Edina High School - Whigrean Yearbook (Edina, MN)

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AC CL AIM TO M AM The success of the fall musical, Mame, certainly showed that the end justifies the means. The hours of re- hearsal spent practicing and perfecting prior to the per- formance were evident in the quality of the end prod- uct. Under the direction of Robert Peterson tfacl, the fine EHS actors in Mame were brought into the lime- light with their exceptional performances. Jessica Schwartzbauer UZl played the carefree role of Mame and mesmerized the audi- ence with her superior act- ing and singing talents. Jen Fortmeier OD did an excel- lent job of portraying Mame's best friend, Vera, and Molly Kelly UZl cap- tured the audiences' atten- tion just as skillfully playing Agnes Gooch, young Pa- trick's nanny. Other key per- formers included Baldwin Lee UZl as lto the butler, Bri- an Fulford OD as Mame's husband, Bill Otteson UZl as the older Patrick, and Al Cady t12l as Dwight Bab- cock, the banker. Mame was well produced and equally well received by the audi- ence. Rick Davis UZl said, liThe acting and singing real- ly showed how talented the cast members were. Practices began months before the musical actually took place, and long, endur- ing hours were spent by cast members rehearsing their parts. All five performances of Mame filled the house, with many standing ova- tions given showing how tru- ly fabulous the production really was. Jen Fortmeier 0 ll felt all of the hard work was worth it because of all of the great friendships I made with the cast mem- bers. In addition to being direct- ed by Mr. Peterson, Mame was choreographed by Mr. John Command, who was known for choreographing other movies and plays, in- cluding Purple Rain. Com- mand 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- ple were able to display their talents in the theatrical field, and the end result was one that undoubtedly supple- mented the pride already es- tablished at Edina High School By Holly Ruppert The cast of Mame mirrors the au- dience's reaction. MAME 21

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The Mame cast looks on as Jen Fortmeier 0D elegantly portrays Vera Charles. Behind the scenes Molly Kelly 03 applies finishing touches to Andy Knutson 02y Upon returning to his car. Mr. Molly Kelly 03 gets a look of Robert Peterson UaQ finds that it surpr se fr m Jessica Schwartz- has been ttMamed. bauer 02y

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22 Edina hadn't been to state in so long; getting there and winning was L . jastlfanitastic; and then to star at the U of M made'it just that much better. a - Nancy 3mm 0 The year was a host to many drama productions and was highlighted by the one act plays. The common denomina- tor among all the one acts was that they were done un- der the experienced leader- ship of Cynthia Elmquist tfacl. Another common fac- tor 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 Chal- lenge, at least for the cast members, was acting out forty-five different Charac- ters with only six crew mem- bers. illt was hard to remem- ber all the different lines, it was very easy to get con- fused, commented Jen Fortmeier t1 1i. All this hard work did pay off though, as The Dining Room ended up winning the regional competition in Hop- kins 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 ONE ACT PLAYS LL WQDK, NO PLAY technical project ever tried, with at least fifteen to twen- ty people working on techni- ' cal 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 pro- gress, had layered mes- sages, and was different in that it was told from the point of view of the mar- tian, answered Cynthia Elmquist. But, no matter what the message was, it was entertainment at its best. By Jason Fisher Accepting applause after their ex- ceptional performance of The Din- ing Room, the cast proudly takes a bow.