Flying on a toboggan

As we finish up April we begin a mad dash to the end of the fiscal year. The Sugar Bean Sisters has a successful run. The cast had a great time and celebrated by with a cast part after the final performance on Sunday. Before going to the cast party cast members stopped by Lourdes Hospital to see Susan Anderson who played the reptile woman the first week of the run. Susan thought there was a good chance that she would be out of the hospital this week and we wish her a speedy recovery. A couple of nominees for the infamous "Golden Screw" awards presented themselves during the run of the show. The most memorable one was on the second Friday when Marsha Cash entered the house to start the show and the back door knob promptly came off in her hand. Marsha didn't have to exit at that point so she put the door knob on the top of the dresser next to the door and hid under the bed (which she was supposed to do). Sue Fletcher then entered the house and went to open the back door. Seeing the knob on the dresser Sue briefly panicked and left the stage by going into the back bedroom of the set to tell crew person Jaimie Smith what had happened. Kim Yocum and Marsha Cash's eyes got as big as saucers when Sue, without warning, suddenly left the stage. Kim, as Willie May, became suddenly aware that she was now alone onstage, in front of 240 people, with no one to talk to. Kim kept calling to Sue offstage-"Faye... Faye... Come back.... Faye..... I need you!!!" Sue returned to the stage after what seemed like an eternity to Kim but was only about 30 seconds in real time and continued the scene. If you hadn't seen the show before you would never have known that wasn't supposed to happen. That is the joy (and terror) of live theatre. You never know what will happen next! Marsha eventually got the door open by putting her finger in the hole where the door knob should have been and released the catch. At intermission Jim Keeney replaced the door knob.

We are flying towards two events this weekend- (the first weekend of May), is 7th Annual KY Derby Party on Saturday at 3 pm and the technical rehearsal for The Secret Life of Girls on Sunday at 6pm. Rehearsals for both Secret Life and Wizard of Oz have been running all week in the evenings.

The second and third weekends of May are the performances of the Secret Life of Girls. Performances are Thur. & Fri. at 7:30 pm and Sat. & Sun. at 2:30 pm.

The fourth weekend is the lower town festival and the performance of the Footlights troupe shows in the Studio theatre. If you want to do something fun and help out the theatre at the same time sign up to work a shift at the Lower Town Music & Art Festival. We help the Buzzard Brothers serve food during the festival and they share a portion of the proceeds with theatre.

The fifth weekend is the technical rehearsal for the Wizard of Oz and the final push to open that show.

The MHT Nominating committee is currently contacting potential board members to discuss board and committee positions. The board will submit a slate of officers and new board members to be approved at the May board meeting and then the election by members at the annual picnic in June.

We may be wrapping up April but it reminds me of being a kid in Wisconsin on a toboggan with about 5 people all hanging on for dear life hurtling down a snow covered hillside, flying through the air as you hit the bumps, everyone screaming and at the end you stopped for just a moment amazed you survived it and then a smile appears and someone yells- "Let's do it again!"