2004: Vol. 18, No. 1

Letter from the President

Dear Friends,

It's the beginning of yet another season---our 25th to be exact. Sometimes I find it hard to believe that I've been with the Calumet Players for that long. Yet here I am - still at it! The time has passed so quickly. It seems like just a few days ago that a small but intrepid band of theatrical thrill seekers gathered together in 1979, after the production of The Calumet Story to discuss and explore how we could continue the fun. In all the times that I've been involved with the board of directors, a comment that has oft been heard from other members is "... if it wasn't fun we'd quit. "

We hope that fun has been contagious, that it shone in our productions, and consequently rubbed off on you -- our patrons and friends. So, why don't you join us for our 25th year of FUN!

Ken Olkkonen

President

The Nun's Are Coming...Back!

Back by popular demand, our nuns will once again be kicking up their heels in our encore performance of Nunsense. Show dates are May 7, 8, 14, & 15 at the Calumet Theatre with show time being 7:30 p.m.. The first performance of Nunsense was held at the E-Center's "Little Gem Theatre" in May 2003. The response to this little show was overwhelming, so it was decided to don the habits once again and bring it to the big stage. We hope to see you there!

A New Feature

We get questions all the time from our patrons asking about people that have been in our productions in the past. To answer some of these questions, we thought it might be fun to start a new column in the newsletter entitled "Where Are They Now?" This column will, we hope, shed some light on some of our former members and the influence that the Calumet Players have had on them.

The candidate for our first article is Curtis J. Fortier, a native of Grand Rapids. While a student at Michigan Tech, studying mechanical engineering, he appeared in a number of Calumet Players productions, including Guys and Dolls (1989), The King and I (1990), and Oklahoma (1991). He also appeared in MTU productions including A Lion in Winter, and was also a member of the Tech improvisational group "The Troupe."

Curtis J. is now an aspiring actor and stand-up comedian living in Los Angeles. He has performed in comedy clubs and colleges across the country, including the Los Angeles area, Las Vegas, Chicago, and Michigan. He has opened for Louie Anderson, Margaret Cho, and Bobcat Goldthwait. Curtis J. has appeared in films like Trekkies 2 and One Nice Day. He can currently be seen in a Nokia cell phone commercial. He occasionally returns to the Copper Country to perform and visit with old friends. We here at the Calumet Players wish him the best and a lot of success in his career.

In Memoriam

The Calumet Players lost two vital members of our group the beginning of this year. We would like to recognize Keith Baratono and Barbara Sibbald for many years of hard work and dedication. Keith worked with the Players backstage, with sound and lighting. Most recently he worked followspot for Nunsense last year at the E-Center.

Barbara worked for many years on props. She begged, borrowed, and dug until just the right item was found. Or sympathies go out to their families and friends. They will be missed.

25th Anniversary Celebration

In November 1979, a small group of community people performed Pure As The Driven Snow. Unbeknownst to them ... the Calumet Players would still be going strong 25 years later, with hundreds of members under its belt. It has been a journey to say the least.

Sometimes it's been rocky, sometimes we've had hills to overcome, sometimes the sailing was perfectly smooth with clear skies up ahead, but one thing can always be said ... it has never been DULL.

We would like to invite you to help celebrate our 25 years together with an updated version of Oh What A Beautiful Evening. The Calumet Players first presented this stroll down memory lane in May 1995. The response was so favorable that we did an encore production in October of that same year. Our scriptwriters are working at bringing it up to snuff, and it will be performed on Saturday, July 17 at the Calumet Theatre at 7:30 p.m.

Cinderella

On March 19th, 20, & 21 the Copper Country Intermediate School District, with the cooperation of the Calumet Players and the Calumet Theatre, produced Rodgers & Hammerstein's production of Cinderella. The show's Stage Director was Mike Aubin and Music Director was Sara Perfetti.

This delightful musical presented some new challenges in the magic department, but with the help of Jim Grathoff of Night Light Magic, these obstacles were overcome. We would like to congratulate all those involved for a job well done. Thanks to everyone who worked on the show, especially to that great group of students were such a pleasure to work with.

Passengers & Crew Needed

The S.S. Calumet Players are pleased to announce that their fall cruise is scheduled to shove off from port on July 6, 7, & 8 and planning to arrive on September 10, 11, 17, 18, & 19.

In other words ... the Calumet Players are pleased to announce that Anything Goes will be our fall musical. Auditions will be held on July 6, 7, & 8 at the Calumet Players Building (401 6th Street) at 7:00 p.m., with show dates being September 10, 11, 17, 18, & 19. For those who will be auditioning---please come prepared to sing.

This bright, brassy show takes place on two decks of a cruise ship and has a large cast of all ages. Whether you want to act, sing, dance, paint, saw, sew, or do any number of talents needed to put on a production ... WE NEED YOU. Please put the above dates on your calendar.

CTAM Meeting

The Community Theater Association of Michigan (CTAM) will be holding their annual meeting in Calumet on July 17-19, 2004. We have been a member organization for quite a number of years, and are honored that they have chosen Calumet to hold this meeting. During their visit they will also meet with us. This fine organization holds conferences, workshops, and offers support to community theaters throughout Michigan.