Cast - Iowa City Community Theatre

Cast
Tommy Albright
Fiona MacLaren
Jeff Douglas
Meg Brockie
Charlie Dalrymple
Mr. Lundie
Andrew MacLaren
Harry Beaton
Jeanie MacLaren
Jane Ashton
Frank
Archie Beaton
Angus
Colin Nies
Jacqueline Lang
Roger Phelps
Katie Boothroyd
Joe Mosher
Jon Cryer
Tom Schulein
Jacques Motyko
Taylor Wyatt
Kelsey Ford
Robert Steger
Len Duncan
Glen Schmitz
Ensemble
Doug Beardsley, Heidi Bibler, Trista Carlson,
Caitlin Dorsett, Kelly Garrett, Emily Hill,
Megan Hill, Kristi Johnson, Celine Kim, Rich
LeMay, Nancy Mayfield, Beverly E. Mead, Davis
Nepple, Addison Puccio, Linda Rowland, Michael
Rowland, Jordan Running, Fenna Scherrer, Hal
Schrott, Audrey Thompson-Wallace
Production Team
Choreographer
Jill Beardsley
Stage Manager/Scenic Design
Rich Riggleman
Lighting Design
S. Benjamin Farrar
Costume Design
Sarah Conklin
Props Master
Stephen J. Polchert
Board Liaison
Beth Hill
The musical Brigadoon was
first
performed
on
Broadway in 1948. It was
adapted for the screen a
scant six years later. It
belongs to that select group
of musicals of that period,
touchstones of the genre,
which include Oklahoma!,
Carousel, and South Pacific.
Indeed, Lerner and Loewe
would also be responsible
for a number of other classic
musicals after Brigadoon,
including Camelot, Gigi (a
musical written expressly
for film that was later
adapted to the stage), and
the quintessential example
of the genre, My Fair Lady.
Brigadoon
may
be
described as a resolutely
old-school musical, one that
“they don’t make like that
anymore”. And they don’t.
The story is simple, and
relatively conventional – as
conventional as one can say
a story about a village in
Scotland that appears once
every hundred years can be.
The music is melodic,
glorious; with a large cast
that sings and dances with
great elan (that is the hope,
anyway). Stephen Sondheim
or Jason Robert Brown (or
even Kander and Ebb) it is
not.
But perhaps that is why it’s
retained its popularity for as
long as it has. And especially
for a generation of a certain
vintage, it certainly has. It
astonishes me how many
people know of Brigadoon,
though perhaps I shouldn’t
be. My own introduction to
the musical was through the
movie (not necessarily a bad
adaptation, if abbreviated),
seen on late night TV. Quite
a few other folks first
experienced the musical via
live performances by their
local high school or
community theater. A good
number of them have even
performed in a production
at one time in their
misspent youth.
(Continued on page 3.)
Cast
Big Daddy Pollitt
Scott Humeston
Big Momma Pollitt
Beverly E. Mead
Brick Pollitt
Aaron Weiner
Maggie Pollitt
Rachel Korach Howell
Mae Pollitt
Nicole DeSalle
Gooper Pollitt
Jeffrey Allen Mead
Reverend Tooker
Scott Strode
Doctor Baugh
Robert Steger
Servant
Jacques Motyko
Kids
Bryn, Olivia, Rowan Russell
Production Team
Stage Manager
Assistant Stage Manager
Light Board Operator
Scenic Design
Costume Design
Richard Beebe
Erin Palmer
Roxy Running
Steve Hall
Jill Beardsley
The 1950s. An era divided. In the deep
South, a wealthy family struggles with
complex issues of self and sexuality in an
age where these issues could not be more
important. Iowa City Community Theatre
presents perhaps Tennessee Williams’
most well-known play, Cat on a Hot Tin
Roof, October 31 - November 9.
Please join us for a play that examines
social issues that are still very much
present in the world today and teaches us
about ourselves in a way only Tennessee
Williams can.
Brett Borden
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
opened at the Morosco
Theater on March 24, 1955,
and won the Pulitzer Prize
for Drama that year. The
play examines the themes of
social mores, greed,
superficiality, sexual desire
and repression, and death.
relationship. Throughout
the course of the evening, it
becomes clear that a
delicately-constructed a web
of deceit exists, and Brick,
Maggie, and Big Daddy and, indeed, the
entire
family - must face the issues
which have been brewing.
Cat is the story of a
Southern family in crisis,
most particularly Brick and
Maggie,
and
their
interaction with Brick’s
family over the course of
one evening at the family
estate. Big Daddy is
celebrating his birthday and
his return from a recent stay
at a medical clinic with what he believes to be - a
clean bill of health. Maggie,
a head-strong beauty raised
in poverty who married
Brick as much for money as
anything
else,
feels
unfulfilled by the marriage.
Maggie’s
suspicions
regarding the nature of
Brick’s relationship with his
best friend, Skipper, along
with
Brick’s
raging
alcoholism, are at the very
heart of the strain on their
The ways in which humans
deal with death are at the
center of this play, as are the
futility and nihilism some
encounter when confronted
with imminent mortality.
Similar ideas are found in
Dylan Thomas’s “Do Not Go
Gentle Into That Good
Night”, which Williams
excerpted and added as an
epigraph to his 1974 revision
of Cat. These lines are
appropriate, as Thomas
wrote the poem to his own
dying father. Additionally,
in one of his many drafts of
the play, in a footnote on Big
Daddy’s actions in the third
act, Williams deems Cat on
a Hot Tin Roof a “play
which says only one
affirmative
thing about
‘Man’s Fate’: that he still has
(Continued on page 3.)
Brigadoon (continued from page 1):
Cat (continued from page 2):
A great many others who may not have even heard
of the show will have had their first taste through
individual songs: “Almost Like Being In Love”, say,
or “Heather On The Hill”. And indeed, one of the
joys of going to productions like these is to be
enveloped in the comforting sound of those
wonderful, familiar melodies. But the show has
other pleasures that may be appreciated by the
uninitiated. Done well, the show evinces great (and
even occasionally bawdy) humor, as well as
singular charm, and a gentle innocence that
transcends mere nostalgia, or a simpering simplemindedness that some musical theater cognoscenti
(wrongly) attribute to all musicals of that period.
it still in his power not to squeal like a pig but to
keep a tight mouth about it.”
The show is old-fashioned, but it is also funny,
exuberant, warm, witty, and wise. It is imbued with
one of Lerner and Loewe’s most resplendent
scores, not just a harbinger of musicals to come,
but a singular classic in its own right.
Josh Sazon
ICCT and Shelter House would like to offer a
sincere thank you to all you came out to the
Shelter Our Community benefit held August 9th
at the Englert Theatre.
Whether you bought a ticket, participated in the
auction, performed on stage as part of the
entertainment, made a donation online, or one of
many other ways to show your support, the
success of this year’s event is because of your
incredible generosity!
Together we raised over $18,000 dollars to be
shared by Shelter House and ICCT!
Thank you so much for your support!
The original Broadway production, directed by Elia
Kazan, starred Barbara Bel Geddes - perhaps best
known for her later portrayal of Miss Ellie Ewing
on TV’s Dallas - as Maggie, Ben Gazzara as Brick,
and Burl Ives as Big Daddy. At that year’s Tony
Awards, Kazan was nominated for Best Director of
a Play, and Bel Geddes was the only cast member to
receive a nomination for an acting award. The
big-screen adaptation, released by MGM in 1958,
starred Elizabeth Taylor and Paul Newman as
Maggie and Brick, with Burl Ives reprising his role
as Big Daddy. The Hays Code forced filmmakers to
diminish the original play’s critique of homophobia
and sexism, a fact that reportedly displeased both
playwright Williams and star Newman. Despite
this, the film was highly acclaimed and was
nominated for several Academy Awards, including
Best Picture. Taylor and Newman both received
Oscar nominations for their performances. While
critics agreed that the film provided both them and
Burl Ives with their finest screen roles up to that
time, Cat may have been too controversial for the
Academy voters; the film won no Oscars, and the
Best Picture award went to Gigi that year.
1974 saw the first of numerous major revivals, for
which Williams restored much of the text removed
from the original production at the insistence of
Elia Kazan. Subsequent revivals, including an
all-African-American production in 2008, starring
Terrence Howard, James Earl Jones, Phylicia
Rashad, and Anika Noni Rose, have garnered
critical accolades and numerous theater awards. In
1976, a televised version of Cat was produced,
featuring the then husband-and-wife team of
Robert Wagner and Natalie Wood, Laurence
Olivier, and Maureen Stapleton, and is considered
by many to be the superlative version of the play. A
second televised production in 1984 starred Jessica
Lange, Tommy Lee Jones, Rip Torn, Kim Stanley,
David Dukes, and Penny Fuller. This adaptation,
directed by Jack Hofsiss, revived the sexual
innuendos which had been muted by the 1958 film.
Both Stanley and Fuller were nominated for the
Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress
in a Miniseries or Special; Stanley won the award.
Source: Wikipedia.
Meet New Board Members
to the artist and audience alike.
Kehry Anson Lane - President
Kehry lives in Iowa City with his wife, Rachel
Howell, and their three year old daughter Louisa.
Kehry’s first role was as
the Scarecrow in his 6th
grade class play. The
theatre “bug” took hold
of him immediately and
a l t hou g h
he
was
painfully shy, the stage
was too alluring to
avoid. By the time he
graduated from high
school, he was a full
theatre addict.
Kehry moved from his hometown of Council Bluffs
to Iowa City in 1998. He studied Theatre Arts at the
University of Iowa. After graduating with a BA, he
decided to make Iowa City his home and dove into
the local theatre community. Kehry has been seen
on stage with several theatres in the Eastern Iowa
Corridor including City Circle Acting Company of
Coralville, Dreamwell Theatre, Fourth Room
Theatre, Iowa City Community Theatre, Riverside
Theatre, Theatre Cedar Rapids and the University
of Iowa Theatre Department. He co-founded I-You
Theatre Company (performing at all the Iowa
Fringe Festivals) and serves as a part of the Artistic
Core for Fourth Room Theatre.
Kehry’s favorite roles include Benedick in Much
Ado About Nothing (Fourth Room), Cervantes/Don
Quixote in Man of La Mancha (ICCT), El Gallo in
The Fantasticks (ICCT), Hamlet in Horatio’s
Purgatory (I-You/TCR), Dennis in Scooter Thomas
Makes it to the Top of the World (I-You), Bernard
in Death of a Salesman (Riverside), Father Welsh
in The Lonesome West (Riverside) and Belle
Cardinal in Desert Pepper (UI).
Kehry also
returned to directing in the last two years. He
directed Of Mice and Men (Jan/Feb 2014, ICCT),
Stop Kiss (Aug/Sept 2013, Fourth Room), and
Twelve Angry Men (Jan/Feb 2013, ICCT).
Kehry’s perspective on theatre is informed by the
I and Thou by philosopher Martin Buber. I and
Thou describes two different modes of human
interaction with the world, “Experience” (I-It) and
“Encounter” (I-You).
The I-You “encounter”
between people can be transformative bond where
both are enriched merely by the joy or relating to
each other. To Kehry, that’s what theatre should do
““This is the eternal origin of art that a human
being confronts a form that wants to become a work
through him. Not a figment of his soul but
something that appears to the soul and demands
the soul's creative power. What is required is a deed
that a man does with his whole being..” ― Martin
Buber, I and Thou
Steve Hall - Past-President
Steve is a comparative
newcomer to ICCT.
Since joining during the
2011-12 season, he has
been involved with set
construction for every
show since. His talents
behind the scenes do
not translate to on-stage
performance.
He
substituted for an actor
in a one-and-a-half-line
“role” in Annie. It was
just
for
one
performance, and he was on stage for less than
three minutes, but he was terrified!
Steve prefers working off-stage, and has become
very familiar with “the back of the house”, as well
as what needs to be done as we Exodus and
Insodus each year. He’s committed to this
organization, and is eager to see every aspect of
ICCT theater experience get better.
Do you like ICCT? Then if you haven’t
already, go "like" ICCT’s page on Facebook
(via the URL below) and help us reach our goal
of #1000Likes before the opening of Brigadoon on
September 19th. Like, Share, and get involved!
ICCT’s Online Presence:
Website: www.iowacitycommunitytheatre.com
Facebook:
www.facebook.com/pages/Iowa-CityCommunity-Theatre/265860000150930
Twitter: www.twitter.com/icct56
Upcoming Auditions
Auditioning for a Musical
By Ed Kottick
Here’s some advice for those of you who are auditioning
for a musical for the first time (and maybe the second or
third time).
Open auditions for Camo! The Musical will be held
Monday, September 29th, 6-9
Tuesday, September 30th, 6-9
Iowa City Public Library
123 S. Linn St, Iowa City, Meeting Room B
Auditioners are asked to prepare a one-minute
monologue and approximately 16 bars of a song. Cold
readings from the script will also be required.
Show Description: A group of hunters prepare for
the fall season. Women gather to drink coffee and
discuss men, marriage, their own camouflage, and a
thing called Lamaze. The woods become magical as
Army buddies reunite, brothers discover what they need
most, and for two outsiders, love blossoms. A comedy
set in the early-1980s, the themes and characters will be
familiar to anyone who knows what a prune kolache is.
Character Roles:

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Walter (Bass/Baritone) African-American Vietnam Vet.
Fisherman, single.
Steve (Baritone/Tenor) European-American Vietnam Vet
with a prosthetic lower arm. Deer hunter, father, married
to Lorraine.
Kenny (Tenor) European-American, Steve’s awkward
teenage brother. Hates hunting, and has dreams beyond
the farm.
Dan (Baritone/Tenor) Shy, European-American duck
hunter. Married to Julie, expecting their first child.
Tommy P (Baritone/Tenor) European-American Vietnam
Vet, married to Mary and father of four. Wants to be a
“macho man”.
Lorraine (Alto) European-American. Strong, nononsense mother, married to Steve.
Mary (Soprano) European-American. Sweet and kind,
but exhausted. Married to Tommy P.
Julie (Alto) European-American. Opinionated “women’s
libber”. Married to Dan.
Mui-Den (Soprano/Alto) A divorced VietnameseAmercan nurse.
Ensemble (All vocal ranges, some small speaking roles)
Women of the Hunter’s Widows Club, Men of the TipTop Tap bar; European-Americans.
NOTE: Camo! The Musical is still in need of a Lighting
Designer. Do you, or someone you know, have
experience? Interest? Not necessarily in that
order? Please get in touch with us and let us know at
[email protected].
1. Be prepared. The audition announcement will tell
you what the directors would like to hear. They may ask
for a song from the show, or a song in the style of the
show, or they may be happy for you to sing anything.
Whatever it is, be prepared to do it. Please don’t show
up and ask, “What would you like me to sing?” That
does not indicate that you are serious about wanting to
be in that production.
2. Sing something appropriate. Sing something
that will show off your voice to best advantage,
something in the style of the part you’d like to snag. If
the role you’d like calls for a belter, it won’t help you to
sing something lyrical. If it’s a 1950’s classic musical
don’t try to impress the directors by singing in
contemporary pop style.
3. The people behind the table are your friends.
There will likely be at least two of them, the stage
director and the music director. The choreographer may
also be there, perhaps the stage manager, and maybe
others whose function may well be a mystery to you.
They’re all there because they have some stake in the
show. They want to assemble a good cast, and they’d
like you to audition well. The better you sing the
happier they’ll be.
4. Don’t freak out if they stop you. Auditions can
be busy, and if the directors think they have a good idea
of what you can do, they may stop you and move on to
the next person. It doesn’t mean that you didn’t do well.
5. You may also be asked to do a “cold” reading
of something from the show, and the choreographer
may want to see how well you move. Everyone will be
interested in seeing how well you take direction.
6. There are considerations over which you have no
control, and you need to be prepared for that. If you’re a
guy, you may impress the music director with your
voice, but if you’re shorter than the leading lady that
could enter into the stage director’s consideration. Also,
you may have a good voice, but someone else’s voice
could just be more appropriate for the role you’re
looking for. If there’s a lot of dance in the show and you
don’t dance well that could be another consideration. Or
you may do great but your body type doesn’t match the
director’s vision for the show. There may be other
reasons you didn’t get the role, many of which would
never enter your mind. The point is, you may sing well you may be the best singer at the auditions - but you
may not get the role you want. That’s all part of show
business, and you shouldn’t let it get to you. Pick up
your marbles and try again next time. Good luck!
Board of Directors 2014-15
President
Kehry Anson Lane
Vice President
Rachel Howell
Secretary
Beth Hill
Treasurer
David Roe
Past-President
Steve Hall
Two-Year Members-at-Large
Brett Borden
Brenda Christner
Jaret Morlan
One-Year Members-at-Large
Carl Brown
Josh Raheim
LaDonna Wicklund
Development Committee
Mark Hamer
Steve Hedlund
Bruce Kout
Peter Weyer
Publicity Committee Chair and Webmaster
Jaret Morlan
Newsletter Editor
Jeffrey Allen Mead
From the Editor
If you have something you think the Iowa City theatre
community would find interesting, I’d love to include it
in a future issue of StageWrite! The deadline for
submissions for the next issue (November/December)
will be October 20. Submissions may be e-mailed to
[email protected], with “ICCT Newsletter” as the
subject line.
Please be advised that, due to space limitations, pieces
may need to be edited, but I will do everything I can to
avoid that.
Jeffrey
IOWA CITY COMMUNITY THEATRE
The AFFORDABLE Family Theater
At ICCT, we want the exciting experience of live theater
to be available to as many people as possible, so we
keep our prices surprisingly low - and that’s great
news!
INDIVIDUAL TICKET PRICES:
 Adults
 Senior (60+)
 Student (13-college)
 Children (12-under)
$16-18
$13-15
$13-15
$8-10
BUT OUR FLEXPASS IS AN
EVEN BETTER DEAL!
HOW DOES IT WORK?
Start with your regular season ticket - one seat per
show. Then add the freedom to switch things up! Know
you’ll be out of town for some shows? Musicals not
really your thing? No problem - use the 6 punches any
way you like! See all six shows once, or one show six
times; use it for yourself, you and a friend, or the whole
family. It’s your ticket, your choice!
WHAT DOES IT COST?
 Adults
 Senior (60+)
 Student (13-college)
$75 ($12.50/punch)
$60 ($10/punch)
$60 ($10/punch)
HOW CAN I GET ONE?
Online at: www.iowacitycommunitytheatre.com
Or mail your order to us at:
Iowa City Community Theatre
PO Box 827
Iowa City, IA 52244
Or call the Box Office at 319-338-0443, and we’ll call
you back!
CAN I GET MORE THAN ONE?
Of course! The ICCT FlexPass is a wonderful gift for
birthdays, graduations, anniversaries, Mother’s or
Father’s Day, the Holiday season, or any occasion. It’s
truly the gift that keeps on giving all season long!
ICCT FLEX PASS
The FLEXIBLE,
AFFORDABLE
way to save your spot!
We’ll see you at the theater!
Celebrating Local Talent since 1956!