May, 2000

1964 The teahouse of the August Moon  Director: Bill Morey.

l965 Thurber Carnival Director: Jacquelyn Dlesk.

1966 The Tender Trap Director:Doug Hill.

1969 Make a Million Director: Doug Hill.

1971 The Odd Couple Director: Doug Hill.

1972 Desperate House Director: Doug Hill.

1977 Barefoot in the Park Director: Kasey Kilpatrick.

1978 Finishing Touches Director: Tim Koch.

1979 Plaza Suite Director: Bob Boles.

1980 The Secret Affairs of Mildred Wild Director: Haroldee  Kasey Kilpatrick. and Martin Wolf played the lead couple in Paul Zindel's comedy. Other cast members were Penny Salinger, Denny Brett, Olly Copeland, Ann Norris (Levine), Bridget Kilpatrick, and Bruce Govan.

1981 Living Together Director: Steve Morse. Morse debuted as an OTP director with this episode from Alan Ayckbourn's trilogy, The Norman Conquests. The title character was portrayed by Ron Lundmark, with other roles going to Galen and Susan Kurth, Loretta and Katie Steed, and Mike Nunn. Lynn O'Connor (mother of MaryScott) was assistant director. Another episode, Round and Round the Garden, was done in the Studio Theater the following winter by this same group with Matt Roush replacing Nunn.

1982 Kismet Director: Dave Elliott. This was his first mainstage directorship. The show experienced many problems, including the departures of several male chorus members. Many of these were voluntary and connected to the difficulty of the music, but a group of boys from St, Francis High (including future OTP veteran Thom Wagner, for whom this was almost his first show) were dismissed for taking an unauthorized Easter vacation. Among those who stayed was Patrick Blashill among new blood, while veteran Dave Campbell had his last OTP role as the beggar poet. Female leads went to Cassie Mann and Beth Rideout; Pete Nelson was the wicked Wazir; Denny Bechtelheimer played the Caliph; Martin Wolf was the Imam of the Mosque; Bryan Crough was Omar (as in Khayyam), and Debra Hilbert, Bridget Kilpatrick, and Hedges Macdonald were street beggars. Others included Bart Ingraham, Mark Hubert, Liz Rivers (daughter of Mary Ann Rivers), Steve Stinson, Barbara Wickstrom (Davis), Rose Marie Hitchens, Marilyn Jensen, Gail Riley, Betty Craig, Ken Parker, Linda Veliquette, Billie Thompson, Lois Nienhouse, Mike Nunn, Nan Worthington, and Delphine Welch. Jean Courter, assisted by Karen Czerwinski, did the choreography, and each played a principle dancer. Mindy Marsh (Roan) was the vocal director, assisted by Cheryl Hitchens. Lynell Simpson (Singer) produced, and newcomer Arnie Webster was stage manager and made many beautiful wooden swords and daggers. Doug "Barney" Kramer built the set. 

1983 Bits and Pieces of Lies I Never Knew  Director: Jeanette Mason. Original sketches written by Gary Garrison were presented in the Studio. Todd Breaugh debuted as an OTP actor, and Steve Stafford did likewise in a backstage capacity.

1984 6 rms riv vu Director: Steve Morse. Jeanette Mason and Dave Elliott were the leads in this 1970's comedy. Mike Nunn played a Puerto Rican janitor. Three women (Ardy Hansen, Betty Ponder, and Sue Hitchens) played their final OTP roles, but the men (Brian Dungjen and Thom Wagner) had many shows ahead. Hedges Macdonald was the head of props. Among the challenges facing him were finding period chairs and a baby carriage. There was also a picnic basket full of prop food (mostly fruit). Jeanette's character was supposed to nibble on a chicken leg, but when she saw the inedible prop leg Arnie Webster made for the show, she discovered a love for purple grapes.

1985 Jaques Brel Is Alive and Well and Living in Paris (Second production, in the Studio) Director: Sylvia  Bechtelheimer. Denny's sister made her directing debut with this already dated but still enjoyable musical. Her brother was in the cast along with Brian Dungjen, Nan Worthington, and Linda Mueller. Backstage veteran Lisa Vezina made this her final effort.

1986 Oh, Dad, Poor Dad, Mama's Hung You in the Closet, and I'm Feeling S o Sad Director: Arnie Webster. Arnie bid farewell to OTP with this comedy of the absurd in the Studio. The cast featured Judy Heffron, Don Garret, Thom Wagner, Kathy Kocevar, Hedges Macdonald, Hyler Whitney, Mike Blashill, Kristin Fralick, and newcomer Eartha Melzer. The reaction to this show was mixed, and some playgoers may remember a newspaper review that likened an actress to "an afghan hound in heat".

1987 Veronica's Room (Studio) Director: Tom Schill.

1988 TheBelle of Amherst (Studio) Director: Bryan Crough A one woman show featuring Anne Marie Oomen. The late Eric Simon was to have been technical director. The play had previously been performed by Ann Marie Gillis at NMC and would be revived by the Playhouse the following August for a week

1989 Domino and Night Light in the Studio.  

1990 Wings was scheduled, then cancelled. Instead, Steve Clark directed two one acts - one featuring himself and Lisa Walter, the other with Holly Heffron and Scott McManus in the Studio.

1992 The Odd Couple (Studio) Director: Orvilla Heck.

1993 Frankie andJohnny in the Clair de Lune (Studio) Director: Guy Molnar

1994 337W. 49 St., N.Y., N.Y. two one-acts in the Studio. Hughie by Eugene O'Neill. Director: Liz Rikowski. Rings written and directed by Tom Hammond.

1995 Talking With in the Studio. Director: Billie Thompson. Our second presentation of this series of monologues. Margaret Anne Slawson did her now familiar Mcdonald's sketch here.

1996 The Trip to Bountiful. May returns to the mainstage with a memorable Julia Jasenska Brabenec performance.

1997 Little Women Directors: Cinder Conlon and Terry Lawrence. OTP alumnus Terri Heffron's stage adaptation of the famous novel. The cast included Gillian Bell, Cari Burke, Pat Cotner, Kelly Curtis, Tom Czarny, Denni Don Hunting, Nikki Dull, John Kelly (his final role, playing Mike Kelly's father), Mike Kelly, Tim Mayhew, Michelle Perez (the adult Jo/narrator), Jane Purkis, Sam Shurmur, and Catherine Wagner. Cari Burke, in her OTP debut, was a veteran of the Benzie County Players. At the time she did this show she was replaced in a Benzie show by theater newcomer Wendy Kalush. Little women first brought us Dann McCarthy.

1998 The Man Who Came to Dinner Director: Cindy Leo. 1930's comedy had Mike Kelly as irascible writer Sheridan Whiteside. Other roles went to Cari Burke, Michelle Perez, Brian Hale, Justin Trapp, Larry Hains, Rick Korndorfer, Mollie Thompson, Lisa "Peanut" Drake, Don Swan, Bette Wilette (returning to our stage after a decade's absense), Deb Bolton (sharing a role with Vera Schaal), Hedges Macdonald, Margaret Anne Slawson, Brian Dungjen, Nan Worthington, Steve Peterson, David Struble, and Ed Haswell. Michelle, Rick, and Justin were especially memorable. There were lots of card games backstage.

1999 The Odd Couple (female edition) Directed by Brian Dungjen. Performed at the Bay Theater, Sutton's Bay. Scheduled as a Studio Theater production, this show performed more like a mainstage effort and gave Brian his first OTP directorship. Deb Bolton and Nan Worthington played the Oscar/Felix prototypes, Denni Don Hunting was memorable as a card player. and Rick Korndorfer and Don Swan made hilarious Spaniards.

2000 Moon Over Buffalo (They're not waiting for Guffman this time) Gary Bolton debuts as director with this uproarious comedy by the author of Lend me a Tenor. You can shuffle off to Buffalo with a cast that includes recent OTP show directors Don Kuehlhorn and Jeanette Mason as the dysfunctional married couple trying to hold a small professional theater company together in 1953. Other company members include Sarah Hampton, George Beeby, Ed Mulcahy, Lisa Oddy, Rick Korndorfer and Denni Don Hunting. The humor is very physical and the pace nonstop.

to Julie Van Dusen and Suzanne Dalton, Studio Theater veterans and stars of Tempest Entertainment's Drop Dead Gorgeous at the Park Place. Ms. Dalton will appear in Tempest's revival of Tony and Tina's Wedding this summer, again at the Park Place, with many of last year's Leelanau Players cast returning.

to cast members of Charley's Aunt who worked hard to bring the Bard to life in the NMC presentation of The Merry Wives of Windsor.

to Sarah Baty, selected by Kwanis Club as a Student of the Month.

to Mary Ann Rivers, who uses song and music in her "I've Got a Song" duet with Donna Shugart to teach Michigan history to school children. They have worked together for 26 years.