1985-86
SEASON
STAFF
Artistic Director – Lynnell Lohr
Playwright in Residence – Lance S. Belville
Office Manager – Wendy Amundson
Shanty Boys (World Premiere)
October 4-27, 1985
By Lance S. Belville
Musical Arrangements by Eric Peltoniemi
This play is set in Johnny Walsh’s apartment in Duluth, a bunk camp (shack) in an abandoned Itasca Logging Company logging camp north of Deer River and a whorehouse in Deer River. The year is 1943. The story is about the lives of Minnesota lumberjacks, whose legends are every bit as important to Minnesota as the legends of cowboys are to Texas.
Cast
Kid – Stephen Hollenhorst
“Gentleman” Johnny Walsh – James R. Stowell
Gus-the-Greek – John Tsafoyannis
Music performed by Sally Reynolds and Stephen Hollenhorst
L-R: James R. Stowell, John Tsafoyannis, Stephen Hollenhorst
Production Staff
Director – Vern Sutton
Stage Manager & Technical Director – Trevor Vasey
Assistant Stage Manager – Kevin Seime
Properties – Barth Ward
Master Electrician/Auditorium Tech Director – Randall E. Seitz
Technical Support – Jon O. Erikson
Production Design – Thomas H. Berger
SONGS
The Festive Lumberjack
The Falling of the Pine
Shanty Boys
A Servants’ Christmas
November 29-December 23, 1985
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.
The limited information about this play’s performances is based upon advance marketing, advertising material, photographs and newspaper articles in our archives. Unfortunately, a program for this production, our primary source of data, could not be located.
Cast
Mr. Warner – James R. Stowell
Eric Horne – Jay Nickerson
Monica – Megan Grundy
Artistic & Production Staff
Director – John Tsafoyannis
This production was presented at the Women’s Club of Minneapolis
in Minneapolis, Minnesota
Quiet, Wyatt! (World Premiere)
February 7-March 9, 1986
By Leslie Brody
Music by Miriam Gerberg
This play is a recollection of the remarkable life of Josephine Sarah Marcus Earp, who had a 50-year relationship with famous lawman Wyatt Earp before he died in 1929. An avid naturalist, she lived to see the encroachment of civilization on her beloved wilderness. She died in 1944. The play is set in the year of Wyatt’s death; Act I scenes occur in San Francisco and Tombstone, Arizona. Act II locations include The Klondike, Chicago and Pinal, Arizona, the Arizona desert and assorted locations along the road.
Cast
Josephine Sarah Marcus Earp – Buffy Sedlacheck
Josie, the younger Josephine Earp – Lynn Marie Buth
Henrietta Marcus/Rose/Genvieve/Celia Maddie Blaylock – Carolyn Ward
Edna Marcus/Alice/Waitress/Marietta Spencer/Sheriff Burke/Urilla Sutherland – Laurel Fardella
Kate Holliday/Bella/Waitress/Aggie Mayo/Stuart Lake – Megan Grundy
Elijah/Johnny Behan/Mrs. Morse/Frank Beeler Fitzsimmons – Chuck McQuary
L-R: Megan Grundy, Lynn Marie Buth, Carolyn Ward
Production Staff
Director – Laurie Grossman
Stage Manager – Wayne Hendricks
Set Designer & Technical Director – Michael Hoover
Lighting Designer – Kari Larson
Master Electrician & auditorium technical director – Randall E. Seitz
Costume Designer – Lee Goodman Kennedy
Properties Designer & Assistant Stage Manager – Dan Smith
Speed (World Premiere)
April 25-May 25, 1986
By Lance S. Belville
The subject of Speed is Charles “Speed” Holman, for whom St. Paul’s Holman Field is named. Holman’s daring exploits as a stunt flyer and the first professional pilot at Northwest Airlines made him a Midwestern legend. All performances of this show took place at the Altair Aviation hangar at Holman Field in St. Paul. Most of the scenes were performed inside the hangar, but the audience watched the dramatic final scene through the open hangar door. The key dates and places in the play are July 5, 1927 in St. Paul, Minnesota and May 17, 1931 in Omaha, Nebraska. The play takes place before and between these dates, and in and around those places.
This was the first time in the annals of History Theatre that the organization offered two different productions (Speed and Down to Earth) concurrently in two different locations. That happened again six months later, during the Fall of the next season (86-87) with two other plays (A Servants’ Christmas and Logan Township No. 13).
Cast
Charles “Speed” Holman – Jefferson Slinkard
Genevieve “Gene” Dixon – LuAnn Adams
Walter Bullock/Movie Director – David Lipp
Col. L.H. Brittin/Farmer/Salesman/Wilbur Larrabee – Mac Harris
Al Blackstone/Inspector Boudwin – Hassan El-Amin
Rosie Stein/Mrs. Dixon – Susie Cravens
Ed Ballough/Cameraman – Scott Thun
Dr. Hugo Eckener/Sheriff – John Tsafoyannis
Understudies – Laurel Fardella, Richard Long
Production Staff
Director – Vern Sutton
General Manager – Thomas H. Berger
Stage Manager – Wayne Hendricks
Set Designer & Technical Director – Michael Hoover
Lighting Designer – Kari Larson
Master Electrician – Randall E. Seitz
Costume Designer – Lee Goodman Kennedy
Properties Designer & Assistant Stage Manager – Dan Smith
Down to Earth
April 11-May 11, 1986
By Lance S. Belville
Music & Lyrics by Eric Peltoniemi
This production offers songs and stories about farm families who triumph over the challenges of the Great Depression. The play takes place in and around a small farm in Western Minnesota between 1930 and 1940. All music and lyrics are by the composer with the exceptions of the music in the fourth dance number, known as “Life in the Finnish Woods” and the melody to “Lead on, Oh Franklin Roosevelt,” which was composed by Henry Smart.
Cast
Ursula Baumgartner/Teacher/County Relief Worker – Carole Jean Anderson
Greta Baumgartner/A Solting Child – Carla Barwineck
M.C. – Sally Reynolds
Otto Baumgartner – Robert Staeheli
Toivo/A Solting Child – Trevor Vasey
Senator Shipstead/Levi/Sheriff Ed/Auctioneer/Carny/Roman Makiniki – Bruce Owen
Small Town Journalist/Maureen/Levi’s Wife/Emma Faulkenburg – Sherry Minnick
Renee Baumgartner/Anna Solting/Administration Spokesperson – Tinia Moulder
Toivo’s Brother/Lauri/Hobo/Oskar Solting/A Solting Child – Stephen Hollenhorst
The Band
Piano, Violin – Sally Reynolds
Guitar, Mandolin – Sherry Minnick
Guitar – Bruce Owen
Piano – Stephen Hollenhorst
Production Staff
Director – John Tsafoyannis
General Manager – Thomas H. Berger
Stage Managers – Kris Hadrits, Lisa Anderson, Tom Berger
Master Electrician, Auditorium Tech Director – Randall E. Seitz
Production Tech Director – Trevor Vasey
Original Set Conception – Jon O. Erikson
Costume Designer – Lee Goodman Kennedy
THE SONGS
Act One
FDR – Cast
Down to Earth – Cast
Grasshopper Drone – Band
The Hopper Song (Hop Hoppity Hopper) – Judy Larson, Cheryl Brown, Ruth MacKenzie
The Morals of the Farmer – Cheryl Brown, Bill Hinkley
Rautavaaren Jenkka – Cast
Poorhouse – Joel Hatch
Lutheran Eyes – Cast
Hands on the Handle – Ruth MacKenzie, Cast
Act Two
Shining – Ruth MacKenzie
Quit Foolin’ Around – Bill Hinkley
Lead On, O Franklin Roosevelt * – Cast
Love to a Farmer – Judy Larson
New Country Waltz – Laura Clark
Little Tragedies – Bill Hinkley, Ruth MacKenzie
Down to Earth (reprise) – Cast
Note: All lyrics and music by Eric Peltoniemi
© 1984 Eric Peltoniemi Music LLC/ASCAP
except * Lead On, O Franklin Roosevelt, lyrics by Eric Peltoniemi; music by 19th Century hymnist, Henry Smart | © 1984 Eric Peltoniemi Music LLC/ASCAP
This play was presented in the Weyerhaeuser Auditorium at the
Landmark Center in downtown St. Paul
