Minot State University - Beaver Yearbook (Minot, ND)

Page 8 text:

Summer theater f lib K f Ql. 1 3- AU BI'-NBA if if Alz' Baba and the Forty Thieves was the children's play and featured exotic costuming of the Middle East. naw' nephew Patrick. Mame fAngie Monicken johnsonj and her guests celebrate the arrival of her MSC summer theater produces three shows' by Ron Vossler or the first time in six years, the Minot State College summer theater featured three shows, instead of the usual two. Two musicals were directed by Kevin Neuharth, assistant professor of communication arts at MSC. The third show, a children's pro- duction, was co-directed by Angela Monicken johnson and Ron Wineteer. Tintypes was the first production, of- fered june 30, july 1, 2, and 7-10 in the MSC Amphitheater ori campus. It was an ensemble with no leading characters, and had a patriotic theme with music to match. Songs such as Yankee Doodle Boy and Shine on Harvest Moon were featured. Set, props and costumes 4 What's in a name? all depicted an era from 1890 to 1917, a time when there was a great influx of immigrants to American shores. The five characters required for the musical-played by Ron Wineteer, Kyla Dippong, Paula Wilkening, j.D. Lloyd, and Patti Petrick-depicted various persons from American history, such as Emma Goldman, the anarchist and communist sympathizer, Teddy Roosevelt, and immigrant and lower class workers. The show suffered one rain out, but it was rescheduled on another night. The second offering of the season was Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, a children's play adapted from the classic Arabzkzn Nzghts story. The show, which ran July 2-3 and 9-10, consisted of two short acts, and was well received by an audience of mostly youngsters. There were women in saris and veils and tur- baned men, in the exotic costuming of the Middle East, with violence toned down into schtick and lightened up with songs and oriental dance numbers. The play was introduced and nar- rated throughout by Scheherazade, who interjected comments and held the au- dience's interest during the lulls in the action. The audience followed Ali Baba and his friend, Hud-Hud the elephant, as they attempted to outwit the tyrant brother Khazzim. Along with the rob- 3 I V I l Al 'l I

Page 7 text:

Q- XXXX XX REFLECT GROWTH University. Once again, the name change followed the growth and development of new programs within the curriculum. Once again the mission of the institution had changed, and so had the name. But the transition from Minot State College to Dakota Northwestern Univer- sity has not been easy. The new change has been plagued with controversy and opposition. Even though the instituti0n's qualifications fit the re- quirements of a regional university, and even though the institution has changed its name in the past with only legislative approval, the DNU change had to meet new criteria. This name change had to face a vote of the people. What was to be a year of transition, had become a year of fighting to be called what the in- stitution already was-a universityi Nestled in the heart of the city, Minot State has an attractive cam- pus that covers a considerable area. History Openingf 3

Page 9 text:

Paula Willtening, j.D. Lloyd, Kyla Dippong, Patti Petrick, and Ron Wineteer perform one of the numbers 'rom Tzintypes. l I' x X ' i l l . X. K. r ME 1983 SUMMER THEATER Kari Dahl, j.D. Lloyd, Virginia Maupin, Ron Karnack jr.. Linda Field, Ron Wineteer, David Creelman, Kyla Dippong. Alphonse Koenigsman, Larry Schell, David Tallman, Tracey Quarne, joanne B. Evans, john Robert Caranicas, Randi Harrington, Angela Monicken johnson, Burt Collins, Patti Petrick, Molla Romine Darnay, Charlotte Koch. Kathy Dippong, Cathy Quinn, jeff Arlt, Wayne Anderson, Paula Wilkening, Robby Elhardt, Kevin Neuharth. for a successful eighteenth season ber chief and his 40 thieves in Baghdad. Concluding the 18th season of the summer theater in grand style was a presentation of Mame, the popular Broadway musical, with a cast of over 20 characters from both the college and the community, and an orchestra directed by Tracey Quarne. It was held at the MSC amphitheatre July 14-15 and 21-24. Based on the novel by Patrick Denis, the action centered around a wacky Aunt Mame-por- trayed by Angela Monicken Iohnson-and her difficulties raising her orphaned nephew Patrick CRobby Elhardt as young Patrick and Alphonse Koenigsman as older Patrickj from the time of bathtub gin and flappers through the Depression. The musical numbers included the title song Mame, We Need A Little Christmas, and If He Walked Into My Life Today. Even in a small theater it seemed a big production: the cast was strategical- ly strung across the stage, giving the il- lusion of more personnel, which Mame in its Broadway incamation usually re- quires. There were l6 scenes with an equal number of costume changes, and chorus members needed to be flexible too-playing characters as varied as those from rural Connecticut to those from the deep South. The set, with a centerpiece of stairs. was versatile and workable, easily adapted to the scenes. Neuharth said the show was chosen because we had the good fortune to have someone audition who was ex- cellent for the part of Mame. He also pointed out that since over 3,000 people attended the three performances, the summer program was considered a suc- cess, and added that this attendance figure was an increase of over 50 percent from the previous year. Neuharth at- tributed this increased attendance in part to the summer production of the campus newspaper, the Red G! Green, which covered the plays and generated publicity and attention. Summer Theater S