Morris Park Players Community Theatre Presents GREASE April 29- May 14

By: Apr. 13, 2011
Get Access To Every Broadway Story

Unlock access to every one of the hundreds of articles published daily on BroadwayWorld by logging in with one click.




Existing user? Just click login.

Morris Park Players Community Theatre (MPP) presents Grease, April 29 & 30, May 6, 13, & 14 at 7:30 pm, and May 1 & 7 at 2:00 pm, the second production at their new home of Thomas Edison High School Auditorium in Northeast Minneapolis. Director Kevin Schrammen envisioned this production of Grease as "Seeing the unbridled freedom and joy of life, singing and dancing, and just getting lost in the rhythm and movements that was the true Rock and Roll era."

MPP continues to deepen ties to the Northeast Minneapolis community and has cast Edison High School teachers and students in its production. An Edison photography class took the headshots for the production, and other students are involved in various technical aspects of the show, giving students multiple levels of involvement and entry points into theater at their school.

Named for the 1950s United States working-class youth subculture known as the "greasers," the 1971 musical by Jim Jacobs and WarRen Casey was originally staged as a five-hour amateur production in a Chicago trolley barn. Grease is set in 1959 at fictional Rydell High School (loosely based on William Howard Taft School), and follows ten working-class teenagers as they navigate the complexities of love, friendship, teenage rebellion, adolescent sexual exploration, and class conflict. While the score recreates the frolicking sounds of early rock and roll, the story takes a satirical look at the dress, manners, morals, and music of teenagers at the beginning of the rock and roll era.

Grease opened at the Off-Broadway Eden Theatre, moved on to Broadway at the Broadhurst, and was eventually transferred to the Royale. Along the way, it enjoyed a run of 3,388 performances--a record which would stand until 1980 when it was overtaken by A Chorus Line. The original cast featured Barry Bostwick and Carole Demas. John Travolta and Olivia Newton John starred in the 1978 film version. It was a West End hit, a hugely successful film, and enjoyed two popular Broadway revivals in 1994 and 2007. It remains a staple of regional and community theatre, and high school and middle school drama groups. It remains Broadway's thirteenth longest-running show.

Performances
Friday, April 29, 7:30 pm
Saturday, April 30, 7:30 pm
Sunday, May 1, 2:00 pm
Friday, May 6, 7:30 pm
Saturday, May 7, 2:00 pm
Friday, May 13, 7:30 pm
Saturday, May 14, 7:30 pm

Tickets ($12-$15) are available at http://www.morrisparkplayers.org/ or 612-724-8373.

Program
Act 1
Scene 1 Reunion
"Alma Mater" - Ms. Lynch, Patty, Eugene and Company
"Alma Mater Parody" -- Company
Scene 2 Cafeteria and School Steps
"Summer Nights" - Sandy, Danny, Pink Ladies, T-Birds, Patty Eugene
Scene 3 School Hallway
"Those Magic Changes" - Doody, T-Birds, Featured Dancers
Scene 4 Pajama Party
"Freddy My Love" - Marty, Pink Ladies
Scene 5 Street Corner
"Greased Lightening" - Kenickie, T-Birds
Scene 6 School Yard
Scene 7 Park
"Mooning" - Jan, Roger
"Look at Me, I'm Sandra Dee" - Rizzo
"We Go Together" - Entire Comapny

Act 2
Scene 1 School Gym
"Shakin' at the High School Hop" - Entire Company
"It's Raining on Prom Night" - Sandy, Patty
"Born to Hand Jive" - Johnny Casino
"Hopelessly Devoted to You" -- Sandy
Scene 2 Front of Burger Palace
"Beauty School Dropout" - Teen Angel, Ladies
Scene 3 Drive-In Movie
"Alone at the Drive In" -- Danny
Scene 4 Jan's Party
"Rock ‘n Roll Party Queen" - Doody, Roger
"There are Worse Things I Could Do" - Rizzo
"Look at Me, I'm Sandra Dee" Reprise -- Sandy
Scene 5 Inside Burger Palace
"You're the One That I want" - Pink Ladies, T-Birds, Company
Finale "We Go Together" - Instrumental
"You're the One That I Want" - Entire Company

Morris Park Players Production Staff for Grease
Kevin Schrammen, Director
After a career as a comedian, singer, and musician, he is settled in the Twin Cities where he now acts and directs anywhere they will let him. He has both performed and directed for Morris Park Players in the past, acting in Guys and Dolls and directing Fiddler on the Roof and Oliver. He enjoyed these experiences so much that he is back for another run and is excited to bring Grease to the new Morris Park Players stage at Edison High School.

Karen Hillman, Music Director
Karen is excited to be back at MPP after being Back Home AGain...A John Denver Christmas in Hudson. Being a native Arizonian, she's also excited for warmer temperatures. When not playing for theaters, she is a music therapist for Heartland Hospice & Augustana Care Center, and a keyboard/vocalist in the band "Chord Authority"...and yes, this band does a Grease medley!

Tami Provencher, Choreographer
Tami has been a working actor/director/dancer/choreographer and theatre educator in the Twin Cities for almost 20 years. Raised in Minnetonka, Tami taught elementary school French, toured as an actor and stage manager in the Performance Company, and later as a Team Leader in the Residency Company for CLIMB Theatre. She worked as an artist-in-residence for ten years with SteppingStone Theatre for Youth Development. Currently she is a Drama Teacher and Director with StageCoach Theatre Arts Schools and does freelance choreography, directing, and theatre residencies with Lake Middle School in Woodbury and Stages Theatre in Hopkins. She is excited to work with Kevin Schrammen and Morris Park Players for the second time, having thoroughly enjoyed choreographing Oliver.

Cast for Grease
Max Athorn (Danny Zuko)
Max is the theater teacher at Thomas Edison High School and the Artistic Director of Thomas Edison High School Theater. He is excited to perform on the stage that he has been working on as a teacher/director all year! Past performance credits include Theater Latte Da's production of Passage of Dreams and St. Croix Valley Summer Theater's productions of The World Goes ‘Round and Pirates of Penzance. Max graduated from UW-Eau Claire with degrees in music and theater and is a current graduate student of education at Hamline University.

Chaos Bebault (Ensemble/Featured Dancer)
Chaos has had a fun time with the cast and crew of Morris Park Players. This is his first show with Morris Park Players, and only his second musical. He was last seen in Youth Performance Company's production, student written musical Mean, The Children Theater's production of A Christmas Story, and Stages Theater Company's production of Outsiders.

Rick Cedergren (Kenickie)
Rick is happy to be returning to the stage and making his debut with Morris Park Players. His previous work includes UW-Eau Claire's production of Pirates of Penzance (Frederick) and The Mother of Us All (Jo the Loiterer), as well as roles in several campus short-play festivals. He is currently a member of a local chorus, a 13-piece rock band, and when time permits, is a karaoke all-star. Rick is an aspiring bike commuter and skydiver and hopes to one day achieve his goal of learning to tune and repair pianos.

Penny Dale (Patty Simcox)
Penny first did Grease 22 years ago as a senior in high school. She is very excited to be returning to Rydell High School yet again. Previous Morris Park Players productions include Bye Bye Birdie, Kiss Me Kate, and State Fair. Originally from Long Island, NY, Penny has been living in Minnesota for 12 years. She currently resides in North Minneapolis with her boyfriend, Matthew, their dog, Rocky, and cats, Kya and Pippin. Favorite past shows include: Nunsense I & II (Sister Amnesia), Hello Dolly! (Minnie Fay), Into the Woods (Rapunzel), and Assassins (Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme)

Jacklyn Dammel (Jan)
Jackie last appeared in Morris Park Player's production of Annie and Cinderella. She is currently attending Le Cordon Bleu for Bakery and Pastry.

Bob Danielson (Vince Fontaine)
This is Bob's third show on stage at Morris Park Players. His previous credits include Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (brother) and Bye Bye Birdie (Harvey Johnson). His most recent stage credits include MN Fringe Festival productions Green as Grass (Frank) and Bonnie Prince Charlie (Captain Ned). When not acting, he can frequently be found building sets at both Cross Community Players and Theatre in the Round.

David Dexter (Teen Angel)
Although this is David's third appearance with Morris Park Players in the past year, it also marks the only times he has been involved in community theatre. David's introduction to community theatre was in Cinderella (Ensemble/Comedic Royal Trumpeter) and Annie (Daddy Warbucks), sharing the stage with his nieces Maddie and Lauren Kadlec, who again join their uncle in Grease. David was thrilled that Edison High School students and school staff joined in Morris Park Player's first production at their new Edison home last fall and that the warm relationship between Morris Park Players and the school continues in today's performance with several strong roles filled by Edison High School teachers and students.

Dan Geiger (Johnny Casino)
Dan has appeared in numerous community Theater Productions. This is his first at Morris Park Players. Most notably, he was in You're A Good Man Charlie Brown (Snoopy). "That was perfect for me", quipped Dan. "Just ask my wife! I'm in the dog house most of the time anyway!" Dan was a member of a 50's and 60's band, The Cleavettes for three years so is well acquainted with "The Hand Jive!" and jive in general. He is also a long time radio man. Dan hosted on Radio Aahs in the 90's before heading to WCCO radio. Recently, Dan signed on to do PR with the Minnesota Twins. He's married and has four children and two stepchildren that are the ‘ginchiest' and lives happily in White Bear Lake, MN.

Miriam Harries (Ensemble/Featured Dancer)
Miriam is thrilled to be in her third production with Morris Park Players. Previous roles include Beauty and the Beast (townsperson/Spice) and Cinderella (Chorus). Miriam's most recent role was Cross Community Player's production of You're A Good Man Charlie Brown (Marcie). She is currently an actor in SOS for Youth.

Skye Horton (Ensemble/Featured Dancer)
Skye is happy to be in her second Morris Park Player's production, last seen in Annie. She is a student at Edison high School. In her free time, she loves dancing, reading and of course being in musicals. She was most recently seen in Edison High School's production of Footloose.

Olivia Isola (Young Pink Lady)
Olivia has been in many theatre productions, starting with her first as "Tinkerbell" at age 4. More recently, she has been with Hillcrest Community Theater's productions of Honk and Hello Dolly! After a great experience with Morris Park Players' production of Annie, she is thrilled to be back. Olivia spends her free time as an avid reader, writer, and busy 6th grader in NE Minneapolis. Being with Morris Park Players is extra special for her entire family because Olivia's mother, grandparents, and great-grandparents attended northeast's Edison High School.

Deshawn Jones-Murray (Sonny)
This is Deshawn's first show with Morris Park Players and is very excited to be part of Grease. Deshawn was last seen in Edison High School's production of Footloose. Originally born in Minnesota, Deshawn was raised in Chicago. He thinks of himself as a very shy and quiet person, but makes up for it with his talent of singing and dancing. He realized he loved to sing and dance at the age of 10 and prefers hip-hop and R&B music, but is open to anything new. He is very focused, but when things get difficult, he takes it out on paper with a pencil in hand, writing poetry and R&B music. Life is a big emotional roller coaster, but as he always says, "I will fall but I will crawl to get back up and rise above it all."

Lauren Kadlec (Young Pink Lady)
Lauren's natural spunk is a great fit for Grease. This is Lauren's sixth musical. She has appeared in Lifelines (Chorus) and Angel Tree (Pip). Next, she was in Seussical the Musical (smallest "Who"). Last year, she joined Morris Park Players in Cinderella (Fairyette) and Annie (Molly). Lauren was selected from 300+ other girls to be cast as Tessie in Children's Theater Company's production of Annie this spring and chose to appear in Grease.

Maddie Kadlec (Young Pink Lady)
At age 11, Maddie is becoming a veteran theater performer. She's appeared in Cross Community Player's production of Seussical, the Musical (Who), Burnsville Performing Arts Center's production of Junior Class (Taylor) as the only children's part. She discovered Morris Park Players where she appeared in Cinderella (Fairyette) and Annie (Annie). When she's not singing, Maddie is always playing an instrument. Her favorites are piano, guitar, fife, saxophone, and violin.

Olivia Katz (Ensemble/Featured Dancer)
Olivia is thrilled to be in Grease. She performed in Morris Park Player's production of Cinderella. She has also performed in E3's productions of Guys and dolls, Urinetown, Pippin, and How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. Olivia is in 8th grade at Barton Open School and on her way to South High School next fall. She is a dedicated cellist and loves to play basketball and hang out with her friends.

Stacey Kilton (Rizzo)
Stacey is the Choir teacher and Music director at Thomas Edison High School. Her Morris Park Players debut was this past fall in Annie. She is allergic to long-haired animals and likes dancing to Rick's (Kenickie) cover band - A Lot.

Daniel Li (Roger)
Daniel is a first year student at the University of Minnesota Law School. Previous roles include Rochester Civic Theater's productions of As You Like It (Orlando) and The Rocky Horror Show (Rocky). Daniel also participated in Twin City Stage's productions of Blue's Clues Live! (Steve) and All Shook Up (Dennis) in Winston Salem, North Carolina and Wake Forest University's production of King Lear (Cornwall).

Nicole Lian (Cha Cha)
This is Nicole's first show with Morris Park Players and she is absolutely thrilled to be playing "the best dancer at St. Bernadette's." Previous theatre credits include Lakeshore Players productions of Cabaret (Kit Kat Girl) and Anything Goes (Purity, Angel) and Heritage Theatre' Company's production of Cats (Featured Dancer). Nicole's passion is dance, and you can see her forming and competing as a member of the "Larkin Ladies" dance group at Larkin Dance Studio.

Collin McAninch (Ensemble/Gary Fonzerelli)
Collin is happy to be in this production of Grease. He has appeared in past Morris Park Players' productions of Annie, Beauty & the Beast, Cinderella, Guys and Dolls, The Wizard of Oz, Pirates of Penzance, and HMS Pinafore to name a few. This past year he was also in Cross Community Players production of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (Grandpa Joe) and Alexander at Delphi (The King). During the daytime, he works for a company that sells paint and supplies to body shops and other paint stores around the country.

Heather Rae Northway (Sandy Dumbrowski)
Dreaming of this role for 14 years, Heather is delighted to play Sandy! A recent U of M Theatre graduate, she now teaches a theatre class to K-4 students; works as a runway and print model; and plays real life Mary Poppins to a sweet 5 month old girl. In her free time, Heather loves reading anything about fashion or nutrition, cooking vegan meals, and entertaining friends. Her next plans include a move to Chicago and a husband in Med school!

Brandon Osero (Doody)
Brandon is thrilled to work with Morris Park Players again! Besides Grease, he has been in Guys and Dolls (Benny Southstreet), All Shook Up (Dennis), and You're a Good Man Charlie Brown (Linus). He currently attends the University of Minnesota where he studies film and television. He is endlessly grateful for the wonderful volunteers that make community theatre a fantastic experience.

Arielle Peterson (Ensemble/Featured Dancer)
This is Arielle's first year with Morris Park Players. She has really enjoyed all of the support and the cast is very welcoming. She is currently a sophomore at Edison High School and has been in many school productions, including Edison's production of Footloose, which was a blast! She's hoping to have just as much fun (or more) in Grease and looks forward to what lies ahead in the future.

Diannah Robertson (Miss Lynch)
Diannah is happy to be returning for her third Morris Park Players show, having been seen in Beauty and the Beast and Cinderella, but her first performance at Edison High School. Along with Morris Park Players, she has been blessed to perform with Cross Community Players, River Valley, and Lyric Arts Community theaters over the past three years, and had her first foray into the Minnesota Fringe Festival this past summer.

Heather Sagisser (Frenchie)
Heather is excited to be back for her second show with Morris Park Players! Some of her most recent roles include Anything Goes (Bonnie), Cats (Jellyorum), and A Midsummer Night's Dream (Helena).

Sam Sanderson (Young T-Bird)
Grease is Sam's second musical with Morris Park Players, having last been seen in Annie (Wacky). Other productions include Seussical the Musical (Jojo/The Cat in the Hat) and Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (Grandpa George). Sam is 13 years old and loves performing onstage.

Tony Streng (Ensemble/Featured Dancer)
Originally from St. Joseph, MN, Tony earned a B.A. from the University of Morris in Music Education. He now lives in Golden Valley and teaches 8th and 9th grade choir at North View Junior High for Osseo Area Schools.

Myles Wendt (Eugene)
Myles is 17 and currently enrolled as a junior at Connections Academy, an online school. Myles' last theatre gig was with Youth Performance Company's original show Mean and is currently working with Fidgety Fairy Tales, a group that tours for children's mental health. Myles has been in Southwest Theater Projects productions of Honk! (turkey/farmer) and Seussical the Musical (Wickersham Bro). In addition, he's been seen in Stages Theater production of The Outsiders (Randy) and Fringe Festival production of Semi Darkness (Wyatt Sullen), a spoof of Twilight, Sweeny Todd (Ensemble), and The Sound of Music (captain Von Trapp). When not working in theater, Myles enjoys reading, hunting, camping and chillin with his greasers.

Taylor Ellice Van Denburgh (Marty)
Taylor is very excited to be in her first Morris Park Players production. Some of Taylor's recent productions include River of Passion, Wizard of Oz, and CabareT. Taylor feels blessed to have so many amazing and supportive family members and friends!

Orchestra:
Keyboard - Karen Hillmann
Saxophones - Alex Robinson, Alan Schuelman
Percussion - Brian Etienne
Bass - Ann Baumann-Johnson
Guitars - Don Metke, Charli Fasbender

Production Staff:
Artistic Director: Kevin Schrammen
Music Director: Karen Hillmann
Choreographer: Tami Provencher
Swing Dance Choreographer: Michael Brafford
Swing Dance Instructor: Eve Johnson
Producer: Chris J. Hallin
Stage Manager: Abbey Dibble
Set Design/Construction: Dennis Dienst
Light Design: Denny Vogstrom
Sound Design: Garth Engwall
Rehearsal Pianist: Kelly Kadlec
Audio Assistant: Lee Mier
Properties: Nancy Trottier
Costumer: Samantha Fromm Haddow
Concessions: Michael Lambert
Publicity & Advertising: Wendy Blackshaw, Cari Hatcher, TL Simmons
Web Design: Matthew Schlukebier
Audio Describer: Rick Jacobson
ASL Interpreters: Katie Johnson, NIC and Daryl Esterday
Lobby Display: Michael Lambert
Headshots: Bill Brown, Tanora Irving, Linda Vue, Peter Xiong, Mr. Rizzardi
Set Builders/Painters: Max Athorn, Rick Cedergren, Penny Dale, Jacklyn Dammel, David Dexter, Kevin Dexter, Chuck Dibble, Dennis Dienst, Ken Durand, Dan Geiger, Olivia Isola, Stephanie Isola, Kelly Kadlec, Lauren Kadlec, Maddie Kadlec, Roger Kadlec, Spencer Kadlec, Olivia Katz, Steve Katz, Stacey Kilton, Daniel Li, Maddy Maynor, Collin McAninch, Lee Mier, Minrod Mier, Miranda Mier, Heather Sagisser, Kevin Schrammen, Tony Streng, Taylor Van Denburgh


About Morris Park Players
Morris Park Players began as the Morris Park Father Singers in spring 1952. Over the years, the group transformed and expanded its repertoire, first changing in 1968 to the Morris Park Singers, and again in 1981 to its present name, Morris Park Players. With more than 100 productions to its credit over 58 years, Morris Park Players continues to provide quality musical theatre to the community as well as many opportunities for individuals to contribute and develop their talents. The theater's commitment to children and families is written into the group's charter and the tradition extends through generations. Many members of the cast, crew, and board worked with the theater as children and now have children of their own performing with them in performances.

Morris Park Players Board
Sue Fust, President
Kathy Dibble, Volunteers and CEO
Carol Kratzer, Treasurer
Jeff Anderson, Secretary
Wendy Blackshaw, Publicity
Chuck Dibble, Production
Chuck Stenger, Production
TL Simmons, Marketing Materials
Denny Vogstrom, Property and Facilities
Michael Lambert, Hospitality

For more information visit http://www.morrisparkplayers.org/ or call 612-724-8373. Like Morris Park Players on facebook at http://www.facebook.com/mpplayers.

Move to Thomas Edison High School
After Folwell Middle School closed its doors due to budget cuts, Morris Park Players (MPP) needed to leave their residence in south Minneapolis after 25 years. The loyal audience of MPP has followed their productions from previous locations of Nokomis Junior High and Roosevelt Senior High for many years prior to that. Thomas Edison High School in northeast Minneapolis invited and welcomed MPP into their Auditorium and school as their new permanent home in summer, 2010.

About Edison High School
For more information about Edison High School, contact Pamela Vertina, Public Relations Coordinator, at 612-668-1310 or Pamela.Vertina@mpls.k12.mn.us or visit the Edison High School web site at http://edison.mpls.k12.mn.us/.

Thomas Edison High School
700 22nd Ave NE
Minneapolis, MN 55418

Credits
GREASE is presented by special arrangement with SAMUEL FRENCH, INC.

This activity funded, in part, by the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund as appropriated by the Minnesota State Legislature with money from the vote of the people of Minnesota on November 4, 2008.



Videos