freshman Abby VanGerpen for The Threepenny Opera. Of this eight, only three (Caldwell, Harvey, and Peake) have been nominated before.
Each nominee must choose a partner and prepare three scenes. The competition is broken down into three rounds which take place throughout the first two days of the week-long festival. In the preliminary round, nominees and their partners perform their first scene, which may not exceed three minutes. In the semifinals round, the first scene is performed again, along with a second two-person scene with that same partner - together, the two may not exceed five minutes. For these first two rounds, either scene can contain music. Then, in the final round, a one minute monologue or solo musical number is performed, along with the first two scenes. Together, the three pieces may not exceed six minutes. In the end, two winners are chosen.
Making it past the first cut is extremely difficult - only about 30 of the original 300 nominees advance. However, St. Ambrose has fared very well in past years. Regardless of being a small school, St. Ambrose has had two students win the competition! First, in 2003, Dan Hale took home the prize. Then, again, in 2005 Daniel Sheridan was named regional winner and won the Classic Acting Award for his scene from Julius Caesar. Winners advance from the regional festival to the national competition at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.
St. Ambrose is part of ACTF's Region V - which includes Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota. This year, the Region V festival will take place in Ames, IA. This will be a much shorter drive for our theatre department. In recent years, the festival has taken place in Fargo, North Dakota, St. Louis, Missouri, and Denver, Colorado! In addition to the acting competition, the festival features directing competitions, technical workshops, full-length plays nominated from around the region, and opportunities to audition for Summer Stock Theatre Companies. Professors from the SAU Theatre Department will be taking the nominees and their partners, and members of the SAU Theatre Callboard will also be attending the festival. However, as long as there is room, open spots are offered to any students willing to pay the $50 registration fee (theatre majors/minors have priority). If you are interested in attending, talk to Department Chair Kris Eitrheim at 563-333-6255 as soon as possible.
Also, if you are interested in seeing the acting nominees perform their chosen material, the first showing will be Monday, December 11 at 6:30 pm in the Studio Theatre. In the next issue, the newsletter will give all the finalized information - including ACTF acting partners and all of the selected scenes.
Congratulations to all of the SAU Irene Ryan Nominees, and we hope to see you all Monday, December 11 for the first scene showing!
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A Yell Home From Yale - Checking in with Sam Michael
A familiar face is missing from the SAU Theatre Department this fall - 2006 Alum Sam Michael. This fall, Sam has made the step in furthering his education by being accepted to and attending graduate school at Yale. We got in touch with Sam to ask him how he was enjoying things out east, as well as what he missed about the theatre here at SAU.
What classes are you enrolled in?
1. History of Theatre & Drama (Cross between SAU History & Dramatic Lit, but nowhere near as fun or informative as it was with Cory and Mike)
2. Theatre Safety and Occupational Health (Yeah, me in a safety class, about time I guess!)
3. Shop Technology (It is just like Kris's shop class would be, if he only taught Technical Directors and had tools like a CNC router - but they do not have a plasma cutter!!!)
4. Production Drafting (Ehh, what can I say? It's intro to AutoCad.)
5. Production Planning (We actually have to make a budget and stick to it! And that's for materials AND labor!)
6. Intro to Sound Engineering and Design
7. Structural Design for the Stage (Everything an engineer would learn, just limited to theatre. It's pretty cool and, yeah, I know I am a nerd.)
What shows have you been involved in?
The Seagull - Technical Direction
Euridice - Load in crew
The Mistakes Madeline Made - Building crew/ load-in crew
Richard III - Electric's crew
Current Project - Marat/Sade- Master electrician
What do you miss about Ambrose?
I miss a lot of things from Ambrose, such as my peers in the department, but the biggest things I miss are the conversations with Brad, Kris, Cory, Mike and Dianne. Despite what any of them may say otherwise, they had a huge hand in helping me to develop myself and refine my abilities. Without their help and passion to drive us, I would never have made it this far.
What surprised you (good/bad/otherwise) about graduate school?
What surprised me most was how natural it felt easing into life here. It felt like the natural progression moving on from Ambrose. I do have to admit that it is still a little weird not living in the theatre for most of the day, though.
Is there anything you find yourself working on now that you didn't place enough importance on as an undergraduate?
Time management. As an undergraduate, I only placed emphasis on the final product. In grad school there is as much - and sometimes more - emphasis placed on the way you reach the final product. This has caused me to revise my outlook and plan more stringently how and when I do my work.
Are you working outside of school, and if so, how do you balance school and a job?
The School of Drama prohibits working outside the department during the school
year, but we have a significant amount of work study available to us.
What was the hardest part about moving from an undergrad to a grad student?
Realizing that the thirty other students around you know as much - and sometimes more - about what you are working on than you do.
What made you decide to pursue grad school, and how did you get there?
After talking with Kris in my last couple of years at Ambrose, I decided that grad school would afford me the opportunity to broaden my knowledge in several areas of interest and give me more possibilities for employment. I started out by compiling a list of possible schools offering programs in Technical Direction. From there, I started researching and cut the list down to four schools. Around this time, I started getting offers to work right out of undergrad and began wondering if this was the best decision. So, I looked at the four schools and made the choice to only apply to the one that looked the best for me. That probably wasn't the best decision, but I figured if I did not get in I had plenty of other opportunities available.
Do you have any advice to offer to someone looking at pursuing grad school?
USE THE RESOURCES IN FRONT OF YOU: I cannot stress this enough; the faculty and staff are dedicated to helping you succeed. Also, PUSH YOURSELF, BUT KNOW YOUR LIMITS: it is great to work on every show, but if you burn yourself out under the stress of homework, work and theatre you will lose the love and passion for our craft. Finally, BUDGET DOWNTIME: You need time away from everything. Plan some time to just tune out.
Thanks for the update Sam, we hope to hear from you again soon!
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New to the Newsletter
With this November edition, the SAU Theatre Newsletter staff welcomes a new writer, Ms. Catie Osborn. She is a theatre and history major and a journalism minor from Silvis, Illinois. She also currently writes a humor column for the Dispatch Argus. Many people know her from her role as Betty in The Threepenny Opera or as the Michael Kennedy scholar. She says, "I'm pretty excited to be a part of the newsletter" and is looking forward to writing about the major events around the department. We are all excited to have her. Welcome!
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Calling All Theatre Students!
In recent weeks, the issue of SAU Theatre Callboard meeting attendance has been discussed by a number of students and faculty members. The Callboard is a group made up of one student representative from each class, who meet on a monthly basis to choose shows for Galvin's next season, plan The Galvins (an end of the year awards banquet), and discuss other departmental issues, such as current shows and the production process.
In the past, only the Callboard's members and SAU Theatre faculty were in attendance at these meetings, with the occasional outsider stopping by for a specific purpose. However, it has been brought up that these meetings are open to everyone involved in the theatre department. The post-mortem meeting is usually held the week after a mainstage show closes. Anyone involved in the production is more than welcome to attend these meetings. This way, if anyone has an opinion they would like to voice, they are able to bring up the issue themselves, rather than having to go through a representative.
Time and places do vary, but the Callboard will post the information for each meeting in advance. If you have any other issues, or are unable to attend a meeting, feel free to email the Callboard at SAUCallboard@yahoo.com. The next Callboard meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, December 5th at 1:30 p.m. in the Studio Theatre.
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Senior Salute
Name: Joe Feldman
Hometown: York, Nebraska
Major: Computer Networking Administration
Previous Productions at SAU: The Threepenny Opera (Master Electrician and Spotlight Operator), Five Women Wearing the Same Dress (Lighting Designer), Much Ado About Nothing (Claudio and Master Electrician), A Lie of the Mind (Mike), The Shape of Things (Adam)
Latest Project: Peter in Eastern Standard and Mr. Beaver in Narnia.
Why did you come to SAU? Because Cory had a bald head, just kidding. Actually, the Computer Networking Administration major.
Favorite SAU Experience? Pantry night and the late nights working on the lighting design final.
Dream Job? Professional Surfer
Favorite Actor/Actress? Ben Kingsley and Kiera Knightley
Favorite Word/Phrase? Any word or international sign created by Kris Eitrheim
Advice for Incoming Freshmen? Do as much as you can. You never know what you will like.
What will you miss most about SAU? I don't want to cop out, but...everything.
What are your plans after graduation? Get a mundane, suicide-inducing job somewhere, as well as look for acting work.
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Freshman Spotlight
Name: Katie McCormack
Hometown: Atkins, Iowa
Majors/Minors: Psychology/Theatre; Communications/French
Previous Productions: Up to Down Staircase (Silvia Barrett), Noises Off (Poppy Norton-Taylor), Footloose (Lulu Warnicker)
Most Recent Project: Follow Spotlight Operator for The Threepenny Opera
Why did you come to SAU? Because it's the coolest place there is.
Favorite SAU Experience? Meeting people I can talk to for hours without really talking about anything.
Favorite Actress/Actor: Paul Giamatti
Dream Job?: I would really love to write children's books someday, but if that doesn't work out, then definitely superhero.
Favorite Word/Phrase? I like any word that's three or more syllables: inoculate, calamitous, misappropriate…
What do you hope to accomplish at SAU? One of these days, I'm hoping that college will turn me into a grown-up. Oh, and eventually, I plan to respond to all the mail my grandma has sent me. |
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Theatre in the QCA This Month
Show: Eastern Standard
Producer: St. Ambrose University
Dates: November 10 and 11 at 7:30 p.m., November 12 at 3:00 p.m.
Tickets: $6 general admission; seating is limited!
Location: 518 West Locust Street, Davenport, IA in the Studio Theatre (located in the Galvin Fine Arts Center basement)
Show: Irving Berlin's White Christmas
Producer: Circa '21 Dinner Playhouse
Dates: Friday, November 10, 2006 thru Saturday, January 6, 2007; Wednesday matinees at 1 p.m., Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday evenings at 7:15 p.m., Sunday Evenings at 5:15 p.m.
Tickets: Prices range from $24.96 to $41.60; call (309) 786-7733 to reserve
Location: 1828 3rd Ave, Rock Island, IL; located in the District of RI
Show: ComedySportz Quad Cities
Producer: Circa '21 Dinner Playhouse
Dates: Every Friday and Saturday night at 7:00 p.m.
Tickets: $8 prepaid, $10 at the door; call (309) 786-7733, ext #2 for reserve
Location: 1818 3rd Ave, Rock Island, IL. Downtown in the District, next to Circa '21
Note: SAU students Andrew Harvey and Don Abbott are ComedySportz players. Check with them to catch them onstage.
Show: The Winning Streak
Producer: New Ground Theatre
Dates: November 2,5,9, and 12 at 2 p.m. November 3,4,10, and 11 at 7:30 p.m.
Tickets: $12 Adults, $10 Students and Senior Citizens; call (563) 326-7529 to reserve
Location: 2822 Eastern Ave, Davenport, IA
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SAU Theatre Newsletter Next Issue
Next month's issue of the theatre newsletter will include updates on the 2006 American College Theatre Festival, articles wrapping up Narnia and Eastern Standard, news on the next mainstage show, Fortinbras, and an article on Dr. Johnson's trip to Ireland.
Please use our convenient signup page to manage your subscription to SAU e-newsletters.
Visit the St. Ambrose University Web site for more information about courses offered, degrees, events, and staff. And also check out the SAU Theatre Website for more information about the Theatre Department, or contact theatre chair Kristofer Eitrheim by email or by phone at 563/333-6255.
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Department Chair: Kristofer Eitrheim - 563/333-6255
Faculty Advisor: Dr. Corinne Johnson - 563/333-6427
Newsletter Editor: Seth Kaltwasser, SAU sophomore
Contributing Journalists: Kathryn Hale, SAU senior / Emily Clifton, SAU senior / Emily Kurash, SAU senior / Catie Osborn, SAU freshman
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