Edina West Upper Division - Windigo Yearbook (Edina, MN)

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ACCLAIM TO MAM The success of the fall musical, Marne, certainly showed that the end justifies the means. The hours of rehearsal spent practicing and perfecting prior to the performance were evident in the quality of the end product. Under the direction of Robert Peterson (fac), the fine EHS actors in Mame were brought into the limelight with their exceptional performances. Jessica Schwartzbauer (12) played the carefree role of Mame and mesmerized the audience with her superior acting and singing talents. Jen Fortmeier (11) did an excellent job of portraying Marne's best friend. Vera, and Molly Kelly (12) captured the audiences' attention just as skillfully playing Agnes Gooch, young Patrick's nanny. Other key per- formers included Baldwin Lee (12) as Ito the butler, Brian Fulford (11) as Marne's husband, Bill Otteson (12) as the older Patrick, and Al Cady (12) as Dwight Babcock, the banker. Mame was well produced and equally well received by the audience. Rick Davis (12) said. The acting and singing really showed how talented the cast members were. Practices began months before the musical actually took place, and long, enduring hours were spent by cast members rehearsing their parts. All five performances of Mame filled the house, with many standing ovations given showing how truly fabulous the production really was. Jen Fortmeier (11) felt all of the hard work was worth it because of all of the great friendships I made with the cast members. In addition to being directed by Mr. Peterson, Mame was choreographed by Mr. John Command, who was known for choreographing other movies and plays, in eluding Purple Rain. Command also served as artistic director for this production. As previously stated, the hard working, determined performers of Mame made it a truly delightful spectacle to watch. Many, many peo pie were able to display their talents in the theatrical field, and the end result was one that undoubtedly supplemented the pride already established at Edina High School. By Holly Ruppert The cast of Mame mirrors the audience's reaction. part was at I was carried out on stage by Dave Krutz (12), Dave Scudder (12), and Dan Diebold (12). — Jen Fortmeier (11) ft MAME 21

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Upon returning to his car, Mr. Robert Peterson (fac) finds that it has been “Mamed. Molly Kelly (12) gets a look of surprise from Jessica Schwartz-bauer (12). HI 20 MAME

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LL WORK. NO PLAY The year was a host to many drama productions and was highlighted by the one act plays. The common denominator among all the one acts was that they were done under the experienced leadership of Cynthia Elmquist (fac). Another common factor was dedication. This was easily proved by the cast members of the first one act play. The Dining Room. Practice started at the begin-ing of December, and ran about two and half hours each day. with the final week of practices going from six to ten o'clock at night. The play's big challenge, at least for the cast members, was acting out forty-five different characters with only six crew members. It was hard to remember all the different lines, it was very easy to get confused, commented Jen Fortmeier (11). All this hard work did pay off though, as The Dining Room ended up winning the regional competition in Hopkins and the right to perform at the state competition at the University of Minnesota. The second of the one act plays was the ever popular Martian Chronicles. This play utilized about thirty cast members, half of whose faces were never seen. It was also dubbed the biggest technical project ever tried, with at least fifteen to twenty people working on technical direction. As far as what the play had to offer, I think it has a good message for people today, it talks about frontiers, human progress. had layered messages, and was different in that it was told from the point of view of the martian. answered Cynthia Elmquist. But, no matter what the message was, it was entertainment at its best. By Jason Fisher Accepting applause after their exceptional performance of The Dining Room, the cast proudly takes a bow. Edina hadn't been to state in so long; getting there and winning was just fantastic, and then to star at the G of M made it just that much better. — Nancy Schulz (II) 99 22 ONE ACT PLAYS