Island Players casts “Our Town”
On Thursday evening, January 10, the cast assembled in the School Commons for its first read-through of Island Players’ winter production, Our Town by Thornton Wilder. It was not the typical gathering. Usually 5-7 familiar faces form the ensembles that work together for 6 weeks to bring a polished gem of theatre to the Island community. Twenty-two Island citizens, 8 of them students, have signed on to bring us this Pulitzer Prize winning play, to be presented February 18 and 19 in Trinity Fellowship Hall.
As was the case with Of Mice and Men, Island Players’ acclaimed late summer show, many of the cast have never before appeared in an Island Players’ production. This Island is a treasure trove of talented actors!
Pictured above, the cast of the Island Players’ winter production “Our Town.” Left to right, first row; Annabelle Hansen, Carsen Ervin, Alex Johnson, & Oliver Hansen. Second row; Carolyn Foss, Carissa Mann, Ashley Wacasar, Nick Knudsen, Carol Amadio, Janet Engstrom & Cindra Hokkanen. Back row; Doc Westring, Jim Findlay, Ham Rutledge, Jens Hansen, Tom Noonan, Joyce Morehouse, Howard Scott, Terry Henkel and Phil Green.
New to the Island Players’ stage are: high school seniors, Ashley Wacaser as Emily, and Nick Knudsen as George. Ashley has appeared in Center Stage readings and Drama Club productions.
Howard Scott (Doctor Gibbs) and Doc Westring (Constable Warren and Joe Stoddard) are relatively new Island residents with considerable stage experience.
Autumn and Emily Dompke make their debut in the roles of assistant stage manager and school children. Emily was seen in the first Center Stage play reading on January 9.
Alex Johnson is Wally Webb, a youngster who has to “know all about Canada.”
Carsen Ervin plays Rebecca Gibbs, alternating with Annabelle Hansen.
Carolyn Young Foss falls in the category of newly returned to the I.P. stage in the role of Mrs. Soames. Carolyn has served as member and past president of the Island Players Board of Directors. At age 17, Carolyn played the role of Emily in a 1979 production of Our Town, directed by Cleo Fowler at the Lighthouse Dinner Theatre.*
Veteran cast members include:
Ham Rutledge in the central role of Stage Manager
Cindra Hokkanen………….Mrs. Gibbs
Carol Amadio………………Mrs. Webb
Jens Hansen………………..Mr. Webb
Tom Noonan……………….Mr. Stimson
Phil Green…………………..Howie Newsome and Sam Craig
Terry Henkel……………….Professor Willard
Annabelle Hansen……….Rebecca Gibbs
Oliver Hansen……………..Joe Crowell, Si Crowell, ball player
Carissa Mann, Joyce Morehouse, Janet, and Lee Engstrom, all long-term I.P. enthusiasts and activists, appear in cameo roles.
Our Town is directed by Dave Ranney, assistant director, Charlotte Manning and produced by Joyce Morehouse.
Advanced tickets ($12 adult, $6 students through high school) guarantee a seat until 10 minutes before curtain. They go on sale Saturday, February 5, at the Rec Center and the Red Cup. Off-island attendees may send a check to Island Players, P.O. Box 160 and tickets will be held at the door. Contact: Joyce Morehouse, 920-847-2215 or Island Players’ web site: islandplayers.org.
*A reprint of the review of the 1979 production of Our Town, which appeared in the December 18, 1979 issue of the Washington Island Forum, William T. Clayton, Editor, follows. How many cast members, beside Carolyn Foss, do you recognize?
“Our Town”
(no by-line given)
Friday, December 7th was opening night for the 4th dinner theatre production at the Lighthouse. The show did not take us by surprise. Knowing what goes into these productions, the work, the time and the energy, showed this reporter another performance which can only be described as powerful, but with some light moments.
Greeting the audience this time was a newly enlarged stage. It worked well for Our Town, giving it a more spacious feeling. The seating at the tables also benefited from the enlarged space.
The play, written by Thornton Wilder, is set in a small town with the Stage Manager as your guide. Our guide was Mark Nerenhausen, who fit the role perfectly. He came across in the narrative as intended: knowledgeable and above the characters in the play.
The opening scene shows typical townspeople going about daily tasks. Melanie Koyen as Mrs. Gibbs and Kay Goodlet as Mrs. Webb, contrasted very well for this part. Kay seemed a bit nervous but this wore off as the play progressed. Melanie turned in a stellar performance, giving good dimension to her character. The first applause in the first act was given to Harry Fowler as Prof. Willard. A professor more attuned to the facts than the people around him. It brought laughs and the audience became livelier.
This tempo was further enhanced by the performances of Jay Hagen, as Simon Stimson, Jim Reiff, as Constable Warren, and the choir which included Kirby Foss, Harry Fowler, Jerry Hutton, Sue Lacy, Rick Sheehy, Rhea Sikes, Susan Sander, and Bernie Ives.
Some of the serious points of the play came out in the acting of Noel Ryder as Dr. Gibbs, the doctor. We also got to see Tom Harvey and Carolyn Young at this point. Tom and Carolyn both started out slow, their inexperience showing. However the play went smoothly through all three acts.
Another notable performance was turned in by Carroll Koyen as the milkman, Howie Newsome.
The second act was a little livelier than the first. The wedding scene was highlighted by Clara Jessen. Even though the play has some serious moments, the light moments such as Clara’s were well received.
The third act, which is staged in the cemetery, gave us the final glimpse of Our Town. Carolyn, as the young bride, who was buried that day, showed that she had a grasp of the feeling that life is only temporary and death is eternal. She was superb as she quested for that final glimpse of life. The play transformed from light to serious and the transition went smoothly. The audience, quiet, respectful, and almost sad to tears with the final moments of the play.
Cleo Fowler, who directed the play, did a fantastic job with such a varied company of players. Some of the actors had experience and some had little or none. Cleo brought all of this together in a combination that produced one of the best of the dinner theatre plays.
Speaking of dinner theatres and dinner, this one, which was by Margie and Joy, was excellent. I had two platefuls of pork chops, scalloped potatoes, carrots and beans. There was also some salad and dessert.
In this day of high priced night club entertainers and $50 dinner checks, it is so refreshing to see a good production, have a good dinner and really enjoy a night on the town with some friends for such a reasonable amount of money. This makes Our Town the best show of the year.
–by Charlotte Manning
