For Stage Coach Players, the production of shows ended abruptly in March of this year with its live radio production on February 29th. As of today, the theatre group has now gone the longest stretch of time without producing any type of show since its last days at the old building. Where we began this series. The 2000 season saw the comedy Squabbles closing out the last full season at the old building on September 12th. In 2001, the classic musical South Pacific was performed at the Egyptian Theatre opening on March 22nd. When we return to performing, it will be the group’s longest period of not producing live theatre ever.
With that in mind, Stage Coach Players has been keeping busy and will remain busy the remainder of the year and until the next production. The Stage Coach Players Covid-19 Task Force has spent every Tuesday since mid-April collecting food for those in need and giving away fabric for local seamstresses to create their own Covid-19 masks. A couple weeks ago, a live presentation of a virtual mystery game night, “Bullets On Broadway,” a murder-mystery was offered. In just over a week, Stage Coach Players will be running a virtual summer camp for kids and has been planning its 75th year in DeKalb County.
Stage Coach Players is ready to come out from the quarantine, call places, turn the house lights down and go on with the show. As we wait for that next production, let’s hear from some our members and the stories of how they became involved with Stage Coach Players and find out what’s up next!
“My first show was A Christmas Carol in 2013,” offered Maria Lyn Pearcy Boynton. She said her husband Denny had planned to audition along with her youngest daughter, Gwynneth. “I had never done anything of the sort but thought that it might be a grand adventure if we happened to each get a role and participate together.” Denny was cast as Scrooge, Gwynneth was one of the Cratchit children, “and I was Mrs. Cratchit. As I stood behind the curtain waiting to make my first entrance ever on opening night, I remember thinking something along the lines of, ‘Oh my. What have I done!’ After a few moments, I forgot myself completely. It was a complete and utter joy.”
“My first show with Stage Coach Players was Shrek The Musical in 2013,” Cortney Jo Newby remarked. “I had previously done professional work in St. Louis and southern Illinois, but recently had gotten married and had taken a break from music theater.” After having her son, Newby said she desperately wanted to get back into theatre. “I saw an audition online and drove all the way out to audition. I was welcomed with open arms from the moment I stepped into the audition.” And she continues to be part of the Stage Coach Players family. “I met so many incredible people my first year (at Stage Coach) that I felt like this theatre would become a second family to me and after eight years, it has.”
“I have worked with over a dozen theatres in the four years I’ve been doing community theatre, and by far, Stage Coach Players has the greatest sense of family of any of them,” Patrick Deering replied when asked what made him come back to Stage Coach Players after his first show, Little Women. “It was also my first role in a musical,” adding, “My music background was cornet and piano, no voice. But it ended up being one of my favorite roles to play. Everyone was so welcoming and
Jason Reed and Keely Haag in the 2020 Radio production with Bertrand Simpson and Jessie Ackerman seated.
Paula Howlett and Deb Brubaker sing during the 2018 Cabaret show, “Taking On Broadway.”
supporting, even when they had to take away the harmonies during tech week because I simply couldn’t do them.”
Not everyone starts their journey with Stage Coach Players on the stage. In fact many who have been a part of Stage Coach Players have never set foot on the stage as a performer. Jeanna Hunter has performed back stage in dozens of productions since being asked to help create costumes for The Wizard of Oz in 2003. Mark Hunyard has been involved with the Stage Coach Players family since 1991 when he ran spot for the dinner theatre The Pinchpenny Phantom of the Opera.
“The first show that I was ever involved with was Night Watch,” Steve Challgren said. The Stage Manager, Darlene Hillman asked if he would be a reader for one of the actors. Challgren explained, “At that time they wanted someone to be watching the actors’ lines so they could feed them to them when needed.” David Booth, the director of the play assigned him to Bernie Schuneman. “On nights when Bernie couldn’t be at practice, I got to stand in for him. When the show ended, Dave Booth encouraged me to try out for a show sometime.” Challgren remembers not being able to attend auditions but was cast in the show, Fools, after an actor had to drop out. “I had so much fun doing it that I knew it was going to be a life-long hobby.”
Bonnie Miller also began life with Stage Coach Players backstage. “Oliver! was my first Stage Coach Players show when I played clarinet in the pit orchestra while I was in high school,” she said. “The first show I was cast in was Annie in 2013. I auditioned for the show with my 5-year-old daughter Zoe, and while she was too young to get cast in that show, she and I have been doing shows ever since.” Miller credits both friends she made during Annie and the rush of being onstage as the reason she keeps coming back to be a part of the Stage Coach Players family.
“There is something to be said for completely stepping out of yourself and becoming another (person),” Maria Lyn Pearcy Boynton said. “If you really give yourself up to the process, you gain tremendous perspective and, suddenly, the world is even bigger than you dared to imagine.” She compared it to education. “With every degree – high school, B.A., and M.A. – rather than feeling smarter, I just continued to become more and more aware of how much I did not know. Once you step foot on the stage, and every time you do so, you become more and more aware of how narrow your world is as defined by your own beautiful life. The stage is an adventure every time. And the people you share the stage with become extended family.”
From all perspectives, theatre is a wholly creative process. All directors need to come up with creative ways to make stage magic for Stage Coach Players or find someone who can. “Each show you do props for is a challenge,” Sue McCue and Nancy Schuneman offered. “For every show there is always a prop or two (or more) that are a challenge. Those are the props that you have to figure out how to create.” One of the more challenging props they told me that needed creating was a trident for Disney’s The Little Mermaid. It needed to be lit with colored LED light which would change color depending on the mood of King Triton.
“We are an organization of really creative people, so I’m sure that lots of fun ideas are being worked on right now,” said Jeanna Hunter. Boynton added that her dream for Stage Coach Players, “Is to see shows written by members of our community performed on stage by local actors, on a stage built and decorated by local craftspeople and artists.”
Each of us has a dozen stories to share with new family members at Stage Coach Players. Favorite shows or favorite moments. “My favorite show is a harder question than I thought it would be,” Scott Montavon said. “I get to go misbehave on stage doing something I like with people I love.” He added, “If I had to choose it would be my first show at Stage Coach Players in 2008, Heaven Can
Bob Cain and Michael Mattingly in the 2020 Black Box production of Visiting Mr. Green.
Danny Lamansky and Kevin Gum in the 2016 production of The Laramie Project.
Wait. Much like you remember your first kiss. That show stands out in my mind.”
As we have now made it to the midway point of 2020, we hope to see the light at the end of the tunnel in the battle against Covid-19. Members of Stage Coach Players look to the future. Deering is scheduled to direct Auntie Mame early in 2021 with Boynton as the titular figure in the cast. Newby will be directing Roald Dahl’s Matilda The Musical and producing Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. Montavon will be directing The Red Velvet Cake War, with as he says some of the funniest people he knows, including Miller.
As with everything about Stage Coach Players, the theatre is more than simply what it produces on stage. It’s about how it works with the community. Theatre president Steve Becker said he believes, “Stage Coach Players is at the beginning of a period of growth. In the future, I think that we will see many opportunities beyond stage performances alone.”
Jeanna Hunter added, “In the immediate future, I think Stage Coach Players will be challenged to rethink how they bring community theatre to our community.” And in addition to producing virtual theatre, to a certain degree, the organization has already made another small step by re-imagining its mission statement.
Stage Coach Players supports those who are making their voices heard at this important moment in our shared history. The importance of community theatre is bringing together diverse voices to tell unique, powerful, and entertaining stories. We strive to promote an inclusive atmosphere for all performers, creators, and patrons in which their talents and perspectives can be celebrated. We will continue to do our part by listening, learning, and fostering an environment free of racism and discrimination of any kind.
