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Northern Fort Playhouse Announces its Productions and Casts for its Third Season of Summer Theater
The 2008 Summer Company of the Northern
Fort Playhouse at Ft. Sisseton
Front row (L to R) Daniel Yurgaitis,
Leah Arnold, Shanon Patek, Cory Niles and Greg Parmeter
Back row (L to R) Samantha Banner, Mary Holm, Mary Marion, Ryan
Puffer and David Whitaker
Released June 22, 2008
(ABERDEEN, SD) The Northern Fort Playhouse is pleased to announce its productions for its third season of summer performances at Historic Fort Sisseton State Park. The season’s first opening night is Fri, Jul. 11, with the hit musical comedy review “Secrets Every Smart Traveler Should Know.” This fast paced production follows all the trials and tribulations that confront travelers in airports, border crossings, resorts and all places in between. Inspired by a travel guide written by Wendy Perrin, the original production opened off Broadway in 1997 and would run over 900 performances. “Secrets Every Smart Traveler Should Know” will be receiving its South Dakota premiere at the Fort. The production will be directed and staged by NFP Artistic Director Daniel Yurgaitis.
The second opening night is Sat, Jul. 12, with the romantic comedy “Almost, Maine,” by John Cariani. This 2006 comedy is set in the town of Almost, Maine, a small community just south of the Canadian border. The play is told in a series of comical scenes, in which couples meet, flirt, bicker, or reunite; most exchanges contain a kiss, and most conclude happily or at least hopefully along with a faint dusting of snowbound magical realism. David Whitaker, who directed “Plaza Suite” for the Fort’s inaugural season, will return from Chicago to stage this production. The Fort’s production will also feature Julian Fleisher's folksy original music from the off-Broadway production.
The company of four actors includes Leah Arnold, Aberdeen, Shanon Patek, Watertown, Gregory Parmeter, Lincoln, Neb., and Cory Niles, Gettysburg. Leah Arnold is a veteran of Playhouse performances, having worked backstage during season one, and onstage as Ruby in “Dames at Sea” during season two. Having just finished her freshman year at Northern State University, Leah appeared in last fall’s “Miss Saigon.” Shanon Patek returns for her second season at the Playhouse, having appeared in “Dames at Sea” and “How the Other Half Loves.” This past year at NSU, Shanon appeared in the ensemble of “Miss Saigon” and in “tick…tick…BOOM!” Gregory Parmeter, a graduate of NSU, is joining the Playhouse Company for his first productions. His past roles at NSU included parts in “Art,” “The Laramie Project” and “Shakespeare’s R & J.” Greg is a recent MFA graduate of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and spent last fall with the Hampstead Touring Company in New Hampshire. The final actor in this summer’s company is Cory Niles. This is also Cory’s first season. Recently appearing in Aberdeen Community Theatre’s June production of “The King and I,” Niles has had the leading roles in NSU Theatre’s “Miss Saigon” and “tick…tick…BOOM!”
The other creative personnel will include scenic designer Tom Benson, back after last year’s season. Tom has been the resident scenic designer and artist for the Gaslight Theatre in Tucson for 30 years, designing and painting scenery for five original musical melodramas each year. He has designed and painted scenery for theatres from Vermont to southern California, including three seasons at the Utah Shakespearean Festival, and has taught theatre design at the University of Arizona and at Penn State University. Angela Nguyen will move from onstage to backstage this season as the costume designer for both shows. Audiences will remember Angela from her onstage appearances at the Playhouse in “Sylvia”,” Plaza Suite” and “How the Other Half Loves.” NSU Technical Director Larry Wild will once again design the lights for both productions. Mary Marion of Aberdeen will be the musical director and pianist for “Secrets Every Smart Traveler Should Know.” Jimmy Reed will play the bass for “Secrets Every Smart Traveler Should Know.” The other company members will include Ryan Puffer of Aberdeen and Mary Holm of Pierre who will assist costumes and props respectively, as well as be the backstage crew.
A new addition to this season will be Sunday matinees at 2 p.m. There will be one matinee for “Secrets Every Smart Traveler Should Know” on Jul. 13, and one for “Almost, Maine,” on Jul. 20. Evening performances will start at 7:30 p.m. Dinner theatre options are available for the three Saturday performances. For menu details, contact the Fort. Returning for their second season of food service is Rainbow Catering of Britton.
Tickets are available at the Fort Sisseton Visitor’s Center. Prices are $11 for regular performance with dinner theater tickets for $27. Seats for regular performances and the dinner theatre nights can be reserved by calling the Fort at 605-448-5474 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily.
The Northern Fort Playhouse is partially supported by a grant from
the South Dakota Arts Council and the 2008 season sponsor is the
Northern Lights Inn of Britton, South Dakota northernlightsinn.net.
About Northern State University
Northern State University is a premier residential institution characterized by outstanding instruction, extraordinary community relations, and unparalleled extracurricular opportunities. In August of 2007 NSU was named by US News and World Report as one of the best undergraduate public institutions in the Midwest. For more information about NSU, visit our Web site at www.northern.edu.
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