Miracle on 34th St.

December 4 - 7, 2003

Thursday and Friday Performances at 8:oo pm

Saturday Performances at 2:00 pm and 8:00 pm

Sunday Performances at 1:00 pm and 6:00 pm

Tickets are available NOW! Only $19.00 All Seats, All Performances.

The box office is open Monday thru Saturday from 9:00 am - 5:00 pm.

You may order tickets over the phone or check availability by calling 815-338-5300

Valentine Davies' Classic Holiday Fantasy - Adapted by Mountain Community Theatre

Artistic Director: Regina M. Belt

Production Coordinator: Laurie Faith Gibson

Technical Coordinator: Lou Czarny

Stage Manager: Tom Hermanson

Costume Coordinator: Angie Brandenburg

Properties Coordinator: John Fleshman

Cast List | Cast Photos | Press Articles and Reviews | Story Synopsis

Press Photos | Press Release | Production Photos

Cast List

Kris Kringle	.........	Tim Curtis
*Doris Walker*	.........	Renee Gugel
Fred Gayley	.........	Kevin O'Connor
*Susan Walker*	.........	Tricia Pendergrast
*Shellhammer*	.........	Danelle Mooha
*Sawyer*	.........	Paul Lockwood
*Doctor Pierce*	.........	Thom Reed
**Judge Harper**	.........	Dan Kreisman
*Halloran / Bag Lady*	.........	Kim Willis
*Finley / Drunken Santa / Al*	.........	Paul LeVan
*Mara*	.........	Vonnie Check
Macy	.........	David E. Donelson
*Bloomingdale*	.........	Bob Baker
*Janet / Kid*	.........	Mary Margaret McCormack
*Duncan / Lou / Foster / Newscaster*	.........	Chris Kurzer
*Johnny / Kid*	.........	Quinn Baker
*Dutch Girl / Kid*	.........	Chelsey Belt
*Sharon / Kid*	.........	Katrina Hamilton-Smith
*Two-List Boy / Kid*	.........	Brooks Moyer
*Megan / Child 1*	.........	Taylor Thomas
*Deaf Girl / Kid*	.........	Katryna Check
*Child 2 / Kid*	.........	Carlee Belt
*Elf / Kid*	.........	Gina Sapyta
*Elf Q.*	.........	Suzanne Dove
*Elf J.*	.........	Bridget Arnet
*Elf Z.*	.........	Jordanne LeTourneau
*Elf R.*	.........	Michelle (Shel) Walter
*Elf W.*	.........	Lauraleigh Heffner
*Elf H.*	.........	Hayley Michling
*Sharon’s Parent*	.........	Lynne Olsen
*Rich Lady / Johnny’s Parent / Steno.*	.........	Brittany Brown

Cast Photos

Bridget Arnet

Bob Baker

Quinn Baker

Chelsey Belt

Carlee Belt

Brittany Brown

Katryna Check

Vonnie Check

Timothy R. Curtis

David E. Donelson

Suzanne Dove

Renee Gugel

Katrina Hamilton-Smith

Lauraleigh Heffner

Dan Kreisman

Chris Kurzer

Jordanne LeTourneau

Paul LeVan

Paul Lockwood

Mary Margaret McCormack

Hayley Michling

Danelle M. Mooha

Brooks Moyer

Kevin O'Connor

Lynne Olsen

Tricia Pendergrast

Thom Reed

Gina Sapyta

Taylor Thomas

Michelle Walter

Kimberly Willis

Tom Hermanson &

Regina M. Belt

PRESS ARTICLES AND REVIEWS

’Miracle on 34th Street’

The beginning of a new Woodstock Christmas tradition

By CARYL DIERKSEN

The Independent

The community will receive an early Christmas gift when the Woodstock Musical Theatre Company brings “Miracle on 34th Street” to the Woodstock Opera House stage the first weekend in December. And, like the best Christmas presents, many hours of loving labor are going into this production.

Based on a 1947 novel by Valentine Davis, “Miracle on 34th Street” is the story of Kris Kringle, an elderly, kindhearted man who believes he is Santa Claus. Doris Walker and her 7-year-old daughter, Susan, meet Kringle when Doris hires him to play Santa for New York’s Macy’s department store. Kringle’s efforts to fight the commercialism surrounding Christmas and to grant children their Christmas wishes eventually lead him into court for a competency hearing. The stakes are high for Kringle, who is trying to avoid commitment to a psychiatric hospital, and for Susan, who desperately wants to believe in Santa. As mother and daughter overcome their skepticism, they learn the true meaning of the Christmas spirit, as does the audience.

Artistic director Gina Belt, calling herself “a purist,” promised a production of “Miracle” that will be faithful to the story many audience members may remember from the 1947 film. There will be just a few minor changes, such as changing Macy’s competitor from Gimbel’s department store, which no longer exists, to Bloomingdale’s.

A new tradition begins

The process of bringing “Miracle on 34th Street” to the Opera House stage began last spring. That was when the WMTC board of directors selected the play to replace “A Christmas Carol,” which had been its holiday production for the past 10 years. Laurie Faith Gibson, a board member and also production coordinator for “Miracle,” said the board hopes to start a new tradition that may involve three different Christmas productions rotating in a three-year cycle.

Belt said when she learned she would be directing the show that would replace the popular “Christmas Carol,” she was “really frightened.” Once she started work, though, her fear turned into excitement.

Belt’s first job — and a crucial one — was selecting her cast in early October. “Casting is tricky,” she said. “You have to have the right people for the parts.” After auditions, she ended up with a cast of 31 actors, a number of whom play two or more roles. There are 16 children in the cast, the youngest being 7 years old. The makeup of the cast presented a special challenge for Belt. “It takes a particular director to work with the combination of kids and adults the way Gina does,” said Tim Curtis, who plays Kris Kringle. “She makes rehearsals enjoyable and fun, but we still get things done,” added Danelle Mooha, who plays Miss Shellhammer, Walker’s assistant.

As soon as the cast was selected, Belt made a request of all of them. “I ask my actors to avoid watching videos,” she said, referring to the 1947 and 1994 films of “Miracle” available on video. “The cast will pick up idiosyncrasies of various actors, and I don’t want that.”

Chatting with two of the leads

Curtis said he was surprised and pleased to land the lead in the show. “I’ve never played an icon before,” he said. “It’s a bit daunting.” Curtis is younger and slimmer than most Santas, and his beard is short and brown. In his opinion, another actor who auditioned looked much better for the part. But Belt saw in Curtis a combination of qualities that impressed her. “Tim had an excellent rapport with the children, he was very spirited, his face registers emotions well, and he’s not afraid to try things,” she said.

Ten-year-old Tricia Pendergrast plays the role of Susan Walker. Tricia said she was excited, rather than nervous, at the auditions, partly because she had auditioned twice before for other shows. She described her character as “kind of cold-hearted in the beginning, like her mother.” Tricia added she likes “the charm the little girl has” and said it is a challenge portraying a character three years younger than she is.

Hours and hours of work

The cast has been rehearsing four nights a week since early October. By opening night, Dec. 4, it will have spent hundreds of hours preparing. The actors’ commitment is even more impressive considering nearly everyone works a full day before rehearsing several hours in the evening. Some of the day jobs include principal, technical trainer, accounts representative, fast food manager, teacher, student and waiter.

Of course, it takes more than actors and a director to bring a play to life. Technical coordinator Lou Czarny, stage manager Tom Hermanson, costume coordinator Angie Brandenburg and properties coordinator John Fleshman head up crews working on the technical aspects of the play.

Opening night

Gibson said, “It’s nice to see people put it all together” as the show nears completion. “Opening night is a good kind of nervous,” Curtis added. “The audience feedback is neat.” Belt compared opening night to the birth of a baby. “And nobody better mess with that baby,” she said, laughing.

Gibson concluded, “It’s a really good cast. There are high expectations. We’re trying to start a new tradition.”

“Miracle on 34th Street” will be performed at 8 p.m., Thursday, Dec. 4; 8 p.m., Friday, Dec. 5; 2 and 8 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 6; and at 1 and 6 p.m., Sunday, Dec. 7. Tickets are $19 and are on sale at the Opera House box office. To order tickets by phone, call the Opera House at 338-5300.

For more information about the production, go to www.WoodstockTheatre. com.

Main Characters

Kris Kringle ........Tim Curtis

Doris Walker.......Renee Gugel

Fred Gayley .......Kevin O’Conner

Susan Walker.....Tricia Pendergrast

Shellhammer .....Danelle Mooha

Sawyer...............Paul Lockwood

Doctor Pierce......Thom Reed

Judge Harper...... Dan Kreisman

STORY SYNOPSIS

This is a tale that we want to believe in, that creates a world we seem to desperately desire, free of the blatant commercialism that surrounds us, where love and decency and generosity of spirit are their own rewards. What we want Christmas to be all about, really." So writes the Santa Cruz Sentinel of this most heartwarming holiday story. By chance, Kris Kringle, an old man in a retirement home, gets a job working as Santa for Macy's. Kris unleashes waves of good will with Macy's customers and the commercial world of New York City by referring parents to other stores to find exactly the toy their child has asked for. Seen as deluded and dangerous by Macy's vocational counselor, who plots to have Kris shanghaied to Bellevue Psychiatric Hospital, Kris ends up in a court competency hearing. Especially at stake is one little girl's belief in Santa. In a dramatic decision, the court confirms Kris as the true Santa, allowing Susan and countless other children to experience the joy of childhood fantasy.

PRESS PHOTOS

Full Resolution color printable images will SOON be available for download from this website. Click on desired photo proof to view Full Res. images. All photos are color, 300 DPI with less then 6% compression jpeg format and

Print sized at minimum 3”x4”.

PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Woodstock Musical Theatre Company

Contact: Laurie Faith Gibson, Publicity Chair
Phone: 815-263-7658
Email: info@woodstocktheatre.com

Web: www.WoodstockTheatre.com

PRESS RELEASE -- October 26, 2003

"Miracle on 34th Street" comes to the Woodstock Opera House

Woodstock, IL -- With Christmas right around the corner, Woodstock Musical Theatre Company invites everyone to attend their annual holiday stage production of the classic “Miracle on 34th Street.”

Schedule: Thursday and Friday, December 4th & 5th at 8:00 pm

                Saturday December 6th at 2:00 pm and 8:00 pm

                Sunday December 7th at 1:00 pm and 6:00


This endearing tale, written by Valentine Davies and set in modern times, may cause the audience to re-evaluate its belief in Santa Claus and the Christmas spirit. Centered in Macy’s department store, Doris Walker and her 7-year-old daughter, Susan, come into contact with a kind-hearted gentleman by the name of Kris Kringle. Coincidentally, Kringle believes himself to be Santa Claus. And so begins the commotion, not just among the employees of Macy’s, but all over New York City. Overcoming skepticism, Doris and Susan learn the true meaning of the holiday spirit, but will the New York State court system agree with this mother-daughter duo?

You and your family won’t want to miss this holiday classic to kick off your Christmas season!

Ticket prices are $19 All Seats. Call (815) 338-5300 Monday – Saturday from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm to reserve tickets.

Woodstock Musical Theatre Company is a volunteer professional non-Equity resident theatre company of the Woodstock Opera House at 121 W. Van Buren St, Woodstock, IL 60098. For more detailed information including cast photos, directions and fine dining on the square, please visit our website: www.WoodstockTheatre.com

PRODUCTION PHOTOS

Coming in November!