Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Wendy Lehr: Actor/Teacher/Director


"The Donkey Game" from "Chekhov's 'A Wedding' and Variations.  1969.
Wendy Lehr,  John Jenkins and Company.
























































Certainly the foundation of the acting company, artistic staff, and theatre school performing arts training faculty.  Wendy Lehr is, indeed, an unparalleled cultural treasure.  And an absolutely extraordinary human being.




Video clip: Encounters with Minnesota Artists: Wendy Lehr. KTCA TV. Filmed in autumn, 1979. Part One of Three.





Video clip: Encounters with Minnesota Artists: Wendy Lehr. KTCA TV. Part Two of Three.





Video clip: Encounters with Minnesota Artists: Wendy Lehr. KTCA TV. Part Three of Three.


Video: University of Minnesota.  In 2014, Wendy Lehr discusses her life in the Theatre for the Friends of the University of Minnesota Library:










Monday, September 20, 2010

Dr. Seuss' The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins (1980)


Dr. Seuss' The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins.  1980. 
John Peitzman as Bartholomew Cubbins; Stephen Boe as King Derwin.

Joshua Tweed as Bartholomew.  1988.

PLEASE BE ADVISED that co-founder and artistic director John Clark Donahue, as well as a number of staff and/or school faculty members of the theatre (actor/instructor Jason McLean, for one) have been convicted and/or charged with criminal and/or civil crimes of sexual abuse of minors.  In winter of 2019, in civil court, the Children's Theatre Company was also found guilty of negligence in these matters which occurred during the time period of the 1970s and 1980s (and probably earlier).  Consequently, please be aware that the images and links within this blog include the contributions and participation of certain minors who were victims/survivors/witnesses of sexual and emotional abuse and residual trauma,  as well as certain adult perpetrators, enablers, and/or former victims.



Sheer brilliance.  Dr. Seuss' The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins.  Premiered in spring, 1980.  Book and lyrics by Timothy Mason.  Music composed and orchestrated by Hiram Titus.  Original production directed by John Clark Donahue.  Scenic design, properties design, and magic by Jack Barkla.  Costume design by Judith Cooper.  Lighting design by Karlis Ozols.  Musical direction by Thomas F. Florey.



The play exists as the first authorized stage adaptation of a Dr. Seuss storybook granted to a theatre company by the author, Theodor Geisel, himself.  The beloved author's appearance on stage for the final curtain call at the world premiere was truly a highlight in the Theatre's history!





John Peitzman as Bartholomew,
Garth Schumacher as Executioner.









Audio clip: "Overture."

http://www.mediafire.com/listen/paw3rtdcel8ejgy/Cubbins_Overture.mp3



Audio clip: "Nothing Much Happens to Happen to Me"
John Peitzman as Bartholomew, Stephen Boe as King Derwin, Wendy Lehr as Mrs. Cubbins.

http://www.mediafire.com/listen/0am2kedcvxv75m4/Cubbins_-_Nothing_Much_Happens.mp3



Audio clip: "To Town" and "Hats Off"

http://www.mediafire.com/listen/68zublw6t81j2za/Cubbins_-_To_Town_%26_Hats_Off.mp3



Audio clip: "Another Hat!"

http://www.mediafire.com/listen/7bok91778cyz6vg/Cubbins_-_Another_Hat.mp3



Audio clip: "Boys Like Me"
Mario Bravo as Grand Duke Wilfred, Tom Dunn as Sir Alaric.

http://www.mediafire.com/listen/1ahatojricb0avi/Cubbins_-_Boys_Like_Me.mp3



Audio clip: "How Happy I Was"
John Peitzman as Bartholomew, Stephen Boe as King Derwin, Tom Dunn as Sir Alaric.

http://www.mediafire.com/listen/jr7cwrqj2e93pfn/Bartholomew_Cubbins_-_How_Happy_I_Was.mp3



Audio clip: Magicians Chant

http://www.mediafire.com/listen/t5d1j8jgt00bsar/Cubbins_-_Magicians.mp3



Audio clip: "I Was Happy to Know You"
Garth Schumacher as Executioner, John Peitzman as Bartholomew.

http://www.mediafire.com/listen/gupdfi0udqzr8hq/Cubbins_-_I_Was_Happy_to_Know_You.mp3



Audio clip: Finale & Curtain Call.


http://www.mediafire.com/listen/81qeb8l5kjqc7v3/Cubbins_-_Finale.mp3

Saturday, September 18, 2010

The first 25 years: Chronology 1965-1990

THE CHILDREN'S THEATRE COMPANY
of THE MINNEAPOLIS INSTITUTE OF ARTS




PLEASE BE ADVISED that co-founder and artistic director John Clark Donahue, as well as a number of staff and/or school faculty members of the theatre (actor/instructor Jason McLean, for one) have been convicted and/or charged with criminal and/or civil crimes of sexual abuse of minors.  In winter of 2019, in civil court, the Children's Theatre Company was also found guilty of negligence in these matters which occurred during the time period of the 1970s and 1980s (and probably earlier).  Consequently, please be aware that the images and links within this blog include the contributions and participation of certain minors who were victims/survivors/witnesses of sexual and emotional abuse and residual trauma,  as well as certain adult perpetrators, enablers, and/or former victims.


1965-66 Season



The Sleeping Beauty

































A Christmas Carol






























































Good Morning, Mr. Tillie





Rumplestiltskin




































































The Pied Piper of Hamelin




































































1966-67 Season

King Arthur and the Magic Sword


























































































































Cinderella



The Emperor's Nightingale



























































Hang On to Your Head






















































































































































Johnny Appleseed




1967-68 Season


Oliver Twist































The World of Mother Goose

























Beauty and The Beast



Old Kieg of Malfi



The Emperor's New Clothes



Variations on a Similar Theme (an Homage to Rene Magritte)



1968-69 Season

Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves



A Christmas Carol



The Little Mermaid



How Could You Tell?



Johnny Tremain



Anton Chekhov's  "A Wedding" and Variations



1969-70 Season

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow



Cinderella



Kidnapped in London




Good Morning, Mr. Tillie




Alice in Wonderland




Goldilocks and the Three Bears & Little Red Riding Hood




Maxim Gorky's "The Lower Depths"


On Tour (Washington, D.C.):

Good Morning, Mr. Tillie


1970-71 Season

Rip Van Winkle



The Little Match Girl




Moliere's The Would-Be Gentleman




The Princess and the Pea





The Three Little Pigs & The Three Billy Goats Gruff




Jerusalem



Little Women




The Adventures of Huck Finn




A Wall


Summer Theatre Institute:

Children

Goodbye, Goodbye



1971-72 Season

Robin Hood: A Story of the Forest



Peter and the Wolf & The Ugly Duckling



Dylan Thomas' Under Milkwood



Edgar Lee Master's Spoon River Anthology



Sleeping Beauty



Hansel and Gretel



Richard Brinsley Sheridan's The School for Scandal



The Cookie Jar



The Sitwells at Sea



Madeline and the Gypsies



A Suitcase & Variations on a Similar Theme (an Homage to Rene Magritte)



An Evening of Leonard Cohen


On Tour:

Hang On to Your Head

Potpourri

Summer Theatre Institute:

The Boy Friend

Musical Chairs


1972-73 Season

African Tales: Rumplestiltskin & Kalulu and His Money Farm



Raggedy Ann and Andy



Luigi Pirandello's Bellavita & Sicilian Limes



The Steadfast Tin Soldier


In residence at the Crawford-Livingston Theater, St. Paul, MN:

The Netting of the Troupial



Johnny Appleseed


On Tour:

African Tales: Rumplestiltskin & Kalulu and His Money Farm


The Cookie Jar


Rutabaga Follies


Film:

A Suitcase


Summer Theatre Institute:

Babes in Arms




1973-74 Season

Performing in residence at the Jeanne d'Arc auditorium, College of St. Catherine, St. Paul, MN:

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow



A Christmas Carol



On Tour:

Hansel and Gretel


The Nightingale


Residency at St. Olaf College, Northfield, MN:

Memory Petals



Performing in residence at the Cedar Village Theater, West Bank, Minneapolis, MN:

The Nightingale


Jan de Hartog's The Fourposter


Sandy Wilson's The Boy Friend


Summer Theatre Institute:

Changes


1974-75 Season


Pinocchio



Ukrainian Tales: The Fat Cat & The Chatterbox




Anton Chekhov's On the Harmfulness of Tobacco, The Swan Song &  A Celebration



Cinderella



The Nightingale



Leonid Andreyev's He Who Gets Slapped




Peter and the Wolf & The Ugly Duckling



Moliere's The Imaginary Invalid


Residency at South High School, Minneapolis, MN:

No Strings


Summer Theatre Institute:

The Squeeze



1975-76 Season

Treasure Island



Mother Goose



Anton Chekhov's The Sea Gull



The Little Match Girl



The Snow Queen



William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night



A Room in Paradise


On Tour:

Mother Goose


The Nightingale (Mexico)


A Glimpse of Paul Bunyan



Summer Theatre Institute:

The Empty Place




1976-77 Season

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer



Goldilocks and the Three Bears & Little Red Riding Hood



Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest



Cinderella



The Dream Fisher



William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet



Lionel Bart's Oliver!



A Suitcase & Variations on a Similar Theme (an Homage to Rene Magritte)


On Tour:

Goldilocks and the Three Bears & Little Red Riding Hood


Summer Theatre Institute:

Three Can't Fit in a Rickshaw



1977-78 Season

Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp



Jean Anouilh's Thieves' Carnival



The Little Match Girl



Beauty and The Beast



A Circle Is the Sun



The Pied Piper of Hamelin




Richard Brinsley Sheridan's The Rivals



Punch and Judy & The Three Sillies


On Tour:

Punch and Judy & The Three Sillies


Summer Theatre Institute:

A Taste of Berries



1978-79 Season

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow



Hansel and Gretel



A Christmas Carol



The Little Mermaid



Good Morning, Mr. Tillie



Pinocchio



The Green Beetle Dance



The Sitwells at Sea


Residency (South High School, Minneapolis, MN):

Bullseye


Summer Theatre Institute:

Summer Matters

1979-80 Season

Treasure Island



The Emperor's New Clothes



The Sleeping Beauty



The Hound of the Baskervilles



Falling Moons



Dr. Seuss' The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins



Moon Over Rio



Luigi Pirandello's The Festival of Our Lord of the Ships


Summer Theatre Institute:

Equinox

Stargazer


1980-81 Season

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn



The Story of Babar, the little elephant



Cinderella



The Three Musketeers



Tomie de Paola's The Clown of God



The Marvelous Land of OZ


Video (MCA/Universal):

The Marvelous Land of OZ


Summer Theatre Institute:

Desert in Flower

The Great American Family

Merely Players



1981-82 Season

Kidnapped in London



Puss in Boots



The Little Match Girl



The Cookie Jar



Phantom of the Opera



Alice in Wonderland



Video (MCA/Universal):

Alice in Wonderland

Puss in Boots


Outreach Tour:

Brothers and Sisters


Summer Theatre Institute:

Across Town

The Contenders

Ten-and-a-Half



1982-83 Season

Dr. Seuss' The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins



Pippi Longstocking



Mr. Pickwick's Christmas



Tomie de Paola's The Clown of God (at O'Shaughnessey Auditorium, St. Paul, MN)



The Red Shoes



The Adventures of Tom Sawyer



The Wind in the Willows



William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream


Video (MCA/Universal):

The Red Shoes

The Wind in the Willows


Outreach Tour:

Brothers and Sisters


Summer Theatre Institute:

Aviation

Catch Me a Z

The Convention Grill - Part I

One That Goes Out




1983-84 Season

The Secret Garden



The Adventures of Babar



Cinderella



Frankenstein



The Nightingale



Pinocchio


Video (CBS):

Frankenstein


Outreach Tour:

Hand in Hand


Summer Theatre Institute:

Raisin' Cain

Raymond in Space

The Troubles



1984-85 Season

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow



Madeline and the Gypsies



The Little Match Girl



The Mystery of the Tattered Trunk



The Princess and the Pea



Penrod: The Worst Boy in Town



Outreach Tour:

Hand in Hand



1985-86 Season

King Arthur and the Magic Sword



The Adventures of a Bear Called Paddington



Goldilocks and the Three Bears & Little Red Riding Hood



Cinderella



Adventures of Mottel: the Cantor's Son



Harold and the Purple Crayon



Little Women


On Tour:

The Emperor's New Clothes



1986-87 Season

Little House on the Prairie




Tomie de Paola's Strega Nona




Beatrix Potter's Christmas




Hansel and Gretel



Dracula



Little Miss Hollywood



Alice in Wonderland



In residence at the Ordway Center, St. Paul, MN:

African Tales: Rumpelstiltskin & Kalulu and His Money Farm


On Tour:

Hansel and Gretel



1987-88 Season

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer



Raggedy Ann and Andy



Tomie de Paola's Merry Christmas, Strega Nona!



Young Jane Eyre



Harriet the Spy



The Troubles: Children of Belfast



Dr. Seuss' The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins



On Tour:

Little Women


1988-89 Season

The Velveteen Rabbit



The Adventures of Robin Hood



Beatrix Potter's Christmas



The Secret Garden



Sherlock Holmes and the Baker Street Irregulars



Rembrandt Takes a Walk



Pippi Longstocking



On Tour:

African Tales: Rumplestiltskin & Kalulu and His Money Farm

Soviet Tour (CTC in performance at Central Children's Theatre of Moscow):

Rembrandt Takes a Walk

Soviet Cultural Exchange (Jon Cranney and Alan Shorter direct Soviet company):

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer


1989 - 90 Season

Coyote Discovers America


The Story of Babar, the little elephant


Cinderella


Tomie de Paola's Mother Goose


Nancy Drew Mystery


The Hobbit



On Tour:
Raggedy Ann and Andy


Soviet Cultural Exchange  (CTC hosts Central Children's Theatre of Moscow in St. Paul):
A Dream to Be Continued