Spoon River Anthology, Spring, 1998

Click on images for larger pictures.

Program Notes:

Marian College Theatre

Edgar Lee Masters'

Spoon River Anthology

Adapted and Arranged by Charles Aidman

Directed by David Schimpf

Presented by special arrangement with Samuel French, Inc.

Thursday, April 2 8pm

Saturday, April 4 1:30pm and 8pm

Sunday, April 5 1:30pm

Production Notes

Spoon River Anthology was Illinois lawyer and poet Edgar Lee Masters' greatest work. He published the first version of it in 1915, inspired by a weekend filled with reminiscences with his mother in his childhood home of Petersburg, Illinois, located on Spoon River. The original is a collection of poems that present the reflections of the fictional residents of Spoon River, a town patterned after Petersburg. Some of the characters are based on historical figures: Anne Rutledge was a close friend of Abraham Lincoln in the early 1830s. Lucinda Matlock is based on Masters' grandmother, Lucinda Masters. Most of the characters, however, are Masters' imaginative creations.

In Spoon River Anthology, Masters presents a wide variety of human experience and creates memorable characters and situations. We hope that you will find the characters both familiar and fascinating. The production has provided to be an excellent learning experience for the cast, as each actor will perform a number of characters. Each actor has worked hard at developing characters that are simultaneously real, interesting, and distinctive. We hope you enjoy our efforts, and perhaps see yourself and others in the residents of Spoon River Cemetery.

This production is the sixth in the recent history of Marian College Theatre. Recent productions have included Love's Labors Lost, The Crucible, A Midsummer Night's Dream, To Love, To Laugh, and All My Sons. Marian College Theatre is committed to providing an educational experience of the whole person to cast and audience. Marian College Theatre also presents ImagineIt Company, a semi-improvisational, values-based theatrical ensemble of Marian faculty and students who perform for children in grades K-6.

Spoon River Anthology:

Meet the Cast!

Marion Araujo is a accounting and music major from Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico. Marion is a freshman both to Marian and to the stage, and is enjoying her acting debut as Nancy Knapp and Elizabeth Childers, among others. Besides wowing the cast, Marion enjoys playing the violin. She would like to thank Dave, and all of us who worked hard on this!

A senior communications major from Neenah, Todd Allan Hellman came to Marian College Theatre new to acting, but not to the stage. The percussionist for FBNC, “Drummer” also enjoys flying and tornado chasing, as well as the part of Frank Drummer! Todd sends all the love in the world to his parents and friends for their support and dedication, and would like to thank “my dog, Max, for looking at me weird when I recited my lines - it gave me the drive to work harder!”

Katie Kozlosky is a junior social work major from Neenah, Wisconsin. Katie is a Marian College Theatre vet, having worked in The IMAGINEit Company and played Tituba in The Crucible, Mother in Footfalls, and Sister Natalie in Love's Labors Lost. However, despite the fame all these roles have won her, Katie still regrets missing the chance to play the Ocean. She wants to thank the cast for not giving up on her, Dave for believing in me, her friends for putting up with me, Ray (I love you!), and her family for always being there. She would like to dedicate Spoon River to her mom—“thanks, Mom, I love you!”

A second year music education major from Green Lake, Nicole Lehmann brought many musical experiences to the production, including The Sound of Music and Showboat. Nicole enjoys performing, , skiing, tennis, and her role of Mrs. Benjamin Pantier. She would like to thank Dave for this opportunity, the cast and crew, her family and friends, and the audience—without you, these performances would be impossible! I had a fabulous time working with a great group of talented young people. I am proud to call each of them my friend.

Wendy Otto is the cast vet, appearing in her fifth and final play at Marian. She is a secondary education and history major from Cedarburg, and if there are any principals in the audience, she'll be looking for a job next year! Wendy would like to thank everyone who's seen her through the past four years of theatre and of life: her family for their love, her friends for helping her through, everyone in Res Life for their support, her twin for getting her started on this path, and the cast for making this play the best time ever!

Kirsten Paul is a freshman nursing major from Kiel. Her theatre credits in high school include Arsenic and Old Lace, Lilies of the Field, and Cheaper by the Dozen. Her hobbies include writing poetry, reading, and singing. She enjoys Spoon River because it gives her a chance to be several different people in one play, especially her favorite, Hannah Armstrong. She would like to thank Dave for all of the work he did to get everything together. “He was great - always in a good mood and helpful. Everyone was great!”

Monica Pung is a freshman psychology and sociology major from Milwaukee. She brings her talents of dancing, writing poetry, and acting to the stage. Spoon River is her first play, and she is enjoying the opportunity to play many . . . interesting . . . characters, like Rosie Roberts and Daisy Fraser. She sends her thanks to Dave, her mother and Doug, Evan, and the rest of the cast “for accepting me and helping me out, especially Katie, Wendy, Kirsten, and Todd!”

Kevin Robson is a freshman English education major from Eden. He has found enlightenment in Spoon River, playing such characters as Deacon Taylor and Judge Selah Lively: “I never knew how good this play is until I learned my lines!” He has also shared his talents with the Lighthouse Christian Church in their annual Easter Cantata. Kevin dedicates this play “to all my new friends found through this play —thanks to you all for putting up with me through it all!”

Dr. David Schimpf has been the backbone of Marian College Theatre since its birth six years ago. With an undergraduate degree in theatre and a doctorate in theology, Dr. Schimpf is the Director of the Theology and the Theatre departments. The cast would like to thank Dave for all his help, his understanding, and for letting us try our hand at singing. He would like to thank the cast for taking risks, working hard, and their patience with his humor. He is very proud of the work and the growth of the cast. He especially thanks his family, Lisa, Becca, and Mark, for being patient with the long rehearsals and set-up work. Thanks also to Donna Roggentine, without whom this production would not have been possible. People often ask me . . .

During the run of Spoon River, Ben Soman has come to show the cast and crew his true personality - he's a raving lunatic! Ben is a freshman from Fennimore and has brought his experiences in Anything Goes, Ducktails and Bobbysocks, South Pacific, and Guys and Dolls to our stage. He would like to thank John Lovitz for his SNL “Master Thespian” character-he is one of Ben's biggest inspirations. Also, “thanks to all my family for making the great journey to Fond du Lac.” Ach!

Dan Starzec, Jr. is a freshman communications major from Chicago. Dan has also appeared in Our Town at Notre Dame High School in Niles, IL - and the death theme is beginning to disturb him. He sends his thanks to all his friends on campus and at home in Chicago— “especially to Eric Chmielewski, Joe Masley, Bill Dotson, Mike McCotter, Joe Valenti, and Mike Amato, my closest and dearest friends. Also to my parents, Daniel and Maria Starzec for their support and love, my sister Katie, my grandfather and my Aunt Louise, who were able to make the trip up for the performance.” Dan's 19th birthday is Saturday, so cheer extra loud!

The Cast of Spoon River Anthology . . .

welcomes the audience . . .

thanks Donna Roggentine, Josh Tice, and the Schimpfs for going above and beyond. . .

asks everyone to keep Katie Kozlosky and her family in their prayers . . .

and dedicates this performance to Earl, teamwork, and fun, without which none of this would have been possible.