THE WALLACE COMMUNITY PLAYERS. . A History

On April 10, 1981, a group known as the Wallace Community Players was organized. Prior to this time, groups of interested persons had presented one act plays annually for the benefit and entertainment of the community. The first recorded play was It's Cold in Them Thar Hills presented in 1977 as a fund raiser to help the senior class meet their goal of a trip to Washington D.C. For the next several years the plays were sponsored by the Commercial Club and the proceeds were used for their community projects. As interest grew, leaders felt the time was right to become an organized group.

The first slate of officers included: President, Wendall Harbert; Secretary-Treasurer, Cindy Russell; Board of Directors, Wendell Flaming, Marsha Seip, Jim Artz, and Ruth Sheffield. The chief purpose of the group at this time was to present plays for the community and donate any profits to a community project selected by the Board. There was not a specific record kept in the early days of the community projects the Players supported. However, it is known that there were contributions to the Jaws for Life for the Wallace Rescue Squad and the upkeep of the Wellfleet Swimming Pool. The Players replaced a cooking stove at the Community Hall and made donations of educational material and equipment to the high school theater program.

In 1981, a three act comedy, The Odds Are Against You was directed by Wendall Harbert. On March 26, 1982, Toga, Toga, Toga with a cast of 24 was directed by Carol Friesen. Jim Artz directed The Groom Said No on March 26, 1983. On April 14, l984, twenty-nine players presented MASH under the direction of Lance Heitman.

All of these early productions were presented in the school gymnasium, thanks to the generosity of the school board and administration. These facilities were adequate for theatrical use with the exception of acoustical suitability. Many of these early productions offered entertainment during the intermission which included high school and community choirs, presentations by the high school drama students and small group and individual singing and instrumentals.

March 29, 1985, Ruth Sheffield directed the comedy Come Out of the Closet. The proceeds of that production went toward community Christmas Lights. In June of 1985, the Community Players branched out with Barb Schroeder directing the melodrama The Perils of Priscilla in the city park. This "Evening of Fun" included an ice cream social and donations were accepted in lieu of admission charges. In 1988 the summer presentation was adapted into performances at the Community Hall as part of the annual Wallace Fall Festival.

1986 found the Players "breaking new ground" in presenting their annual major production for two nights. The play You Can't Take It With You was presented on March 7 and 8 with Donna Hahn as the director. Forty people were involved in the production of this play. So many wonderful period costumes were collected for this production that a style show was presented for the audience during the intermission. Money from the production was given toward the building of restrooms in the city park. The summer's "evening of fun" included music, and humorous readings followed by the ice cream social.

It was at this time that the Wallace Community Players acquired a home for their growing supply of props and costumes. Ed and Donna Hahn allowed the players to use an empty house on their property to store these items. Later when the house was utilized, the playhouse items were moved to the second story of the Hahn's house. Donna took on the role of guardian of the playhouse costumes. Many people throughout the local community and elsewhere have donated period clothing and items for the playhouse use. It has grown into one of the finest costume collections in the area. The drama class at the high school utilizes the Players' collection for costumes and props.

On March 6 and 7, 1987, the Players brought Arsenic and Old Lace to the stage under the direction of Carol Friesen. The group was able to donate $200 to bring in Roger Welsch to speak as part of the Wallace Centennial celebration. They also contributed money for the purchase of ceiling fans for the Community Hall.

In 1988 Glenn Colson directed Harvey on March 18-19. Money from this production benefited the Trees for Wallace Fund and the Wallace Ball Field Project. The Fall Festival melodrama was Switched at the Crossroads directed by Judy Carlin. Several members of the Players also participated in the high school production of Our Town.

The audience became a part of the 1989 production of Ayan Rand's Night of January 16th as twelve people were selected each night to sit on the jury. The cast of 22 was directed by Donna Hahn. Lyle Clapp directed the melodrama, The Belle of Bisbee for the Fall Festival.

During this time the Community Players seriously considered purchasing the old Legion Theater Building. After conducting a study, the group decided the building was not suitable for the needs of a community theater and the project was dismissed. However the Players did take the step of forming a nonprofit corporation and began an official membership list from the collection of dues both annual and lifetime.

Since the plays were continuing to be performed at the school, the players took on the large project of building new flats. The school's drama class contributed to the cost. They were completed for the group's first musical, Lucky Dollar, Private Eye which was directed by Mike Maupin with Shirley Aylward as the pianist. The purchase of a sound system improved the sound quality in the gym. When the time came for the Fall Festival melodrama and ice cream social, the event had grown so popular that two performances were given. Lyle Clapp directed The Ballad of Gopher Gulch.

In 1991, the production was It Was a Dark and Stormy Night directed by Glenn Colson. Lyle Clapp directed the melodrama Curse You, Ottis Crummy. The board selected funding for a Community Hall piano to be the year's project. Additional costumes and clothing racks were also purchased.

In 1992 Donna Hahn directed the female version of The Odd Couple. The Players used advance ticket sales for the first time for this popular production. The fall melodrama was Song of the Mounties directed by Dale Schroeder. At this point, the Players decided to move the spring productions to the Community Hall. So proceeds were used to initiate improvements of the Hall's stage. The group repaired the stage ceiling and removed the old front light bulbs and replaced them with track lighting. A lighting control panel was devised and removable footlights were built.

The stage was ready for the 1993 production of Love Is Contagious directed by Rich Moore. The melodrama was Trapped in a Villains Web directed by Larry Unruh, assisted by Carla Manary.

1994 brought about several additional changes. For Life With Father a Saturday evening dinner theater and Sunday matinee were offered along with the regular evening performance. Carol Friesen directed the play and Michelle Wendell coordinated the dinner. The Victorian setting resulted in the addition of some wonderful costumes to the playhouse. Under art teacher, Donna Arnett's supervision, students Teri Gier and Ken Chrisman worked on the design of our poster and programs utilizing equipment at the school. At this time the Players built stage extensions and a partial wall was added on the opening of the west end of the stage.

Attendance was high for the Fall Festival melodrama Dogsbreath Deveraux, The Dastardly Doctor or Nurses! Foiled Again! It was directed by Pastor Delano Cunningham.

Mitch Rizzello directed Touchtone "M" For Murder on March 17 and 18, 1995. Linda Rizzello, Joan Barner, Deb Jameson, Lucy Keller, Nancy Maupin and Becky Mlady organized the dinner theater meal. Clay Wickizer put on The Villain Wore a Dirty Shirt for the Fall Festival.

Donna Bentley was the director for the March 22 -23 production of Rest Assured in 1996. Linda Rizzello and Judy Seger helped organize the dinner theater meal. In the fall, Kim Raney directed Never Trust a City Slicker. $750 was donated for repairs on the Community Hall roof.

See How They Run was the comedy enjoyed in 1997. Helen McConnell was the director and Theresa Shearer organized the dinner theater meal. The Fall Festival entertainment changed when Ruth Sheffield organized a children's theater group to present Alice In Wonderland. It was easy to see that the theatrical talent in this community runs easily into the next generation as well. The children involved worked with creating their costumes and learned quite a bit about theater work.

1998 failed to produce a major spring production. The Fall Festival presentation was The Ballad of Gopher Gap under the direction of Delano Cunningham. $700 was donated to the Community Hall Restoration Project; $400 in January to purchase a window and $300 to go toward the stage electrical wiring.

1999 was a time to celebrate. The community had been working hard to restore the Johnston Community Hall. The Players had been deeply involved in the preservation of their "home". The rededication was set in conjunction with the final performance of Rodgers and Hammerstein's State Fair. This grand production was under the direction of Helen McConnell and Donna Hahn. Accompanists were Shirley Aylward and Michelle Sullivan. The dinner theater meal was organized by Jane Brown and the decorations were designed by Linda Rizzello. Opening night was Friday March 19, followed by the Saturday dinner theater and finally the Sunday matinee. After the matinee there was a buffalo stew supper sponsored by the Wallace Community Foundation. Keith Blackledge was a guest speaker at the rededication ceremony. He commented about the community spirit shown by the State Fair production, the 31 people in the cast represented about 10 % of Wallace's population. He complimented the community on their efforts and vision.

When Fall Festival rolled around, we again showcased the talents of the younger members of our community. Michelle Wendell directed a children’s theater production of “The Real Story of the Three Little Pigs”. The script was written by Sam Elliott, Michelle Wendell and Carol Friesen,, based on the popular children’s book of the same title.

There was not a spring production in 2000 but the Players resurfaced in the fall with a Farce In One Act, “Tell It To Tommy” directed by Helen McConnell. The group had one Saturday evening presentation and a matinee on Sunday, following the community pot luck dinner.

Faith County delighted audiences in the spring of 2001 under the direction of Ruth Sheffield and Michael Maupin. The fall production of “Hyronomous A. Frog” again showcased the talents of the community’s youth. It was directed by Carol Friesen. The players donated funds to increase the lighting and mirrors in the women’s bathroom of the Hall. Ryan Finley and Don Barner donated their labor for the project.

There was no spring production in 2002 but Jen Ledbetter directed the melodrama “It’s cold in Them Thar Hills” for Fall Festival. The Players donated $500 to the Wallace School Playground Equipment project and $200 to the FCCLA group traveling to the Nation Convention to compete in July.

My Three Angels took the stage in 2003; the comedy was directed by Larry Unruh. The Players had presented the idea of having a phone at the hall to the town board; the idea was well received and town has funded the project for a “local only” phone. The Players worked on improving the sound quality with a mixture of existing equipment and additional purchases. An extensive cleaning of the hall’s basement was undertaken and a secured area built for the group’s equipment.

A new milestone for the Players was to offer a $200 scholarship. Trish Dunn was the first recipient of this annual award. The Players also donated $200 to the FCCLA group again traveling to Nation Convention.

Ruth Sheffield directed young talent in “Snow White and the Seven Dwarves” which included participation from the youngster in the audience. The Fall Festival production was followed by ice cream at both performances.