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January 18, 2006
Memories from Patsy Monson, class of '71
Well, let me be the first one to say it, my best memories are the parties. Being part of the theater department in the late sixties and early seventies was a lot of fun, but I think we had the greatest parties ever. Especially wearing sheets, dancing to" Tommy". Life was sweet on Thornton St. with Cathy and Camille.
Patsy Monson, Class of '71
Posted by justin at 11:44 AM
Memories from Joan Lee, class of '85
During all those years when John Loprieno was playing "Cord Roberts" on "One Live to Live," I tried to tell people that I knew him, that he beat me up on stage in the play "Major Barbara"!
Well, now I have proof. I'm the little blonde being menaced by John and his cohorts in the pic shown for the 1983-84 season. Thank you for memories.
We all had a little crush on the very-married Mr. Loprieno!
Joan Lee
one of the "Stale Faces" that graduated on the "five-year" plan with a BA in
Theatre Arts in 1985
Posted by justin at 10:47 AM
January 17, 2006
Update from Dick Cermele, Ph.D '77
I graduated with a Ph.D in 1977, concentrating on directing as well as film studies and criticism. I spent the remaining years teaching, directing, and, on and off, chairing the theatre department at St. Cloud State University.
I retired in 1994, traveled for a while and am currently residing in Edina.
For the past several years I have been writing a filmscript on the life of Giuseppe Verdi, widely accepted as one of the music world's greatest composers of opera. Lesser known is the fact that he was also one of the leading lights in the revolution, unification and independence of Italy in the middle and late l800's. The progress of the filmscript continues to be demanding but delightful.
Posted by utheatre at 10:22 AM
January 13, 2006
Carole Peterson Wendt's Memories of the University of Minnesota Theatre (Part 1)
One of the most vivid memories I have of my years at the University of Minnesota is riding across Wisconsin sitting next to Doctor Frank Whiting, or "Doc," as we called him.
Doc was driving. Anyone who ever rode with Doc will now feel a chill of fear. Doc was, to put it mildly, an adventurous driver. Fast and erratic. The vehicle was a University of Minnesota van filled with dancers on the way to a performance at Northwestern University. Our leader and choreographer was Bob Moulton. I remember Bill Phelps was among the passengers. At every opportunity, the group would urge me to take over the driving. They were terrified. I was the only other person legally qualified to drive. I had a license and I was an employee of the University; at the time I worked at the library. I kept asking Doc if he were tired of driving; I told him I would be happy to take over. "Oh, no," he said jauntily, "I love to drive." At one point he told me he loved to pass cars on a hill because it was exciting not knowing what was coming the other way. I have to assume he was joking because he never did pass on a hill during our long, long ride to and from Evanston, and he never once let go of that steering wheel.
I will never forget Bob Moulton. I first met him when he designed and fitted the gorgeous gowns I wore in the French play, "Le Medecin Malgre Lui." I played Lucinde, the ingenue, and daughter of the "medecin" played by Bill Hillard. A wonderful actor with a brilliant mind. He later became a good friend. I
was new to the theatre then. Having the charismatic costume designer Professor Moulton at my feet pinning and measuring and tugging away to make the gowns perfect was almost more of a thrill than I could stand. My theatrical experience was limited, having just recently left my hometown of Litchfield,
Minnesota, population 5,000: "large enough to serve you, small enough to know you" was the town motto. Wearing those beautiful gowns with their huge hoop skirts and outfitted with a white upswept wig, I couldn't have had a more lovely entry into the University of Minnesota theater world. And all in French, no less.
END PART ONE, MORE TO COME
Posted by utheatre at 01:33 PM
Carole Peterson Wendt's Memories (Part 2)
It was about that time that my boy friend, Bill Wendt, was cast as the young Marco in "Marco Millions." Our mutural interest in the theater --plus the fact that we both worked at Gray's Drugstore in Dinkytown -- drew us together. Bill and I married after we graduated and were together until his death in 1998.
Of course, I attended a performance of "Marco Millions" .. proud of my boy friend's acting. I was also struck by Lorraine "Tiny" Steiner's portrayal of a prostitute. Though I was a little bit shocked, I figured I must really be sophisticated to be able to watch such carryings on. Those were more innocent times. I was also amazed by the wonderful acting of Richard Halverson as Kublai Khan. I had seen a few plays in high school; I was even in one. But this was much different. This was a quality of performance beyond anything I'd seen before. Halverson went on to have a very successful career in regional theater. The great theater critic Brooks Atkinson praised his work highly at the Cleveland Playhouse. Atkinson almost never looked at any production outside of Broadway so it was quite noteworthy that he saw and wrote about Halverson's work.
After we married, Bill and I went to New York to try our luck in show business. I ended up working in television as a producer and writer on shows that included the Today Show, the David Frost Show, and the Jack Paar Show. My first foray into TV, however, came at the University. I played a leopard in an odd
little show called "The Blob." Myron "Mo" Odegaard played the blob. The whole thing was directed by Jerry Rumley. The details have faded but I do recall that I had a costume with a tail and that I entered from camera right -- backwards. I believe I was dancing or doing something that vaguely resembled dancing. We all thought it was quite avant garde. Bill, meanwhile, did something for stage and TV, which was much more serious and made more sense. Frank Sturcken directed him in a one act play titled "Hello, Out There." Bill played a tortured young man in jail being visited by his girl friend. The play was televised and was well received. I learned later that for years it had been shown to student actors and directors as an example of good work for television. (I would be grateful if anyone could find a copy of that show.)
MORE TO COME ..
Posted by utheatre at 01:31 PM | Comments (1)
Carole Peterson Wendt's Memories (Part 3)
About the time Bill and I were finishing our schooling at the University, Doctor Whiting was wooing Sir Tyrone Guthrie. Doc was determined that Sir Tyrone would establish a theater in Minneapolis. Doc was an inspired and determined man, as we all knew, and as Sir Tyrone was to find out.
If Bill were here, he would share his memories of our student days, too. He might talk about playing the lead in "Bodas de Sangre." That role was especially challenging -- he didn't speak Spanish. Fortunately, he had an ear for the accent and his sister, Ruth, who had taught Spanish in high school, helped him memorize his lines, and understand them.
I bet he'd write about the time I, his new girl friend, worked on one of his stage crews. All theater students had to put in time on a crew and I was assigned to Bill's. I forget the show but it being presented in the little theater downstairs at Scott Hall. We decided to pretend we were barely acquainted so as not to cause any talk among the other crew members. That worked fine until Bill discovered that in my fervor, I had screwed a flat to the floor. That, Bill explained gently in tones one might use to a small child, was not well done. The screw was meant to be attached to the flat, not to the flat AND the floor. The other crew members got a kick out of the exchange, as it was immediately clear we were more than mere acquaintances. I told him later he was lucky I hadn't had a hammer in my hand at the time.
We both remember what a strict disciplinarian Merle Loppnow was. He taught us by word and example that the theater was serious business. You did your job, on time, and you did it well. Curtains went up on time. If the show was to start at 7pm, by cracky, that curtain went up at 7pm or else. And, you showed
up on time for rehearsals and of course for performances. Those habits worked well for us no matter what careers we followed. Having said that, I have to say the first time Bill and I went to a Broadway show (West Side Story), we were amazed to discover that the curtain did not go up at 8pm sharp. It rose at
ten after eight. Big surprise. Bill found out when he was cast in Broadway and off Broadway shows that a strict discipline did apply. You showed up on time for everything .. and the curtain always went up on time: at ten after eight, sharp.
MORE TO COME..
Posted by utheatre at 01:29 PM
Carole Peterson Wendt's Memories (Part 4)
Nearing the end of our tenure at the University, both Bill and I were cast in the Scott Hall production of "Finian's Rainbow." John Breitlow played Finian, and Myron "Mo" Odegaard played Og. Both were wonderful; it was a good show and a pleasure to be in. There is a scene in the show where Finian leaves the stage and the other characters wave goodbye; he's leaving for good. I remember waving goodbye to Finian and thinking this was also my farewell to the theater world at the University. It was my last show before Bill and I married and left for New York City.
I had a wonderful time at the University of Minnesota. I danced and sang and acted in dozens of shows, big and small. I found my lifelong partner, Bill, and I learned a great deal from the teachers, artists, and friends I met there.
THE END
Posted by utheatre at 01:28 PM | Comments (1)
January 12, 2006
Words from Diane DiVita MFA '77
Hello my name is Diane DiVita and I was a graduate of the 1977 class in the Master of Fine Arts Program in Directing. I went onto become a professional stage manager on Broadway, Off-Broadway and regionally. I had the honor and pleasure of being one of August Wilson's stage managers for three of his wonderful plays; two on Broadway and one regionally. I am currently doing ENTERTAINING MR. SLOANE with Alec Baldwin at the Roundabout Theatre in NYC. I am also a teacher at Yale School of Drama for the third year SM students. I had a wonderful time at the U of M with many fond memories.
Posted by utheatre at 08:54 AM
January 03, 2006
Thoughts from Steve Griffith, MFA '77
I recently received an e-mail from Lance Brockman encouraging U of M alums to participate in the 75:20 events and to share memories. I'm not sure that I will be able to participate in the April events, but I do have many memories of the two years (1975-1977) I spent getting an M.F.A. in design at the University of Minnesota.
When I arrived in the fall of 1975, the move from Scott Hall had been made, and the systems needed to turn the cold, hulking, Rarig Center into Minnesota's largest (in the number of performance spaces) theatre complex, were being developed.
As I recall, we were doing a show in each theatre, each quarter and the production schedule was brutal! The effects of the last-minute budget cuts on the building were encountered at every turn. The shops were too small, backstage space tight or non-existent, and equipment scarce. Production staff was minimal and every grad student wanted to act, direct or design in every theatre, every quarter! Coming from a small, liberal arts college theatre program, I was a little unprepared for the rules, regulations, and forms, that were needed to keep a large university program running. Needless to say, there was quite a bit of tension as the faculty came to grips with the new building, the pending retirement and replacement of several senior faculty, the shape of the program, and know-it-all grad students, like me.
I didn't fully understand the pressures under which Jean and Lance were working until I graduated and began teaching and running a production program at a college, myself. How they could produce so much theatre, with so few resources still amazes me! Over time, adjustments in schedules, budgets, staffing and program directions have been made and the program has found its place and grown stronger.
The 1970s were amazing years in the United States. The ending of the Vietnam War, the energy crisis, Watergate, the explosion of arts including the regional theatre movement, were very real to students and faculty at the time. The distance between faculty and students was much more narrow than it is today and, I think, there was also less separation between personal and professional lives. This made work at the University and at other colleges and universities of the time very much focused on relationships.
Looking back, I especially value the way the faculty in the Theatre Department at the University of Minnesota took me seriously as a theatre artist, and provided both the discipline and encouragement that I needed as I began my own professional career. Special thanks must go to Lance Brockman, Jean Montgomery, and also to the late Wes Balk, for whom I designed the set for Happy End in the Stoll, my first "real" design.
Steve Griffith, M.F.A. '77
Chair, Department of Theatre and Dance
Gustavus Adolphus College
Posted by utheatre at 10:26 AM