The Theatre Department Newsletter
Edition 9, Issue 4
December 2008

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• Save the Date!
• Reminder: Voice and Articulation Class This Spring!
• Theatre in Galvin: “The Lesson” and “Seussical, Jr!”
• Upcoming Auditions for “Lettice and Lovage”
• Directing Class One-Act Plays: The Process
• St. Ambrose Interviews Four Candidates for Theatre Position
• Preparing for KC/ACTF!
• News From Across the Pond!
• Senior Salute: Ashley Damato
• Senior Salute: Ryan Westwood
• Transfer Spotlight: Nathan Scheetz
• Theatre in the QCA This Month

Save the Date!
On Friday, May 8, 2009, the St. Ambrose University Theatre Department will be hosting a farewell roast in honor of the one and only Michael Kennedy, celebrating his 40 years as theatre professor. The event begins at 7:30 p.m. in the Rogalski Center. All are invited, no tickets needed. Also of note, the department’s annual “Galvin Awards Night!” will be held the previous Sunday, May 3.

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Reminder: Voice and Articulation Class This Spring!
Don’t miss your opportunity to take Donna Hare’s Voice and Articulation class next semester! The course (Theatre 220) is a great chance for students to discover how they can use their voice to their best ability in building character and throughout everyday life! This course, which will be taught from 10:50 a.m.–12:05 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays next semester, is an important opportunity for student performers to hone one of their most important tools: the voice!

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Theatre in Galvin: “The Lesson” and “Seussical, Jr!”

The cast of this month's Studio Theatre production of Ionesco's "The Lesson"

As the studio show comes to a close, this season’s second mainstage show is getting closer to opening! “The Lesson,” which was performed on November 7th and 8th, was a success! “The Lesson,” written by Eugene Ionesco and directed by SAU Alum Matt Mercer, is an absurdist play depicting a lesson between a schizophrenic professor and a pupil. Matt Mercer decided to run with his idea of casting three people to portray the professor. Although it was a challenging task, his bold decisions made the show very entertaining. Mercer stated, “I got a lot of good feedback. Most of my choices turned out well. A lot of people liked the way the role of the professor was split. Some had their own opinions of it, but I was happy with how everything turned out. People liked it because it made them think.”

"Seussical Jr." ensemble members show off Dianne Dye's exciting new costumes

Just as “The Lesson” made audience members think, “Seussical, Jr!” will surely make the children in the audience do the same! When the cast of “Seussical, Jr!” hits the stage with its opening song, “Oh the Thinks You Can Think!” the children’s imaginations are sure to run wild! As the actors prepare the tongue twister lyrics to the songs and complicated dance steps of this musical, the crew is working just as hard to prepare extravagant costumes and a jungle gym of a set in order to create the fabulous land of Dr. Seuss. With characters such as The Cat in The Hat, Thing 1 and Thing 2, Gertrude McFuzz, Horton the Elephant, and Amazing Mayzie, the show will grab the attention of children and warm the hearts of parents.

The public performance dates are December 6th and 7th at 3 p.m.
For tickets, call the box office at 563/333-6251.

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Upcoming Auditions for “Lettice and Lovage”
As the semester winds down, it is time to look at what’s in store for next year! The first mainstage show of the spring semester will be “Lettice and Lovage” by Peter Shaffer, a play with roles for women and men. The production will be directed by Dr. Corinne Johnson. The comedic play tells the story of Lettice Douffet, a tour guide and expert of medieval cuisine and weaponry who tends to over-exaggerate and embellish every story she tells. Charlotte Schoen, Lettice’s inspector, has no choice but to fire her, but is drawn to Lettice’s passionate view of history. The two women form an unlikely friendship and begin to perform unusual reenactments of history events together. Their unique friendship is what makes this show an enjoyable and comedic story for all ages. The performance dates are February 20th and 21st at 7:30 p.m. and February 22 at 3 p.m.

Auditions for “Lettice and Lovage” will be held December 3rd from 4-6 p.m. and December 4th from 6-8 p.m. in Allaert Auditorium. The roles include Lettice Douffet, Lotte Schoen, Miss Framer, Mr. Bardolph, a surly man, and the visitors of the Fustian House. Monologues are required for theatre majors and minors, and suggested for non-majors. If you have any questions, please email stage manager
Dan Hernandez or call Dr. Johnson at 563/333-6427.

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Directing Class One-Act Plays: The Process
Three students in Dr. Corinne Johnson’s directing class set out to direct a one-act play of their choice about one month ago. Those three students – juniors Dan Hernandez, Katie McCormack, and Nathan Scheetz – have been working diligently to produce wonderful plays.

Dan Hernandez chose to direct Christopher Durang’s “An Actor’s Nightmare.” Dan said of his experience thus far, “Wow! Directing a One-Act is quite the event. The One-Act that I have chosen to direct is ‘The Actor's Nightmare’ by Christopher Durang. It's a crazy play about a man named George Spelvin walking onto a set not knowing who he is or what he is doing. Everyone else seems to think that he is a replacement for another ailing actor. All the other actors have to cover for George because he doesn't know the lines or the blocking. Durang references ‘Private Lives,’ ‘Hamlet,’ ‘Endgame,’ and ‘A Man For All Seasons.’ George never seems to know exactly what show he is in. The cast that I am working with is wonderful. Seth Kaltwasser plays George Spelvin; Rachel Mayer plays Meg; Emily Kurash plays Sarah; Ashley Damato plays Ellen; and Andrew Harvey plays Henry. They are great fun to work with and I have a blast in rehearsal with all of them. The show might be a ‘Nightmare’ but working on it is a dream.”

Katie McCormack chose to direct Edward Albee’s “Finding the Sun.” Katie said of her experience thus far, “The way this class is structured, you learn a little bit about directing, and then you sort of get thrown in to directing a one act play. I chose to direct ‘Finding the Sun’ because of the characters. Albee has a great way of creating these interesting and complex characters. There are eight characters in ‘Finding the Sun,’ and each character is fully developed and very complex, and they are all intertwined in some incredibly complicated relationships. I am truly lucky to have a cast of eight wonderful actors and the support of Cory Johnson. Directing this play has been and will continue to be a delightful challenge.”

Nathan Scheetz chose to direct Elaine May’s “Hotline.” Nathan said of his experience thus far, “I chose to direct ‘Hotline’ because, while it is quite funny and entertaining, I saw a deeper meaning in the show. It is, on the surface, a story about a suicidal woman calling a suicide hotline. Underneath that simple façade, however, it is a show about a disturbed woman and an insecure man who meet over the phone and wind up impacting each other’s lives profoundly. The experience of directing this show has been amazing thus far. My cast is wonderful, and it is great to see what it’s like to be the director as opposed to being an actor.”

These three one-acts will perform ONE NIGHT ONLY, Tuesday, December 9 at 7 p.m. in the Studio Theater. Tickets are free, but only 50 seats are available.

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St. Ambrose Interviews Four Candidates for Theatre Position
This month, the St. Ambrose Theatre Department invited four candidates to visit campus and interview for next year’s Theatre Professor position. The four candidates were Sean Michael Dooley, Brad Dell, Dr. Mark Seamon, and Daniel Rairdin-Hale.

It was a busy month for the department as all four candidates visited campus within a two-week period. During their visits, candidates met with each member of the SAU faculty and many other staff members. Also, each candidate taught two classes,which were open to the public. One class was a studio activity course and the other was a lecture class, with the topic chosen by the candidate. The lecture class was always followed by a Q&A session where students and faculty could learn more about the candidate.

Students were strongly encouraged to participate in the interview process. At the end of each class period, attending students were asked to fill out surveys to evaluate how well the candidate presented his information and held the students’ attention. This is the first time St. Ambrose has hired a new theatre professor in nearly 20 years, and the search committee wanted to make sure that anyone who would be affected by this hire – including staff, majors, minors, and everyone else – had a chance to come in, meet the candidates, and express their thoughts.

The interviews have since concluded and all four candidates made strong impressions. The search committee (which consists of Theatre professors Michael Kennedy, Dr. Corinne Johnson, and Kristofer Eitrheim, English professor Owen Rogal, and SAU senior and Theatre major Seth Kaltwasser) has a difficult task ahead. According to their timeline, a decision will be made and an offer will be extended to one of the candidates before Christmas in the hopes that Ambrose will have a new professor hired by early next semester.

The search committee wishes to thank the four candidates for their time, as well as the numerous students, staff, and faculty members who attended the interview events and offered their input. Next year will be a big transition year for St. Ambrose’s theatre department, but this search process has been a positive first step.

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Preparing for KC/ACTF!
While the semester may be winding down, students and faculty of the Theatre Department have been hard at work preparing for this year’s Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival. This annual festival gives students the opportunity to participate in a variety of theatre workshops, attend fully realized productions, audition for 10 minute plays, and participate in auditions and interviews for summer stock auditions.

One very important part of the festival is the Irene Ryan Competition. Two actors from each mainstage production are selected by the production’s adjudicator to participate in the competition. The competition consists of three rounds; the first two must be contrasting scenes with a partner that may or may not include singing. During the final round, students present their first two scenes as well as a monologue or a song. The winner of the Region V Festival will go on to compete in the National Festival, held at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C.

The nominees are as follows:
Seth Kaltwasser (Nominated for “God’s Favorite”)
Partner: Jessica Stratton
Scene 1: “Fiction” by Stephen Dietz
Scene 2: “Measure for Measure” by William Shakespeare
Monologue: Not yet chosen.
Comments: The piece from "Fiction" is a really fun scene with great energy. And the Shakespeare piece is a great find: it's difficult to find a scene that can establish a compelling conflict and strong characters in less than three minutes, but this scene does!

Matt Mercer (Nominated for “God’s Favorite”)
Partner: Drew Parks
Scene 1: “A Perfect Relationship” by Doric Wilson
Scene 2: “Closer” by Patrick Marber
Monologue: “Henry IV”
Comments: I chose these scenes because they show two very different relationships and characters. This will help show my range, and it will be a learning experience for me to work on these characters.

Ryan Westwood (Nominated for “Pippin”)
Partner: Nathan Scheetz
Scene 1: “You’re Nothing Without Me” from “City of Angels”
Scene 2: “Richard III” by William Shakespeare
Monologue: “Frankie and Johnny and the Clair de Lune”
Comments: Nathan and I were ACTF partners when we were at Kirkwood and we work really well together. I saw the Shakespeare scene last year and basically fell in love with it. There’s a lot of opportunity for movement within the scene. The “Frankie and Johnny” monologue is a great, “in the moment,” climaxing monologue that is perfect for my type.

Emily Kurash (Nominated for “Pippin”)
Partner: Mike Kline
Scene 1: “John and Jen,” music by Andrew Lippa and lyrics by Tom Greenwald
Scene 2: A Shakespeare scene; either “Comedy of Errors” or “As You Like It”
Monologue: “Fiction” by Stephen Dietz
Comments: I chose the scene from “John and Jen” because it is a very good stand-alone piece where a crucial turning point is reached and significant decisions must be made for the characters. I also wanted a comedic Shakespeare scene to complement the contemporary drama in “John and Jen.”

Jessica Denney (Nominated for “Inherit the Wind”)
Partner: Sean Tweedale
Scenes: not yet chosen.

Dan Hernandez (Nominated for “Inherit the Wind”)
Partner: Sean Tweedale
Scenes: not yet chosen.

There will be a first showing of the nominee’s scenes on Thursday, December 11 at 7 p.m. in the Studio Theater. All are encouraged to attend to give these actors tips and encouragement. We wish them the best of luck at the festival!

There are other ways in which Ambrose students will be participating in this year’s festival. Several will participate in the Stagecrew Showdown, competing against teams from other universities in performing various technical theatre tasks. This year’s team will consist of Josh Tipsword, Matt Carney, and Andrew Benson. An award is not only given to the winning team, but also the team with the most spirit, so everyone at the festival is encouraged to attend the Showdown to cheer on their teammates! SAU senior, Rachel Mayer, will also be participating in the festival by preparing a 10-minute scene to submit to the Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers National Fellowship Scene Audition. She is also applying to direct one of the 10-minute plays that will be written by a student playwright from another university.

This year’s Region V festival will take place January 18-23, 2009 in Lawrence, Kansas. Students actively participating in festival are paid for by the SAU Theatre Department. There are many ways to get involved in the festival. More information is available at www.kcactf.org. On this website, select the Region V for more information on our region. Students not actively participating, but would still like to attend the festival should contact Department Chair Kris Eitrheim at (563)333-6255 as soon as possible. Spots are available for a $60 fee. These spots are first offered to majors and minors on a first come, first serve basis.

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News From Across the Pond!
This semester two of the theatre departments own have been missing from Galvin. Juniors Abby VanGerpen and Catie Osborn are studying at Edge Hill University in Ormskirk, Lancashire (England). Here’s an update on what life has been like for them on the other side of the world!

Hello all from the merry olde land of England! Things are going gloriously well for us, and we are enjoying our time here immensely. For the record, we are attending Edge Hill University in Ormskirk, Lancashire. It is located about 20 minutes (by train) outside of Liverpool, which is amazing because we have both the experience of living in a smaller English community with the benefits of the big city at our fingertips.

Edge Hill is a unique school in that it has a performing arts program and a theatre on site. Usually, theatre is something to be studied at a conservatory, so the option of theatre classes at a university is a pretty big deal. The Year of Darwin has spread across the pond, and The Rose Theatre here on campus had a performance of a unique show entitled "Darwin's Worms", which was a puppetry piece about Darwin's experiments with worms...very, very out there, but also very entertaining.

It is here that we will shamelessly insert a plug for our blog: http://2girls1adventure.wordpress.com. It's a good time and a must read. Interestingly, we are gaining fame and fortune --well, not fortune---from our blog. People at Edge Hill have stopped us and recognized us as "those girls from that blog", which we think is pretty nifty.

We have gone on some amazing adventures already and we can't wait to see and do more here as the opportunities present themselves. We have seen much of the country, with visits to London and Manchester being some of our favorites. Blackpool, Wales, Leeds, The Lake District have also been visited. In one of the most epic adventures, we hit France, Belgium and Holland in one fell swoop, wound up stranded in Amsterdam and got a free ride back in first class because Catie finally remembered her theatre major and cried in the ticket line.

We are planning a few trips to see some theatre, but Liverpool's status as Culture Capital of Europe 2008 is awesome because they --literally--bring the theatre to us. The Rose on campus is also an excellent venue for outside entertainment.

The one downside to being here is that there is a definite lack of theatre to get involved in. There is an amateur dramatic society in town, but when we arrived they were already in the midst of rehearsals for the Christmas Pantos (sort of a puppet/live fairy tale/variety show mix). However, the upside is that there is a great student run theatre group (and circus society) that we have had the opportunity to get involved in. The Lettuce Theatre (the student group) is awesome, as every week something new is covered, whether it be mask work or improv. There is also Comedy Sportz here in England, so that little bit of home is appreciated (especially as the QC has been the World Champs).

We miss Ambrose a great deal and we can't wait to come back just in time for Christmas! -Catie and Abby

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Senior Salute: Ashley Damato

Hometown: Aurora, IL
Previous Productions at SAU: “Urinetown” (Poor Woman #1), “Dear Edwina” (Kelli), “The Threepenny Opera” (Pit Band), “Narnia” (Susan), “Wake Up Call” (Rochelle), “[sic]” (Assistant Stage Manager), “Am I Blue” (Ashbe), “WASP” (Sis), “Pippin” (Pit Band), “Inherit the Wind” (Assistant Stage Manager)
Latest Project: Bird Girl in "Seussical, Jr!", Cordelia in "Finding the Sun", and Ellen in "The Actor's Nightmare"
Why did you come to SAU? I really enjoyed the Education Department professors but mostly it was because the campus is so gosh darn pretty!
Favorite SAU Experience: Every interaction ever with Mike, Cory, and Kris (especially the funny ones) and signing autographs after “Dear Edwina” and “Narnia.”
Dream Job: Teaching Special Education in a Behavior Disorder room... and being paid well for it. Favorite Actor/Actress: Will Ferrell, Rachel McAdams, Audrey Hepburn, and Carol Channing :)
Favorite Word/Phrase: "Wise men talk because they have something to say. Fools talk because they have to say something." ~Plato; "It'll all be ok." ~Wisest words I've ever heard.
Biggest Pet Peeve: People who are fake. And getting acting notes from other actors.
Advice for Incoming Freshmen: Know your limits. It's great to be involved but make sure you can give 100% to your commitments! It's better to pace yourself and do the best job you can at whatever you're doing rather than doing every single thing you can and just doing enough to get by. And also... Stage Manage. Just do it. It'll make you a better person.
What will you miss most about SAU? The ability to sleep until 11:00 on certain days and being around the hilarity that is the theater department!
What are your plans after graduation? I'm going to stay in the Quad Cities for a year to teach special education (hopefully) and live with some awesome people and my cat named Liza Minnelli, and then move back around Chicago to teach there and get my masters (and some day a doctorate?!) in behavior/emotional disorders.

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Junior Nathan Scheetz in this month's Studio Theatre production of "The Lesson"

Hometown: North Liberty, Iowa
Major: Theatre
Previously Studied: Kirkwood Community College, studied Theatre
Past Productions: Poole in “Jekyll and Hyde,” Professor 2 in “The Lesson,” Patrick in “Patrick’s Hat Trick,” Ensemble in “Follies”
Current Projects: Directing “Hotline” for the Directing Class One-Acts
Why did you choose SAU? I had seen a couple of shows at St. Ambrose and was very impressed, and I also had the chance to speak with Dr. Cory Johnson at ACTF last year, and she convinced me to come here.
Favorite SAU memory so far: Taking directing class
What do you hope to accomplish at SAU? I would like to learn to be the best I can in all aspects of the theatre.
Favorite Actor/Actress: Al Pacino
Favorite Word/Phrase: Excellent!

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Theatre in the QCA This Month
Show: “Seussical, Jr!”
Producer: St. Ambrose University
Dates: December 6 and 7 at 3:00 p.m.
Tickets: $10 for adults, $9 for faculty/staff/senior citizens, $8 for non-SAU students, and SAU students with current student IDs are admitted free. To reserve tickets, visit the Galvin Box Office at www.sau.edu/galvin or call 563-333-6251.
Location: Allaert Auditorium, Galvin Fine Arts Center on the St. Ambrose campus.

Show: “It’s a Wonderful Life”
Producer: Circa ’21 Dinner Playhouse
Dates: Nov. 14 through Jan. 3. Wednesday matinees at 1 p.m., Wednesday through Saturday evenings at 7 p.m., Sunday evenings at 5 p.m.
Tickets: Prices range from $24.96 to $44.10; call (309) 786-773 to reserve.
Location: 1818 3rd Avenue, Rock Island, Ill.; located in the District of Rock Island.
Note: Included in the cast, is former SAU actor Andrew Hall.

Show: ComedySportz Quad Cities
Producer: Circa ’21 Dinner Playhouse
Dates: Every Friday and Saturday night at 7 p.m.
Tickets: $8 prepaid, $10 at the door
Location: 1818 3rd Avenue, Rock Island, Ill. Downtown in the District, next to Circa ’21.
Note: ComedySportz players include SAU students Broc Nelson, John Hannon, and Cynthia Symsor

Show: “Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing”
Producer: Junior Theatre
Dates: December 10, 3:30 p.m; December 12, 10 a.m.; December 13, 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.; and December 14, 2 p.m.
Tickets: $5 for anyone 3 years and up. Call (563) 326-7862 for more information.
Location: 2816 Eastern Avenue, Davenport.
Note: This production is directed by SAU Alum Jessica Stratton, who is designing the set as well. Also on the production team are SAU Seniors Emily Kurash and Rachel Mayer, serving as the costume and sound designers, respectively.

Show: “Mono-Blogs: Contents Under Pressure”
Producer: Harrison Hilltop Theatre
Dates: Now through December 6.
Tickets: Seating is limited. Visit www.harrisonhilltop.com to reserve.

Show: “Santaland Diaries and Season’s Greetings”
Producer: Harrison Hilltop Theatre
Dates: December 18-21.
Tickets: Seating is limited. Visit www.harrisonhilltop.com to reserve.

Show: “Angels in America, Part II: Perestroika”
Producer: The Green Room Theatre
Dates: December 5-7 and 11-14
Tickets: To reserve tickets, call (309) 786-5660. Dec. 11 is the designated “Pay-what-you-can” performance, where people can pay whatever they’d like.
Location: 1611 2nd Avenue, Rock Island, Illinois.
Note: This production stars SAU Alum Tyson Danner.

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SAU Theatre Newsletter Next Issue
Due to winter break, there will be no January edition. Our next issue will be released on February 2, 2009 and will include a story about the mainstage production of “Lettice and Lovage” and an update on the 2009 Kennedy Center/American College Theatre Festival!

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.

Department Chair: Kristofer Eitrheim - 563/333-6255
Faculty Advisor: Dr. Corinne Johnson - 563/333-6427
Newsletter Editor: Seth Kaltwasser, SAU senior
Contributing Journalists: Emily Kurash/SAU senior, Rachel Mayer/SAU senior, Katie McCormack/SAU Junior, Justine Petesch/ SAU freshman