Theatre Newsletter: March 2004

Department Chair: Kristofer Eitrheim–(563) 333-6255, EitrheimKristoferJ@sau.edu
Faculty Advisor: Dr. Corinne Johnson–(563) 333-6427, CorinneJohnsonS@sau.edu
Newsletter Editor: Daniel Sheridan, SAU Junior, SAUTheatreNews@Yahoo.com
Contributing Journalist: Julie Arensdorf, SAU freshman / Jenny Stodd, SAU sophomore

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ACTF Yields Summer Stock Work for Students
At January’s Kennedy Center/American College Theatre Festival (KC/ACTF) in Denver, Colorado, student’s were not only showing off their theatrical talents in competitions, but some were landing summer jobs at theatres around the region.  The annual festival hosts summer stock auditions in which those attending the conference can audition (without fees) for a paid professional summer position at a number of theatre companies.  These theatres produce many shows during the summer, which are aimed at vacationers and their families.  All of their plays are cast from a “stock” of actors. 

Every SAU student that auditioned for at KC/ACTF was offered a position, with some receiving multiple offers.  Matt Erkel, Dan Hale, Daniel Sheridan, and Jenny Stodd earned the opportunity to work at Theatre L’Homme Dieu in (Alexandria, Minnesota).   Jessica Rairdin-Hale may accompany her husband and continue her work in the technical aspect of theatre with the company. This summer season the theatre will be performing Alice in Wonderland, Grease, Of Mice and Men, The Last of the Red Hot Lovers, Deathtrap, and Main Street. 

SAU sophomore Jenny Stodd will play Patty Simcox in Grease and Alice in Alice in Wonderland, and will also do backstage and technical work.  Stodd says that she is “excited to meet new people and work with the Ambrose boys.  I’m ecstatic to spend a summer just doing what I love to do.”  SAU senior Dan Hale will play Roger in Grease and also another role in Alice in Wonderland.  He will also be helping backstage and work with the technical duties at the theatre.  “I’m excited to have a chance to spend at least one more summer with my friends doing something I love,” comments Hale.  Daniel Sheridan, an SAU junior, will be playing Doodie in Grease and another role in Alice in Wonderland.  Sheridan agrees with his peers in being excited about working together, and “particularly Dan Hale as this may be our last time working with each other in the near future.”  He is also “nervous about my solo and duet in Grease.  It should be great to be mixed in with AEA actors, professionals and college students onstage.”  SAU senior Matt Erkel is cast in Of Mice and Men, Grease and Alice in Wonderland.

“This is a smart way to begin a professional career,” said Dr. Cory Johnson of the SAU Theatre Department.  Working at a theatre through the summer allows students to make many connections with others who share their passion.  The job is intense and has long hours of hard work, so it is good for students to take advantage of this opportunity while they are still young.  The SAU theatre department wishes our students the best of luck this summer!

*For more information or to reserve tickets for summer shows go to: www.tlhd.org

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Senior Salute

Name: Matthew Adam Cox
Hometown: Blue Grass, IA
Major(s) & Minor(s): Theatre, Computer Science, and Spanish Major
Previous Productions at SAU:  Scenic designer for Baby with the Bathwater, Mr. Webb in Our Town, stage manager for “Pippi Longstocking,” Uncle Morty in My Favorite Year, Common Man in Man for All Seasons, stage manager for Raise in Captivity, lighting designer for The Lonesome West, Lennox in Macbeth, asst. stage manager for How I Learned to Drive.
Favorite SAU experience?  “Working with the people here.  No matter what position you are in or what capacity you are working on a show, everyone is willing to listen to your ideas.”
Favorite role?  “The Common Man in Man for All Seasons and stage manager for ‘Pippi Longstocking.’”
Latest project?  “Mr. Webb in Our Town, scenic design for Baby with the Bathwater, and directing a 10-minute scene from Wonderful World.”
Dream job?  “A job where I could work on different facets of theatre and computers.  I want the time to do it all.”
Favorite Actor/Actress?  “Robin Williams does great work and Ian McKellen.”
Favorite quote?  “Imagination is the core of inspiration.”
Favorite word/phrase?  “Swanky.”
Least favorite word/phrase?  “Impossible.”
If Heaven exists, what would you like God to say?  “I’m proud of you.”

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The Studio Theatre’s Newest Baby

Christopher Durang’s Baby With the Bathwater tells the hilarious story of a couple who try to raise a child, without the slightest idea of how to do it correctly.  Out of politeness the parents (John and Helen) never look at their newborn’s private parts—which forces them to raise the child without knowing if it is a boy of a girl. John (played by Matt Graber) is addicted to Nyquil and pills, and Helen (played by Jill Schmits) is a manic depressive whose shouted words of love and tender threats are symptoms of a larger problem.  Helen, the mother, assumes her child is a girl, calling it Daisy and clothing the child in dresses.  The two-act comedy introduces a large variety of crazy and kooky characters, from a presumptuous principal, to a negligent next-door neighbor, to a know-it-all nanny.  The show is a funny, satirical and sometimes bittersweet look at the challenges of raising children.  The baby survives run-ins with poisoned toys, infant-eating German shepherds, bus collisions and an attempted kidnapping—only to reach adulthood and be faced with the complicated burden of parenting.

Director Stephanie Massick says the show is “dark and quirky and sometimes downright silly, but the message at the center is a genuine one: Raising kids is not an easy task and no parent will do it perfectly.  But as children grow up, they can make the choice to build upon the good parts, learn from the bad parts and then tackle parenthood themselves.”  In reference to the rehearsal process Massick says, “The production is coming together wonderfully.  Everyone involved is exceptionally talented.”

Studio Theatre
Dates
Fri. March 26^th-7:30pm
Sat. March 27^th-7:30pm
Sun. March 28^th-3:00pm

Tickets
$6 General Admission.
Tickets available at the Galvin Box Office (563) 333 - 6251
Reservations strongly recommended (seating limited to 50)

Cast List
Helen-Jill Schmits
John-Matt Graber
Nanny-Allison Costello
Daisy/”baby”-Andrew Harvey
Cynthia-Jenny Stodd
Psychiatrist-Chris White
Kate-Claire Richards
Angela-Emily Clifton
Mrs. Willoughby-Marianna Caldwell
Miss Pringle-Julie Arensdorf
Susan-Katie Danalewich

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Guest Artist Spotlight

Name: Greg Hiatt
Hometown: Swayzee, IN
Education: Degree in Business from Indiana Wesleyan
What are you currently working on here at SAU?  “Getting my pay check now that I have finished costume designing Our Town for the mainstage.”
Why did you decide to lend your talents with us this season?  “It’s always great coming over to work for Ambrose.  I love working with Dianne (Dye), Cory (Johnson), and the students are wonderful.”
How long have you been in the profession?  “I’ve been working in theatre for 25 years.”
What compels you about theatre?  “The fact that every performance is new, original.  It is something different every time.”
When approaching a project, how do you begin?  “I try to read the script at least two or three times for nothing but enjoyment.  Then I go back and begin the process through a designer's eyes.”
What makes an artist?  “The ability to create a concept and execute it.”
What do you find unique about working at SAU?  “What has always intrigued me is the genuine sincerity of all the people and their willingness to learn.”
Favorite project?  “I couldn’t say anyone project.  The collaboration and creative process is what makes it fun.  When a director has a vision and a passion, it helps to continue to inspire me.”
Favorite color?  “I don’t have one.  I like all colors in different times, places, and things.”
Favorite quote?  “Please God!  Please!  Don’t let me be normal.”  -The Fantastiks
Favorite word/phrase?  “Friend.”
Least Favorite word/phrase?  “Apathy.”
If Heaven exists, what would you like God to say?  “Not bad.”

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Directing Class Creates Opportunities

Since the arrival of Dr. Corinne Johnson at the SAU Theatre Department in 1989, Ambrose has offered a course that specializes in directing once every academic year.  The course is designed to give students the chance to dabble in all elements of a director’s work, with the class consisting of design collaboration projects, script analysis, concept presentations, holding auditions, directing a 10-minute scene, directing a one-act and numerous other aspects dealing in technique, communication and time management.  Johnson stated her goals on the course, “I hope to help students see all the elements that come together to make good theatre, but more importantly, to make the directors good storytellers.”

This year’s class, consisting of six students, is rather large for the workload and participation demands that encompass the whole department.  Eric Behnke, Ted Stephens III, Matt Cox, Sue Brandt, Chris Konrady and Matt Erkel are all currently directing 10-minute scenes from The Shape of Things, All My Sons, Wonderful World, “Today’s Special,” “The Judgment Call” and Long Day’s Journey into Night, respectively.  “By doing so many scenes, it gives the actors a chance to be involved with different directors and a variety of texts, while the directors gain exposure to different actors,” said Behnke.

What’s the hardest part about starting out this project?  “Choosing one (script),” Stephens said instantly.  “First, is finding a piece that stands on its own,” commented Erkel.  Cox agrees, “Picking the scene was the most difficult step so far.  I had to read through a ton of material.”  Clearly there is an agreement among the group.  After selecting the material, the directors must find actors, schedule rehearsals, plan a concept and execute their work in a final showing of their scenes. Many of the students in the directing class are not intending on pursuing directing as a career, but they know it is a valuable course that can be applied in any field.  

“This course is completely applicable to my pursuit in business,” states Cox.  “The organization and personal interaction is intense.”  Behnke adds, “I plan to stage manage for a living and the directing class gives me another view of the process.”

These student directors will produce fully realized one-acts in the Studio Theatre as their final project in this class.  The one-acts are yet to be chosen and will be performed on May 2^nd and May 4^th at 7:00pm in the SAU Studio Theatre.

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Cast List Full of Rumors
Director:  Michael Kennedy
Stage Manager:  Jamie Booher

Cast:    
Chris Gorman  -  Marianna Caldwell
Ken Gorman    -  Dan Hale
Claire Ganz      -  Julie Arensdorf
Lenny Ganz      -  Rusty K. Koll
Ernie Cusack    -  Matt Erkel
Cookie Cusack -  Amy Stabb
Glenn Cooper   -  Ted Stephens III
Cassie Cooper  -  Claire Richards
Officer Welch    -  Katie Burns
Officer Pudney  -  Scott Peake

Dates: 
Fri. April 16^th @ 7:30pm
Sat. April 17^th @ 7:30pm
Sun. April 18^th @ 3:00pm

Where:  Galvin Fine Arts Center in Alleart Auditorium

Tickets:  $10 adults / $9 senior citizens / $8 students
               *Free admission for Ambrose students
               *Contact the Galvin Box Office at (563)  333 - 6251

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Freshman Spotlight
Name: Kristine Margaret Heithoff
Hometown: Carrol, IAMajor(s) & Minor(s):  Theatre major with plans of double majoring
Previous Productions:  Asst. stage manager and sound design for “Pippi Longstocking,” running crew for My Favorite Year, stage manager and set designer for Bye Bye Birdie, stage manager and set designer for Death and Taxes, set designer for Brigadoon, and set designer for Done to Death.
Why did you come to SAU?  “They offered me a theatre scholarship and I love the setup of the department.  I wanted a small school setting.”
Favorite SAU experience?  “Working with Jamie Booher.”
Latest project?  “Asst. stage manager for Baby with the Bathwater and sound designer for Rumors.”
Dream job?  “Design sets and lights for well-known professional companies.”
Favorite Actor/Actress?  “Don’t really have one.”
Favorite quote?  “Your inner child is at age three right now and it has to be at least at a seven to be the level headed one in this group.”  -Emily Cliffton
Favorite word/phrase?  “Keys.  I can never find them, but when I do the word is great.
Least favorite word/phrase?  “You can’t do that.”
If Heaven exists, what would you like God to say?  “I will always look after you."

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Hale Goes for Yale

Hale goes for Yale and numerous other graduate schools!  Senior Theatre major, Dan Hale is looking into all of the post graduation opportunities he can.  Hale has spent numerous hours researching different graduate school programs, and finally decided to audition for a Master of Fine Arts degree.  This February, he traveled to Chicago, where a wide variety of schools hold open and scheduled auditions at the Palmer House Hilton.  Hale prepared six monologues of contrasting nature and a song.  “I confess I was nervous the first time,” Hale said.  “I got used to the place and the process, though.”  New York University’s Tisch School for the Arts, University of Delaware, and University of Missouri-Kansas City all called Hale back for interviews.  Hale is optimistic, and should hear a response at the beginning of March.  “I think it’s a valuable experience for anyone interested in theatre,” he explained.  “You learn about auditioning and you meet a lot of great people.”

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Workin' in the Sceneshop... Yeah!

St. Ambrose University’s Theatre Department puts on four main stage shows, three studio theatre productions, and student directed one-acts every year.  Students perform in these productions, as well as create the scenery.  This month, the SAU Theatre Newsletter travels below the stage to the scene shop, where these marvelous sets take shape.

While convincing us the best way to learn was to help him build something, senior Brian Strohm took a moment to express his love for the shop.  Strohm, a theatre major, is a scholarship student who works his required scholarship hours in the shop because he loves carpentry projects.  “Most of us work hard, and we weed out the ones who don’t,” Strohm explained.  “I like it most of the time,” he grinned, “but that Kris guy is kinda weird.”

That Kris guy happens to be Kris Eitrheim, Technical Director for the Theatre Department.  Eitrheim explained that he has an average of 4-5 students working every day.  “We have a lot more who just visit,” he states.  The working students receive a tool-training program, and always have a project in progress, according to Eitrheim.  He is honest when he says the work is different than your normal job, but he enjoys it.

Even students who aren’t theatre majors can be involved in the shop.  Junior Keith Claussen started as a work study student last fall.  He likes the shop, though he explained it gets crazy, especially around show time.

Freshman Kristie Heithoff, who shows her devotion by wearing paint from the flats she’s just finished, combined work study and scholarship hours for her theatre major.  “I work ten hours a week plus scholarship hours,” she said.  “On show days I’m here whenever I have a free moment.”

What’s the best part about working in the shop?  Heithoff claims it’s seeing something she has created used on stage.  Strohm adds, “I love working with a wide variety of people and skill levels.  You see the power someone feels the first time they use a saw correctly.”  Kris Eitrheim sums it up best.  With a twinkle in his eye, he vows that “workin’ in the scene shop is just swell."

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Senior Salute
Name:  Kacie Louise McIntyre
Hometown:  Brimfield, IL
Major(s) & Minor(s):  Spanish Major
Previous Productions at SAU:  Our Town as Mrs. Gibbs, “Pippi Longstocking” as Mrs. Stettergren, City of Angels as Big Six, “James and the Giant Peach” as a townsperson, A Christmas Carol as a townsperson, and Assistant Director for Gypsy.
Favorite SAU experience?  “City of Angels because it was a great time and amazing challenge.  The whole cast overcame some tough times and put out a show we were all very proud of.”
Favorite role?  “Being the Statue of Liberty in ‘James and the Giant Peach.’  I was rolled out on a platform.  It can’t get much better than that.”
Latest project?  “Mrs. Gibbs in Our Town.”
Dream job?  “Social work involving children where I am in the capacity to play a big influence and improve their lives.  It is a culmination of everything I love to do.”
Favorite Actor/Actress?  “Dustin Hoffman.”
Favorite quote?  “Sing as if no one was listening, dance as if no one was watching, live as if everyday were your last.”
Favorite word/phrase?  “Pleasure.”
Least favorite word/phrase?  “Can’t."
If Heaven exists, what would you like God to say?  “Thanks for coming.”

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Theatre Around the QCA this Month

Show:              Baby with the Bathwater
Producer:         St. Ambrose University
Dates:              March 26-27 @ 7:30pm and March 28 @ 3:00pm.
Tickets:            $6.  Reservations highly encouraged @ (563) 333-6251.  Seating limited.
Location:          Galvin Fine Arts Center on the campus of St. Ambrose University.
Note:                Our studio theatre is an intimate setting that seats only 50 audience members.

Show:               Smokey Joe’s Cafe
Producer:         Circa’ 21 Dinner Playhouse
Dates:               Runs through March 20. Wed. –Sat. @ 6:00pm. Sunday @ 4:00pm
                        Wed. matinees @ 11:45am.
Tickets:            $37.50 on weekends, $35 on Wed., and $32.50 on Wed. matinees. 
                        Dinner/Lunch included.  Reservations @ (309) 786-7733.
Location          1828 3^rd Ave, Rock Island. By the District, next to ComedySportz.
Note:               Company owner Denny Hitchcock is a member of the SAU advisory board.

Show:               ComedySportz
Producer:          Circa’ 21 Dinner Playhouse
Dates:               Every Friday & Saturday @ 7:00pm.
Tickets:            $10 at the door. $8 with reservation. Call (309) 786-7733.
Location:          1828 3^rd Ave, Rock Island.  Next to, but not in, Circa’ 21.
Note:                Daniel Sheridan, Dan Hale, and Andrew Harvey, all SAU students, are      currently involved at ComedySportz.  To catch them onstage, please give them a call.

Show:               Born Yesterday
Producer:          Playcrafters Barn Theatre
Dates:               March 12-13, 19-20 & 26-27 @ 7:00pm. 14, 21 & 28 @ 3:00pm.
Tickets:           $8 per person.  Reservations @ (309) 762-0330.
Location:          4950 – 35^th Avenue, Moline, IL

Show:              Cruise Into Murder
Producer:          It’s a Mystery
Dates:               Friday, March 5^th @ 6:30pm
Tickets:            $35.  Reservations required @ (563) 355-0291.
Location:          Abbey Hotel, Bettendorf, IA.
Note:                This is an interactive show in which the audience helps solve the mystery.  Show includes a gourmet dinner.  SAU junior Allison Costello is part of the company.

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Death of a Salesman Reunites SAU Alumni

Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman is considered by many to be one of the most inspiring and evocative works produced in American dramatic literature.  It is with this moving piece that the Theatre Department at St. Ambrose University has begun to reunite its alumni and merge them with current students and faculty to create a piece of unforgettable artwork filled with invaluable experience.

SAU is proud to have its very own Michael Kennedy (’60) playing Willy Loman, the tragic lead that is determined to find success, or die trying.  Kennedy, a professor in communications and theatre at SAU for the past thirty-four years, is delighted for the opportunity to play this complex role. 

Anyone who has ever participated with the SAU theatre department is strongly encouraged to contribute to and/or attend this production.  If interested, please contact Cory Johnson (563-333-6427).  Anyone who is interested in keeping up on the progress of Death of a Salesman should visit the official website at http://web.sau.edu/salesmanproject/.  At the site you can keep up on the cast, crew, who will be back in town and even share your favorite memory of Mike Kennedy himself. 

“I am really thrilled to have this fabulous play done on our stage with a cast and crew that can serve it well,” Dr. Johnson said in closing.  “We want to include as many as we can in this memorable experience.”

Production Information

Show:  Death of a Salesman  by Arthur Miller

Dates:  Thursday, Sept. 9^th / Friday, Sept. 10^th / Saturday, Sept. 11^th / @ 7:30pm/ Sunday Sept. 12^th @ 3:00pm

Tickets:  $10 reserved seating

Discounted rate to high school groups that may integrate the show into curriculum
SAU students with a current valid SAU ID are free

On-Sale Date:  Monday, Aug. 9^th, 2004 at 10:00am in the Galvin Center box office or by calling (563) 333 – 6251.  Reservations are strongly recommended.

Cast
Willy Loman:  Michael Kennedy (’60)
Linda:  Cory Johnson (Current faculty)
Biff:  Matt Speak (’96)
Happy:  Erick Holloway (’00)
Charlie:  Rich Moore (’71)
Bernard:  (Still Pending)
Uncle Ben:  Jim Van Speybroeck (’60)
Howard Wagner:  Kris Eitrheim (Current faculty)
Jenny:  (Still Pending)
Stanley:  Aaron Randolph III (’02)
Miss Forsythe: Kris Halverson/Skaggs (’97)
Waiter:  (Still Pending)
Letta:  Debbie (Hassi) Noonan (’98)
The Woman:  Joan Zamiska/McClive (’94)

Production Team
Director:  Matt Speak (’96)
Stage Manager:  Ted Stephens III (’01)
Asst. Stage Manager:  Jamie Booher (’06)
Costume Design:  Brian Hemesath  (’94)
Set Designer:  Frank Schneeberger (’69)
Sound Designer:  Joe Goodall (’03)
Lighting Designer:  Jon Pomeroy (’88)
Assistant Director:  Daniel DP Sheridan (’05)
Scenic Painter:  Catheryn Lass (Former Galvin staff member)
Producer:  Dr. Corinne Johnson (Current faculty)
Marketing Coordinator:  Ted Stephens III ('01)
Props Mistress:  Victoria Fairbrother (’03)
Light Board Operator:  Carol DeFiore (’91)
Sound Board Operator:  Lisa Bossch Randolph (’99)
Running Crew:  Rusty K. Koll ('05)
Videographer:  Matt Erkel ('05)
Post Show Q&A Facilitator:  Randy Richards (Current faculty)

  *Additional roles and technical positions may still be available.  If interested, please contact Dr. Corinne Johnson (563 – 333 – 6427) as soon as possible. 

  *Current students interested in acting in a small role or being a part of the set, lights or costume crew should contact Dr. Corinne Johnson immediately for an application.  The deadline is March 1^st and may continue on a rolling basis.

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SAU NEWSLETTER: NEXT EDITION

The newsletter is intended to be sent out on the first business day of every month.  The next issue will be released on Thursday, April 1 (we're not fooling you). 

The April issue will take a featured look at the upcoming mainstage show Rumors and the shows selected for next season.  Also, a story about Dr. Cory Johnson's upcoming sabbatical next semester and what she plans to bring back to SAU. 

To inquire further about St. Ambrose University and our offered courses, degrees, events, and staff, visit www.SAU.edu for information.  Come check out the SAU Theatre Website at www.sau.edu/theatre.  If interested in learning more about the Theatre Department, please contact theatre chair Kristofer Eitrheim by phone at (563) 333-6255 or e-mail at EitrheimKristoferJ@sau.edu.

DO YOU KNOW ANYONE WHO WOULD LIKE TO BE ADDED TO THE SAU NEWSLETTER MAILING LIST?  If yes, contact us at SAUTheatreNews@Yahoo.com and get their names put on our e-mail list.  If you would like to be removed from the mailing list, please contact us at the same address.  Thanks.

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