Bethel College - Graymaroon Yearbook (North Newton, KS)

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The cast stands in front of the completed quilt with Sarah, played by Leona Kaufman, holding the symbolic oversized quilting rings. Each square in the quilt represents an event from the lives of each of these pioneer women. CAST Sarah Leona Kaufman The Daughters Marnette Hofer June Krehbiel Kristi Neufeld Linda Schrag Linda C. Smurr Lisa A. Zimmerman Friends Michelle Schrag . .Annette Thornton Musicians Heidi Waltner, Piano Kathryn Kasper, Keyboard Sondra Torres, Mandolin Designed and Directed by . Arlo Kasper Music Directed by Kathryn Kasper

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QUILTERS With a cast composed entirely of women, Quilters, directed by Arlo Kas- per, associate professor of drama, played to capacity crowds during every one of its six October performances. The musical portrayed the joys and heartaches pervading the lives of pioneer women. Michelle Schrag,a North Newton se- nior actress in Quilters , commented, The play was well received. I think the audience could relate to the strength of these women. Also in the musical were Leona Kaufman of Moundridge, North Newton Senior Marnette Hofer, North Newton Senior Kristi Neufeld, Newton Junior Lisa Zimmerman, Ballet Instructor Annette Thornton, June Krehbiel of Moundridge, Linda Schrag of Hutchinson, and Newton resident Linda C. Smurr. The cast was expanded from the orig- inal seven woman cast to nine. To deal with the wide range of characters portrayed from grade school kids to gran- nies, Kasper implemented area wide cast- ing. This type of cassting had been used for other complex fall festival productions such as Jim Juhnke and J. Harold Moyer ' s The Blowing and the Bending. The variety of characters and stories contributed to the near nation-wide success of the play after its debut. The lone exception to that success was on Broad- way, according to Kasper. It ' s not a pi- zazz Broadway musical, he said, but over fifty people had inquired about when Quilters would come to Bethel. When it did come, it became a colla- borative effort between Bethel and its com- munity. The Bethel College Women ' s Association and many area churches were involved in the production by making the many quilts needed for the show. Noting this outside help, Kasper called Quilters , a community kind of show. Musical direction was provided by Kathryn Kasper, assistant professor of mu- sic and choreography by Ginny Janzen, as- sisted by Annette Thornton. Kathryn Kasper also served as director of the ac- companying musical combo. Marnette Hofer and Linda Schrag relate a sig- nificant event of their lives. Quilters cast members show their genuine ex- citement for quilting.

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SATURDAY BOOTHS ACTIVITIES Keeping Our Heritage was the theme for the 1 986 Fall Festival. The event drew more than 1 1,000 people to Bethel College to cele- brate the final year of Bethel ' s cen- tennial. The activities began Friday, October 3 and ended on Sunday, October 5. Among Saturday ' s at- tractions were more than seventy academic and arts and crafts booths, the quilt auction, musical programs which featured bar- bershop singers and bagpipe play- ers, a luncheon of German and Swiss food, the Schmeck Haus, the evening barbecue, and the Bethel football game against Sterling. ' Quilters, ' although not a Satur- day activity, was a main attraction of Fall Festival. A total of more than 2,700 attended the production which attempted to represent the The quilt auction proved to be a profitable fund raiser. joys and hardships of pioneer women. Five of the six perfor- mances were sold out while the sixth was near capacity. M2 he festival drew to a close on Sunday with the dedication on the new Mantz Library. Overall, Fall Festival was considered a success. The attitude of many Fall Festival participants may best be summed up by Bernd Janzen who said, I felt honored, privilaged and proud to be a part of this great venture. Mary and Fred Fransen enjoy watermelon af- ter the varsity soccer team defeated the alumni.