Welcome to The Aside! The purpose of this page is to keep the wide circle of Stage 212 participants up to speed on each other as well as what's going on 'behind the scenes' at Stage 212 and all around the theater world. This page is a catch-all for any inside-oriented information, tidbits, heads up, entertainment, comments — just about anything of potential interest to the 212/community theater family. So, if you've got something to share with your fellow '212ers' . . . this is where it can go!

AREA AUDITIONS & PRODUCTIONS

***Auditions***

NOT WITH MY DAUGHTER. (The Riverfront Playhouse) The Riverfront Playhouse at 11-13 South Water Street Mall in downtown Aurora will hold auditions for their upcoming romantic comedy, Not With My Daughter by Jay Christopher on Sunday, April 19 and and Monday April 20 at 7:30 p.m.. Needed are 3 men and 3 women aged 18 through mid-40's. The audition will consist of a cold read from the script. Under the direction of Gene Scheffler and Pamela Rowe, Not With My Daughter will play at the playhouse on Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. from May 23 through June 28. Appointments are not necessary. For more information, call the playhouse at 630 897-9496.

***Productions***

CLOSER. (The Riverfront Playhouse) Patrick Marber's controversial and provocative play about love and sex in the 21st Century, beginning April 4th. Will run Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. through May 10. Although critically acclaimed when presented on Broadway and Oscar-nominated (and Golden Globe-winning) when adapted into a movie by Mike Nichols, Closer is a bold choice for the Riverfront, according to director Gary Puckett. The Riverfront has been very upfront in all its publicity that Closer is definitely NOT appropriate for younger or more sensitive audience members. But while not for everyone, Puckett insists that the more adventurous will find Closer a very entertaining and engaging experience -- wildly funny and, at times, deeply moving. "This is the best script, line for line, that I've read in ages," says Puckett. "And while best known for its more sensational aspects, it is really just a flat-out great story, exceptionally well told." The plot unfolds episodically, with jumps in time -- sometimes within a single scene. There are just four characters: Alice, a free-spirited stripper; Dan, a frustrated novelist reduced to writing obituaries; Anna, a divorced and lonely photographer; and Larry, a dermatologist who likes to surf on the Internet's seamier sites. These four come together in various combinations but are eventually torn apart by their own jealousy, envy and acts of betrayal. But despite its sometimes brutal depiction of human weakness, Closer is really something of a romance, albeit without a storybook happy ending. The ensemble includes Katie Meiners as Alice; Carl Zeitler as Dan; Lisa Savegnago as Anna and Jim Griffin as Larry. Colette Shelby will be Assistant Director and Marie Clawson will understudy the role of Alice on April 18 and 19. Tickets are $15.00 for adults and $12.00 for students and seniors. Group rates are also available. For more information, call the Riverfront Box Office at 630/897-9496 or go to the website at riverfrontplayhouse.com.

There's room for more! E-mail Stage212@yahoo.com with area audition & production info!

MEMBERS & ALUMNI

Dittmer Sails With "Really Big Pirate Show." Our friend Alex Dittmer writes with the following updates:

"I will be doing a "backers performance" of a new show called The Really Big Pirate. This means we're looking for potential backers to financially support and produce the show. It happens to a lot of shows and is a viable step prior to bringing a show to Broadway. That performance will happen in Mid-Town Manhattan on May 5th (Cinco De Mayo).

"After that, I will be in the Illinois Valley area for the last week of may, after that I head 3 hours North of NYC to Lake George, NY and I will be in GREATER TUNA doing the Arles track. This job is giving my my Equity Card which is a huge boon to any actor in New York. I will be thrilled to be a proud member of Actors Equity.

"As always, I will be more than happy to escort anyone from the area around New York when ever they visit."

"Lots of work to do just unpacking . . . We were fortunate that all came through so well since we did the packing and loading . . . It has been raining off and on, so the pool people will most likely start digging next week as long as the rain holds off a bit. Lots of wild sun flowers in our yard."

Giacomo decided to move to Texas after an illustrious, 29-year career at Illinois Valley Community College, as well as many years involved with various area civic groups. He spent most of his tenure at IVCC as a well-known and respected theatre and speech instructor, for which he won many accolaides. He was ultimately promoted to Dean of Humanities, Fine Arts and Social Sciences before retiring from the college. After being involved with Stage 212 for many years, he directed for the first and only time on the winter 2007 musical Quilters before bidding farewell to the Illinois Valley.

"Love to all," he says, and adds that "you are welcome to visit here."

A former 212 boardmember and friend writes to us with the following updates:

the HAPPIEST PLACE ON EARTH. This is from Arnie Petrus, former 212er, board member and set area guy. I now live in and teach in Kissimmee, Florida. Have only done school productions since here. Worked with Orlando Opera and my class doing an original operetta. PTO and I are discussing starting a community theater at school. The renovations look great. Arnie Petrus

ARCHIVED ENTRIES

212 Alum Make Streator Casts. Some familiar faces from Stage 212 can be seen in two upcoming productions at nearby Engle Lane theater in Streator.

Joey Beavers, most recently seen playing an assortment of deceased gentlemen in 212's past winter production of Arsenic & Old Lace, will be playing the Scarecrow in Streator's youth production of The Wizard Of Oz. Cast alongside him is fellow Arsenic alum, D.J. Haun (Mortimer), as the Tin Man who only wants a heart.

Meanwhile, frequent father-daughter "team" Dan and Jenn Hartenbower are currently in rehearsal for their parts in Streator's August production of the musical Evita! - with Dan in the prominent role of Magaldi, and Jenn in the chorus. 212 audiences most recently saw Dan playing Senator Hedges in the Spring '04 production Born Yesterday. You should also remember Jenn from prominent roles in The Lion In Winter (Spring '03) and Play It Again, Sam (Fall, '02).

Engle Lane will present The Wizard Of Oz July 11-17. Evita! will be presented August 1-7. Tickets for both shows cost $10.00 and go on public sale July 5 and July 26 respectively.

For more information, visit Engle Lane's website at www.englelane.org.

The New York Times says SubUrbia is “Chekhov high on speed and Twinkies; A scathing study of rootless youth.” Newsweek says SubUrbia makes the Angry Young Men of the '50s seem like greeting cards writers. A scarifying dissection of youthful disillusion that manages to be both appalling and appealing. The play's tornado energy and language ring out like a boom box with brains."

(Note: The play does contain strong adult language and themes.)

Tickets cost $5.00 (or $3.00 with a student I.D.). For information call Ryan Ziegler at 815-879-9281; or Jared Walter at 815-252-9450

Dittmer Helms Website. Aspiring actors may want to check out this informative website about Ohio University’s Professional Actor Training Program. The site is created and administered by someone familiar to 212’ers as well as those in the acting community at large – Alex Dittmer.

Dittmer writes:

Howdy All,

     So if any of you were wonderin how does my tuition get paid, or rather what do I do for the money.  This quarter I am building a site for our program.  It is still a work in progress, but here is the address.

www.geocities.com/alex_dittmer

Lemm know what you think.

Alex

Kelsey in “Angel Street”. Larry Kelsey, most recently seen in 212’s fall production of Sylvia, could recently be seen portraying a wily detective this past July in Angel Street, a suspense drama performed at Streator’s Engle Lane community playhouse. The play centers on a conniving husband’s plot to drive his wife insane before she can expose his wrongdoings – that is, unless the detective can figure it all out first! The play was the basis for the 1944 film Gaslight, starring Ingrid Bergman and Charles Boyer. For pictures from the show, visit the theatre’s website at www.englelane.org.

Vlastnik On Broadway. Frank Vlastnik, a former local thespian who should be remembered by many, is currently making it big on Broadway in the musical A Year With Frog and Toad, and has an entire article devoted to his performance and history in TheaterMania.com! (Thanks to Ron McCutchan for the link!)

212ers Round Out Cast & Crew of Lend Me A Tenor. Several talented performers familiar from the platform at Stage 212 could be seen gracing Engle Lane theater in Streator's production of Ken Ludwig's outrageous comic farce, Lend Me A Tenor.

The play, set in 1930's Cleveland, revolves around world famous opera star Tito Morelli, who's been snagged by a floundering local opera house to star in a sold-out production of Othello. Unfortunately, the highly unruly tenor arrives on the set too "ill" to perform - leaving the opera house manager no choice but to cast Morelli's assistant, the equally talented yet terribly unconfident Max, in the role. But chaos ensues when Tito unexpectedly revives and suddenly the production goes from having no leading star to having one too many!

Lend Me A Tenor is "a laugh-a-minute slapstick comedy popular with audiences for its zany, sometimes bawdy, nonstop hysteria". The production featured an array of established local performers whom Stage 212 audiences should recognize.

Andy Decker, last seen at 212 as the shrewd Inspector Hubbard in the spring 2002 production of Dial M For Murder, once again filled the formidable role of Tito - having done so previously in 212's own production of Tenor. Decker is easily one of 212's most familiar faces, and with a long list of 212 credits prior, including Barefoot In the Park, Mister Roberts, Cotton Patch Gospel and Run

 For Your Wife! most recently. He was director of 212's fall '99 production of Stalag 17.

Portraying the role of Maggie, the ingenue torn between the affections of two men, was Mary Andersen, whom 212 audiences will remember from the 2001 musicals Baby and Evita, and most recently the romantic musical She Loves Me! and Dial M For Murder, a murder mystery directed by . . .

. . . Larry Kelsey, who was able to bring some of his directorial experience to Tenor in the role of Saunders, the "walking raw nerve" of a general manager who alternates at the drop of a hat from raging to cajoling as he struggles to keep a handle on the chaos behind the scenes of his sell-out show. If you haven't seen Larry at 212, then you must not have seen many shows at 212 - or at least not Sylvia, Barefoot In the Park, I Hate Hamlet, Stalag 17, Run For Your Wife! or Ten Little Indians to name the most recent in which Kelsey had prominent roles!

Speaking of directors, 212's own Vice President, Mary Toraason, who appeared in Tenor as the "hoity-toity" guild chairwoman Julia, has been familiar backstage to 212 players - serving as stage manager in this past winter's production of She Loves Me!, as producer of last summer's Evita and as director of The King & I the summer before!

212 audiences may also remember Kathy Missel, who played Jenny in 212's 1996 production of Chapter Two. Missel, a long-time participant in Engle Lane productions, had her own plum role in Lend Me A Tenor as Diana, an oversexed and opportunistic soprano who has her way with the men! (Kathy also serves as marketing coordinator for Engle Lane).

And, last but not least, Lend Me A Tenor was helmed in the Director's chair by 212's own Joe Ennenbach, last seen as an aristocrat in 212's summer 2001 musical Evita, and previously to that as the Captain in the fall 2000 play Mister Roberts. Ennenbach refers to the Lend Me A Tenor cast as "equal parts rooted in Engle Lane and in Stage 212," and says he hopes audiences will be "thoroughly entertained by the boundless comic energy . . . and leave with a new appreciation for the quality of work that is presented locally by our community theatres."

Lend Me A Tenor was performed August 25-31 at Engle Lane's playhouse in Streator, IL. To see photos from the production, visit the organization's website!

Peshel Featured In Wait Until Dark. Joseph F. Peshel, a familiar face from Stage 212, could be seen proudly playing "nice" bad guy Mike Talman in the thriller Wait Until Dark, at Mendota High School last September.

Joe made his acting debut at Stage 212, playing the shore patrol officer in last fall's production of Mister Roberts. He quickly followed this up with roles in Baby, Barefoot In the Park, Dial M For Murder and Play it Again, Sam. (Thanks to Bill Crane for the info!)

212ers Caught In Godspell.  The Gospel according to St. Matthew was "in the air" at Putnam County High School auditorium in Granville July 12-14, 2001, as Summer Stage Playhouse performed the classic musical Godspell, based upon the final days of the life of Jesus Christ (played by Neil Sondgeroth) in the Bible. Directed by Stage 212's Manahan Center namesake Robert D. Manahan (and director of 212's winter 1999 production of 1776), Godspell featured a talented cast with many other familiar faces from Stage 212, including Angela Brown and Deanna Brown (make-up on The King & I), Mark Brown (1776), Bobbi Edgcomb, and Mike Garcia (Cotton Patch Gospel, She Loves Me!) (anyone I left out - let me know!).

Wojcik Moves On.  The Stage 212 family wishes the best of luck to Brian Wojcik, who suddenly departed to Texas about eight weeks ago as part of a job re-assignment, and will soon be moving permanently to Columbia, MD to begin his new job as an engineer with "a small company that has reasonable work hours." He says he plans on returning briefly to Peru on July 18th and "will probably move after the weekend on the 23rd or 24th."

Brian has for some time been a familiar face both backstage and onstage at 212, from his starring role as Andrew in the spring 2000 production of I Hate Hamlet, to running lights for the winter 2001 production of the musical Baby - among other things. In the words of 212's current Vice President and sage Billy Crane, Brian was "one GREAT WORKER backstage, onstage, and could always be depended on whenever a special need occurred at the theater", and "is going to be missed by everyone."

"To those I have had the pleasure of working with," Wojcik says, "I would like to say thanks. I wish I could have done more because I really enjoyed the time I invested. I am hoping to find an organization up there half as good as 212." (Thanks to Billy Crane for the info!)

Bidasio Retires From Teaching.  Maryhelen Bidasio, Secretary for Stage 212's Managing Board (and "Wicked Witch of the West" and "Mama Melons"), announces that she has "FINALLY retired from teaching after 34 years in the classroom." Bidasio can now be seen as a docent at the Hegeler-Carus Mansion in La Salle as well as in Stage 212's Ahnger Ticket Booth. Bidasio says that any of her "orphans", "munchkins", etc. can reach her at melons4@ivnet.com.

Decker Stars In Threads.  Andy Decker, one of Stage 212's most familiar faces, is now lending his equally familiar voice to a lively stuffed rabbit starring in Threads.

Threads is a cartoon, aimed at a 2-6 year-old audience, about a band of stuffed animals who come to life on a quilt on a bed in a child's room. Decker voices the zany and impulsive Rags the Rabbit, who sometimes leads his comrades into trouble with his awkward plots. Each video contains two song-filled and comedic episodes about the Threads gang and their misadventures. Each episode is based around one line from Scripture (i.e., "the Golden rule, etc.).

Decker will also soon begin working as Production Director of the Joliet cluster for Pride Communications, where he will produce and oversee the commercial content for four radio stations in the #3 market for radio in the country. He most recently appeared at Stage 212 in Mister Roberts and Cotton Patch Gospel, and was director of last fall's production of Stalag 17. He has also appeared in the Summer Stage Playhouse productions of Assassins and Fiorello.

You can purchase theThreads videos and the stuffed animals locally at The Sparrow's Nest at 228 Madison St. in Ottawa; (815) 431-1358. A clothing line is due out sometime in the fall. Videos can also be purchased through the Threads website, which you can visit for more information.

Vietnam Revisited.  In honor of Veteran's Day and those who served in the Vietnam war, Summer Stage Playhouse in association with Stage 212 recently presented Vietnam Revisited on November 8-12, 2000, at Stage 212's Manahan Center. Under the direction of Robert D. Manahan, the show featured Vietnam memories by veteran John Casazza, and the Performing Arts Chorale performed a medley from the musical Miss Saigon. Another highlight was The Wall: A Pilgrimage, a musical play about a family who visits the Vietnam Wall in Washington, D.C. Many local performers who have participated in Stage 212 productions were featured in Vietnam Revisited, including Mark Brown, Becky Carter, Mary Carter, Lori and Paul Christopherson, Bill Crane, James Faletti, George Ferroni, Mark Fiorentini, Mike Garcia, Chris Kelsey, Kim Parsons, Dan Reeland, Tom Schultz and Mary Vallero. Proceeds from the show benefited the Oglesby Vietnam Memorial and the Stage 212 Maintenance Fund.

Music Man Boasts 212 Talent. Local performers you've seen grace the Stage 212 stage recently lent their remarkable talents to Summer Stage Playhouse's musical production of The Music Man. Directed by Robert D. Manahan (1776 director and namesake to 212's production locale), The Music Man centers on a charming but duplicitous salesman/con man (Mike Garcia, Stalag 17, She Loves Me!) and the deceptions he weaves upon a small town. The musical was performed July 13-15 at Putnam County High School. Among the other 212 alum in the lead cast and/or production crew (anyone left out, please let me know!) are Angela Brown (The Wizard of Oz), Tom Schultz (Cotton Patch Gospel) and Sue Yopchick (make-up person for Cotton Patch and many others). Benefits from the show went to charity.

I have just excepted a price quote from Film & Tape Works of Chicago, Illinois to do my color corrected film transfer. I delivered the negatives to them Monday. The digital editing will be done on Avid equipment for a final cut by BCat Film Productions...after which Frank Macchia of Burbank, California who worked with John Ottman on such films as The Relic and Halloween: H2O, will be composing and performing original film score music created for this film. He has also arranged through one of his many friends in the film industry to have a surround soundtrack created. I am now hoping to get this finished by the end of the year.

Unearthly Harvest is a supernatural thriller written, produced and directed by Swanson, and featuring many Stage 212 alumni.

The plot centers around grisly happenings at an old mansion inhabited by two sisters (Mary Vallero of 212's Crossing Delancy and Lucy Marshall) and a college student (Ryan Reutner). The plot begins with a gruesome All Hallows Eve murder and thickens with the arrival of an evil professor, played by Steve May (Stalag 17) with fiendish designs on a valuable heirloom possessed by one of the sisters.

For more information on Unearthly Harvest, visit the film's website at http://www.jesvideo.com/.