1984-85
SEASON
STAFF
Artistic Director – Lynnell Lohr
Playwright in Residence – Lance S. Belville
Office Manager – Wendy Amundson
Plain Hearts
October 4-November 4, 1984
By Lance S. Belville
Music and Lyrics by Eric Peltoniemi
The play consists of songs and stories about Midwestern prairie women from the 1890s to the 1920s.
From Producer & Artistic Director Lynn Lohr:
“Behind the seven women onstage who are the Plain Hearts Band stand thousands of other women. They are our prairie mothers and grandmothers and their single women friends – farm women all. They stand in the sun, and in the dry wind, and in the blessed rain after a drought. Some of them are holding flowers in their hands, lilacs or humble cosmos or yellow bush roses. Some are carrying pails of eggs or milk, some are carrying children. They are not very well dressed. They are wearing work clothes. They are all beautiful. They are all very proud. They have come to hear their stories again. Plain Hearts is offered in gratitude for their humor, their hard work and their love.”
Cast “In the Time of the Grandmothers”
Capitola Klampe/Maude Meredith/Serina – Cheryl A. Brown
Miss Gergen/Letha Foss/Beatrice Kelley/Hulda Imsland – Laura Clark
Mabel/Tomina Lund, Jessie, Reporter – Jill Reznick
Viola Fuller/Avril Flatten – Barbara Thompson
Hazel Bailey/Reporter/Tomina Lund/Mabel Benicke – Ruth MacKenzie
Mrs. Fuller/Melba Mahlke – Sally Reynolds
Mrs. Bailey/Alettie Blick – Sherry Minnick
Myrtle Czaplewski – Sandy Njoes
State Fair Barker & Auditorium Announcer – John Cochrane
Musicians (The Plain Hearts Band)
Tambourine, lead & backup vocals – Cheryl A. Brown
Lead & backup vocals – Laura Clark
Acoustic & electric guitar, electric bass, lead & backup vocals – Sherry Minnick
Acoustic & electric bass, clarinet & backup vocals – Sandy Njoes
Piano & backup vocals – Sally Reynolds
Oboe, lead & backup vocals – Jill Reznick
Cello, lead & backup vocals – Barbara Thompson
Production Staff
Director – John Tsafoyannis
Musical Director – Sally Reynolds
Scenic Designer – Chris Johnson
Lighting Designer – Terry Carlson
Costume Designer – Anne Ruben
Stage Manager & Properties – Thomas H. Berger
Weyerhaeuser Technical Director – Randall Seitz
Sound Technician – Randall E. Seitz
Light Board Operator – Gary Thomas Moryka
Plain Hearts Song List
ACT I
Plain Hearts – Entire Cast
Chickens – Karen & Cast
Grandma – Christine & Cast
Rubberneckin’ – Entire Cast
Rotten Michael – Karen
Death & The Farmwife – Entire Cast
Bergen Boys – Suzanne & Karen
Tree of Life – Ahna & Cast
Plain Hearts (reprise) – Entire Cast
ACT II
As Long as the Land – Jane & Cast
Nobody Knows But Mother – Ahna
Sparrow – Christine
DreamBook – Suzanne & Cast
Horn of Plenty – Ahna, Christine & Cast
We Are The People – Entire Cast
All songs: music and lyrics by Eric Peltoniemi, © 1983 Eric Peltoniemi Music, LLC./ASCAP
– except “Nobody Knows but Mother”: music by Eric Peltoniemi, lyrics anonymous (from a poem published in a 19th Century farm women’s journal), © 1983 Eric Peltoniemi Music LLC/ASCAP
This production was presented in the Weyerhaeuser Auditorium
at the Landmark Center in downtown St. Paul
A Servants’ Christmas
November 29-December 23, 1984
By John Fenn
This is a story about the Christmas celebration in a St. Paul mansion at the beginning of the last century, as seen through the eyes of a Jewish servant girl. The play is set in December at the Warner home on Summit Avenue in St. Paul during the early 1900s.
Cast
Mr. Warner – Mark Scanlan
Eric Horne – Jay Nickerson
Frieda – Linda J. Benge
Monica – Cheryl Brown
Miss Pettingill – Mez VanOppen
Anne Warner – Jean Prall
Richmond Warner – Scott E. Thun
A Visitor – Laura Clark
Jay Nickerson, Laura Clark
Artistic & Production Staff
Director – John Tsofoyannis
Stage Manager – Stacey O’Neal
Assistant Stage Manager – Lisa K. Anderson
Set Designer – Colin Tugwell
Costume Designer – Barbara Rieger
Lighting Designer – Jack William Brown
Lighting Technician, Auditorium Manager – Randall E. Seitz
Properties Designer – Stacey O’Neal, Lisa K. Anderson
Technical Supervisor – Barth Ward
Technical Crew – Chick Carlson, James Howell, David Steien
This production was presented in the Weyerhaeuser Auditorium
at the Landmark Center in downtown St. Paul
Kingdom Come
February 15-March 17, 1985
By Amlin Gray
This show retraces the hopes and struggles of strong, determined and God-fearing Scandinavian pioneers as they leave their homeland, journey to the New World and tame the Midwestern prairies. The settings are Norway, America and the ocean between them. The play is based on immigrant journals and O.E. Rolvaag’s novel Giants in the Earth.
Cast
Ellefstolen Harstad – Mark Scanlan
Kalansen – Tim McGee
Paal/Ship’s Captain – Tim Drake
Kaja Ansen – Carolyn Goelzer
Gro Endressen/Mrs. Jevne – Judy Larson
Ola Endressen – Bill Hinkley
Thomas Ansen – Scott Thun
Jens Ansen – Jim Gaulke
Pastor Dagsrood – Neil Bright
Bishop – John Tsafoyannis
Back row, L to R: Mark Scanlan, Carolyn Gelzer, Bill Hinkley, Judy Larson, John Tsafoyannis
Front row, L to R: Tim Drake, Scott Thun, Tim McGee
Artistic Staff
Director – Lynn Lohr
Associate Director – Slavo Nowytski
Stage Manager – Lisa K. Anderson
Assistant Stage Manager – Barth Ward
Set Designer – Joan Rothfuss
Master Carpenter – Allen Arthur
Lighting Designer – Linda Cameron
Costume Designer – L. Lee Goodman
Properties – Lisa K. Anderson, Barth Ward
Lighting Technician, Auditorium Technical Director – Randall E. Seitz
Sound Operator – Barth Ward
Halling’s Dance Staging – John Tsafoyannis
Movement Coaching – Carolyn Goelzer
Musical Consultants – Bill Hinkley, Jody Larson
This production was presented in the Weyerhaeuser Auditorium at
the Landmark Center in St. Paul
Tubal and the Yankee (World Premiere)
April 12-May 5, 1985
By Lance S. Belville
Music & lyrics by Eric Peltoniemi, except the samba “There Was A Bird”, co-written by Helena Costa and Eric Peltoniemi
On May 22, 1966, a Brazilian Air Force plane carrying soldiers, Kaipo Indians and Indian Protection Service personnel crashed into the Amazon jungle, killing all aboard. Those killed were on their way to reinforce a remote airstrip that was under attack from a different Indian tribe. This play is an attempt to explore, explain and understand the forces that caused the crash and the three centuries of sprits that surround it.
Cast
Tubal (Antonio Garcia Conde de Tubal, a bandeirante adventurer) – Slavko Nowytski
Mbahir (a Cauaiua Indian pajé) – Marion McClinton
Dona Mercedes – Miriam Monasch
Noeima – Lynn Marie Buth
The Yankee – Scott Thun
Father Gestus, a bandierante priest/Sgt Miguel – Bill Hinkley
Female Understudy – Linda J. Benge
Male Understudy – Bill Scharpen
Top to Bottom: Slavko Nowytski, Scott Thun, Miriam Monasch
The Band
Helena (flute, guitar, cavaquinho, percussion) – Helena Costa Pinheiro
Eduardo (guitar) – Eduardo Acauan da Cruz
Miguel Grande (guitar, mandolin) – Bill Hinkley
Mick LaBriola (percussion arrangements) – Miguel Pequeno
The Dancers
Woman in bar/jungle animals/Indian – Christina Prata
Air Force Private/jungle animals/Indian – Hector Cruz
Man in bar/jungle animals/Indian – Bruce Thompson
Production Staff
Director – Claude Purdy
Choreographer – Jim Corti
Assistant Music Director – Linda L. Genge
Set Designer – Crystal G. Tiala
Lighting Designer – Thomas H. Berger
Properties Designer – Chick Carlson
Sound Designer & slide technician – Randall E. Seitz
Costume Designer – Stephen J. Meerdink
Stage Manager – Stacey M. O’Neal
Assistant Stage Manager – Lisa K. Anderson
This production was presented in the F.K. Weyerhaeuser auditorium
at the Landmark Center in St. Paul
Exile From Main Street: A Portrait of Sinclair Lewis
(World Premiere)
March 20-24, 1985
By Lance S. Belville
This is a one-man theatrical portrait of Sinclair Lewis, with Lewis himself recalling all the many characters in his life, including:
Billy Sunday – Dr. E.J. Lewis – Dr. Claude Lewis – Grace Hegger Lewis – H.L. Mencken – Alf Harcourt
Marcella Powers – Frazier Hunt – Dr. Vincenzo Lapiccirella – Croswell Bowen – A.S. Frere – A WCTU member
Dorothy Thompson – Wells Lewis – Dr. Zittz – Ben DuBois – A Swedish Correspondent
This play was commissioned by the English Department at St. Cloud State University and served as the centerpiece for their national conference on Lewis in February of 1985.
Cast
Sinclair Lewis – Jay Nickerson
Artistic Staff
Director – John Orlock
Stage Manager – Thomas H. Berger
Scenic Designer – Don T. Maseng
Lighting Designer – Scott Herbst
Costume Designer – Stephen Meerdink
Performances in the Twin Cities metro area occurred at the
Crawford Livingston Theatre in Saint Paul
