Applause presents classic stage drama March 19-28
| ‘Cheaper by the Dozen’ in Lakeville |  |
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| Thursday, 11 March 2010 | |
| Applause presents classic stage drama March 19-28 You wouldn’t know it by the current cast list, but Lakeville-based Applause Community Theatre isn’t a children’s troupe.There’s just no getting around the child- to adult-actor ratio called for in “Cheaper by the Dozen.”
Children and adolescents comprise more than half the cast of “Cheaper by the Dozen,” a stage drama based on the eponymous 1948 book about two parents and their king-size brood of kidlets.
PHOTO: Max Alschlager of St. Paul (right) plays a father and efficiency expert who believes families can run like factories, alongside Robyn Skantz of Apple Valley, center, and Nick Mangen of Lakeville in “Cheaper by the Dozen.” Photo by Andrew Miller The show has its lighter moments, but unlike the laugh-out-loud 2003 film adaptation starring Steve Martin, the Applause production – which runs March 19-28 at the Lakeville Area Arts Center – is strictly a drama focusing on family relationships, said director Jason Abbott. “My hope is that audiences are going to be touched by the relationships of the kids with their dad,” Abbott said. Applause will present “Cheaper by the Dozen” at 7:30 p.m. March 19-20 and 25-27, and 2 p.m. March 21 and 28. Tickets are $13 for adults and $11 for students and seniors; tickets are available at the arts center, 20965 Holyoke Ave., and online at www.applausecommunitytheatre.com.
PHOTO: Anna Hermanson (right), 14, of Lakeville, and Andrew Jackson, 14, of Farmington, are among the nine youth actors featured in “Cheaper by the Dozen.” Photo by Andrew Miller |
Stage Wizardry
Applause Community Theatre adds visual magic to ‘The Wizard of Oz,’ which runs July 8-19 at the Lakeville Area Arts Center
by Andrew Miller
Thisweek Newspapers
PHOTO: The Tin Man (Dan Lundin), Dorothy (Stephanie DeMars) and the Scarecrow (Matthew Englund) join forces once more for Applause Community Theatre’s production of “The Wizard of Oz.” Photos by Andrew Miller
Chemistry between two actors, no problem. Chemistry between an actor and a puppet - that takes a little practice.
That’s something Matthew Englund discovered as rehearsals kicked into gear for Applause Community Theatre’s production of “The Wizard of Oz,” which opens July 8 at the Lakeville Area Arts Center.
Englund, cast as the Scarecrow, faced the daunting task of harmonizing with puppets. During one musical number, Englund’s vocal talents are paired with two crows, manned by Peter Schmitz, 15, and Christian England-Sullivan, 16.
“The crows are my backup singers, and it was a little weird at first - you feel like they’re alive,” said Englund, a Lakeville native who returns to Applause this summer after his freshman year as a musical theater major at Minnesota State University-Moorhead.
Puppets that seem like living, breathing creatures - that’s just part of the magic being conjured by director Laura Wilhelm and the cast and crew of “Wizard.”
Wilhelm, a Lakeville High School graduate who went on to earn a master’s degree in directing, is making her directorial debut with Applause. It’s a return to the community theater group for Wilhelm - she landed a part in the ensemble of Applause’s production of “Annie” her junior year of high school.
Wilhelm designed all the puppets and enlisted adult members of the crew to help with construction. In addition to the traditional puppets (the crows, Toto), there’s also a gigantic black-light puppet to depict the titular wizard, as well as shadow puppets for special effects such as a hot air balloon ascending and a witch flying across the stage.
The visual spectacle Wilhelm is seeking to create comes across in the sets and costumes as well. Dan Lundin is ready to do his part - and that means carrying around an extra 30 pounds.
Cast as the Tin Man, the 2006 Lakeville North High School graduate will don a 30-pound metallic-looking plastic suit for each performance. The suit, it turns out, was donated to Applause after being used in an Ordway production of “Wizard.”
Visually striking, sure, but the Tin Man’s suit has its drawbacks.
“I can do all my dance numbers, but I can’t do simple things like scratching my nose,” Lundin said.
While Applause’s version of “Wizard” seeks to pull out all the visual stops, fans of the original film starring Judy Garland won’t be disappointed, Wilhelm said.
“There’s so much magic - you have crows that talk, monkeys that fly, all these fantastic things that happen,” Wilhelm said. “It’s got this magical element, but it’s the show you know and love with the tried and true characters.”
Andrew Miller is at av.thisweek@ecm-inc.com. This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
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IN BRIEF: Applause Community Theatre presents “The Wizard of Oz” at 7 p.m. July 8-10, 16 and 18, and 1 p.m. July 11, 12, 18 and 19. All performances are at the Lakeville Area Arts Center, 20965 Holyoke Ave. Tickets are $13 for adults, $11 for students and seniors, and are available at www.applausecommunitytheatre.com .
The Tin Man Cometh to Lakeville
(Created: Thursday, June 18, 2009 7:09 AM CDT)
http://www.mnsun.com/articles/2009/06/19/news/fw18wizard.txt
Dan Lundin of Lakeville puts the finishing touch on his Tin Man costume during rehearsal for an upcoming Applause Community Theatre production of “The Wizard of Oz.” The cast features more than 50 adults and children from around the metro area. (Joseph Palmersheim Sun Newspapers)
(Created: Thursday, June 18, 2009 7:09 AM CDT)
An upcoming production of “The Wizard of Oz” features a familiar story - with some strings attached. Director Laura Wilhelm has made some unique casting decisions.
“Puppeteering is my niche as a director, so when I’m visualizing things, my theatrical problem-solving skills come through puppetry,” the Lakeville native said. “When you’ve got a show like ‘Wizard of Oz,’ and there are cows that fly in tornados, and flocks of flying monkeys - there are no limitations with puppets.”
Some puppets allow the Applause Community Theatre production to do things that couldn’t be done normally - like having crows that sing, walk and dance onstage. A large puppet, portraying the Wizard, will be painted so as to glow under black lights. A puppet operated by Anna Hermanson of Lakeville will portray Toto, Dorothy’s dog.
The full-size dog puppet is operated by several handles controlling head and body motion, and features a spring-loaded tail that moves on its own. Hermanson augments the puppet’s performance with matching facial expressions (concern, curiosity) and the occasional bark or yelp.
“Anna will be with Toto on stage the whole time, and will perform alongside for the whole show,” said Wilhelm, who was interviewed by the Sun-Current in 2006 for the Aug. 3 story “Former Lakeville resident one of the hands behind the curtain at puppet freak show.”
Wilhelm added, “Toto jumps and licks and barks and does all the things a dog would, but with no training or potty breaks involved.”
Some of the work put into developing the cast members is no less impressive.
The nearly 50 human cast members range in age from children to adults, and come from all over the metro area.
To portray the Tin Man, Dan Lundin of Lakeville dons a metal and plastic suit donated by the Ordway Theatre. It is made out of old cans, metal duct piping, and of course, a metal funnel for a hat.
“It’s ridiculous,” Lundin said. “It’s about 15 pieces, and weighs about 30 pounds. It’s pretty hardcore, which is fun, because it reminds me that I’m not me, I’m the Tin Man.”
Wilhelm said the production would use all the depth in the Lakeville Art Center’s stage, going all the way back to the wall of the church. That depth, she said, makes it possible to hide the Wizard puppet until late in the show, and also allows for the use of shadow puppets to augment the human cast on stage. The technical nature of the play is one of the most challenging things about it, Wilhelm said.
“There’s so much magic - the witch melting, the poppies that are supposed to grow on stage, and snow coming down,” she said. “To try to come up with a way to make it possible for these elements to happen within our means [is a challenge]. It’s a really large show - there are four main characters and they meet group after group of people. That means there are 20 Munchkins and 10 Flying Monkeys - so there are a ton of costumes.”
The script for the play is an authorized version developed by MGM for the Royal Shakespeare Company. One major difference between it and the story everyone knows is the inclusion of “The Jitterbug Number,” which was written for the movie but cut. The dance number stems from reluctance on the part of the Flying Monkeys to grab Dorothy and her friends, so the Wicked Witch of the West sends the Jitterbugs instead.
“The Jitterbugs’ power is that they can make you dance and you can’t stop dancing,” Wilhelm said. “Essentially, they wear out Dorothy and her friends so the monkeys can scoop them up.”
L. Frank Baum published “The Wizard of Oz” in 1900, and the film version was made in 1939. Despite the fact that the story is well over 100 years old, it continues to resonate even with today’s audiences for a variety of reasons.
“It’s a coming of age story,” Wilhelm said. “Everyone identifies with the rebel child who is being told to be good and not cause trouble. It’s a heartwarming, feel-good, conquering all evil [type of story]. I mean, the Wicked Witch is pure evil - and what makes a story better than a truly evil villain?”
“Everyone has seen this as a kid,” said Stephanie DeMars of Eagan, who plays Dorothy. “It’s [about coming] back home and realizes that home is where the love has been all along. It has a good meaning.”
“People really enjoy the iconic references in this story,” said stage manager Philip Hocks of Eden Prairie. “People know it so well from such a young age that it is something they can carry with them through adulthood to bring them back to [childhood].”
Burnsville-based Applause Community Theatre’s production of “The Wizard of Oz” will take to the Lakeville Area Arts Center stage at 7 p.m. July 8-10, 16 and 18, and at 1 p.m. July 11-12 and 18-19.
For more information on the production go to www.applausecommunitytheatre.com
Your backstage pass: It’s a Wonderful Life
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| Thursday, 20 November 2008 | |
| With opening night nearing for Applause Community Theatre’s production of “It’s a Wonderful Life” at the Lakeville Area Arts Center, Thisweekend spoke with Perry Thrun, Stephanie DeMars and Gary Davis, three of the show’s leading actors. Thrun is cast as George Bailey, the role played in the 1946 Frank Capra film by Jimmy Stewart. Thrun said he’s trying to bring his own presence to the character – and refrain from channeling Stewart’s iconic voice and mannerisms. “I’m trying my best to not do what he did, but it’s hard because it’s actually my favorite movie and Jimmy Stewart is awesome in it, he did everything so right,” Thrun said.DeMars is playing Mary, the love interest and later the wife of George Bailey. Like Thrun, DeMars is looking to add new flourishes to her character, originally played by silver-screen starlet Donna Reed.“Pretty much everyone has seen the movie so everyone has their own idea of the characters,” she said. “One of the main things we went over was not to make it like the movie.”Davis is cast as George Bailey’s guardian angel Clarence Odbody. He’s playing up the naivete of the character – described in the script as having “the IQ of a rabbit” – and going for laughs.
A big fan of the film version of “It’s a Wonderful Life,” Davis boasts of having once seen director Frank Capra in person at a Minneapolis film festival in the 1970s. “It was cool – he was such a neat guy,” Davis said. Do you have a favorite line or favorite scene in the production? Thrun: I love the ending when he’s like, “I’ll bet that’s a warrant for my arrest – Isn’t it wonderful? Merry Christmas!” No matter how bad things get, life is pretty amazing. DeMars: My favorite scene is at the end when everyone comes together and it wraps up – the happy ending. Davis: It’s my last line: “George, remember no man is a failure as long as he has friends.” How many times have you seen the film version of “It’s a Wonderful Life?” Thrun: At least once a year for the last five years. DeMars: I guess every Christmas for the past seven years. Davis: Oh my gosh – 50 times at least. It’s one of my favorite movies. Tears still come out at the end. In your opinion, what’s the message of “It’s a Wonderful Life?” DeMars: I think really just that it’s your friends and family that make life as amazing as it can be. Davis: We each have a tremendous impact on the world around us. It’s a real simple message about just treating people with respect. Angels are featured prominently in “It’s a Wonderful Life.” Do you believe in angels? Thrun: I do. I absolutely do. I’m a Christian. DeMars: Yes. Davis: Yeah, I do. Most definitely. I think they’re all over the place. http://www.thisweeklive.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4901&Itemid=2 |
Classic holiday film gets makeover for the stage
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| Thursday, 20 November 2008 | |
| Applause Community Theatre is looking to breathe fresh air into the holiday classic ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ by Andrew Miller, Thisweek NewspapersIt’s pretty much a given that everyone who attends Applause Community Theatre’s production of “It’s a Wonderful Life” will have seen the original 1946 Frank Capra film starring Jimmy Stewart and Donna Reed.With audiences already familiar with the plot, the characters and the ending, what’s a community theater director to do?“Not doing the movie” was the objective of director Mishia Edwards and the cast and crew of “It’s a Wonderful Life,” which opens Nov. 28 at the Lakeville Area Arts Center.“Our focus is on the story instead of the spectacle,” Edwards said. “We looked for ways to make it different without undermining or not staying true to the story. It’s a very stylized production. Instead of a lot of set pieces, it’s very minimalist.” In place of elaborate sets, the production crew opted for photo slides projected against the back of the stage. The show opens with a slide of a small town, and almost every scene thereafter employs a photo slide to set the stage.Actors are also breaking from tradition a bit. Perry Thrun, who plays George Bailey (originally played by Jimmy Stewart), is working to bring his own ideas of George to the show – which can be difficult, Edwards said, because much of the original script was tailor-made for Stewart’s nuanced speech patterns.“There are lines that are written for Jimmy Stewart – they were written for the way he spoke,” Edwards said.Another change audiences will pick up on: In the film, adult male actors provide voiceovers for the two angels depicted as galaxies swirling in the black vacuum of space. In Applause’s production, there are five angels instead of two, and they’re played by choruses of children.
“I wanted to put them on stage [rather than do voiceovers] because there’s a lot of fun moments,” Edwards said. Show times are 7 p.m. Nov. 28-29 and Dec. 3-6 and 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. Nov. 30 and Dec. 7. All shows are at the Lakeville Area Arts Center. Tickets are $13 for adults, $11 for students and senior citizens. Tickets can be purchased via www.applausecommunitytheatre.com; ticketing questions can be directed to (952) 895-1234. The Lakeville Area Arts Center is located at 20965 Holyoke Ave. in downtown Lakeville. |
Murder meets mirth in ‘The Mousetrap’
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| Thursday, 23 October 2008 | |
| Applause Community Theatre presents the classic murder-mystery Oct. 30 - Nov. 16 by Andrew Miller, Thisweek NewspapersFrank Blomgren is facing a conundrum. Director of Applause Community Theatre’s production of the Agatha Christie murder-mystery “The Mousetrap,” Blomgren said the play presents a unique challenge: It’s one of the best-known murder-mystery stories ever. But it’s also a story that hinges on a surprise ending.Even if south-metro audiences aren’t already familiar with the surprise ending, a quick Google search will uncover the play’s culprit. Blomgren’s strategy? Play up the show’s strong points – police-procedural intrigue, whimsical British wordplay and occasional slapstick.“It’s one of those plays that’s been around forever and almost everybody knows the ending,” he said. “Audiences can expect a story well-told. It’s a comedy, but it’s also a murder story, so you find the line between keeping it light and having that spooky intrigue.”
First staged in London’s West End theater district in 1952, “The Mousetrap” had the longest initial run of any play in the world. Set in an English manor converted into a hotel, the story follows the investigation of a murder of one of the hotel’s guests. “The Mousetrap” opens Thursday at the Lakeville Area Arts Center and runs for three weekends in Lakeville and Rosemount. Showtimes are as follows: 7:30 p.m. Oct. 30, Nov. 1, 7 and 8, and at 2 p.m. Nov. 2 and 9 at the Lakeville Area Arts Center. Additional shows are scheduled at a location in Rosemount yet to be determined at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 14 and 15 and 2 p.m. Nov. 16. Tickets are $13 adults, $11 for students and senior citizens. To purchase tickets, log on to www.applausecommunitytheatre.com or call (952) 895-1234. Andrew Miller is at av.thisweek@ecm-inc.com. |
Your backstage pass: The Mousetrap
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| Thursday, 23 October 2008 | |
| With opening night nearing for Applause Community Theatre’s production of “The Mousetrap,” Thisweekend spoke with Michael Brenholt and Shelly Reed, two of the show’s leading actors.Brenholt, 37, is a Savage resident and corporate trainer for a metro-area accounting firm. He’s cast as Sergeant Trotter, a detective investigating a murder at a snowed-in hotel.“The Mousetrap” is a return to community theater of sorts for Brenholt, who this past year scored his first film role. In “Holiday Beach,” an independent feature film shot in northern Minnesota and set to debut at the Sundance Film Festival in January, he plays the commander of a military base during the Cuban Missile Crisis. With one screen-acting role under his belt, Brenholt said his heart remains with the theater crowd.“As much as I enjoyed the movie experience, I love stage acting,” he said. “You build relationships with these people that can’t be replaced.”
Reed, a systems analyst from St. Paul, is cast as Miss Casewell, one of the many hotel guests in “The Mousetrap” suspected of murder. A veteran of community theater, Reed said her all-time favorite role was Dr. Vivian Bearing in “Wit.” “It doesn’t sound like fun because it’s someone dying of cancer, but it’s an incredibly challenging role,” she said. Can you relate to your character in “The Mousetrap?” Brenholt: The detective is a bit of a strange character – I guess “eccentric” is not a bad term – and he has thoughtful moments where he all of a sudden wanders off into his mind to piece things together. I can relate because I’m a bit strange as well. [laughs] Reed: Miss Casewell appears basically dressed as a man – in 1952, any chick wearing pants was odd [laughs] – and she affects a manly voice, so no one can really figure out what her deal is. Can I relate to her? Not a whole lot. Of all your lines in “The Mousetrap,” do you have a favorite? Reed: Yeah, but it’s not one you can write. It’s the most fun to say. Brenholt: I love the line, “We’re not engaged in antiquarian research, Major Metcalf – we’re investigating a murder.” Do you have a favorite scene in the play? Reed: I have a couple of scenes with Sergeant Trotter that are a lot of fun. Both sides are trying to figure the other one out. It’s like a battle – but of words, not of fisticuffs. What makes “The Mousetrap” work? Brenholt: Really it’s a matter of us nailing the verbiage. There’s just a lot of play on words, and those are the parts of the play people will enjoy. |
http://www.thisweeklive.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4254&Itemid=2
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