'The Cemetery Club' Staples, MN story 5

 

Lamplighter Community Theatre’s production of ‘The Cemetery Club’ entertained many during its five-show, well-attended run at the Landmark Inn, Staples, Minnesota.  Cast members Dawn Timbs, Jean Hayenga, Pam Collins, Lee Paskewitz, and Cassandra Magers made the play turn with emotion. The first half of this two-act play elicited laughter, while the second portion left you sobbing.

            Three best friends, all Jewish widows, share a monthly tea before going out to their husbands’ grave for a visit. The three women, Ida (Timbs), Lucille, (Hayenga) and Doris (Collins), all have different personalities making quite an interesting circle of friends. Ida begins to think she wants to start her life again, while Lucille and Doris think otherwise. When Ida begins to fall for another man, Sam (Paskewitz), Lucille and Doris attempt to stop her leaving her broken hearted. This comedy has an important mixture of laughter, pain, and meaning of friendship and love.

            The Cemetery Club not only has good actors, but a great overall crew. Much experienced director Amy Hunter took the plunge with this comedy. She has been involved in drama since her high school years and eventually ended up working for the Lamplighter Community Theatre the last few years. Hunter also worked as director at the Eagle Bend High School in Minnesota and community plays for fifteen years. After helping out with High School plays, Hunter moved to working with Pure Education Plays in Wadena, Minnesota. These plays were specifically for the teen audience to teach different ways to handle and cope with issues teens may go through. The crew would travel to different high schools around the metro to perform in front of teens. For twelve years Hunter was busy with Pure Education Plays.

“You really start to see people develop their characters,” Hunter explained, “They blossom.”  After lots of time and practice people click with their character they are suppose to be. Being in a play takes commitment and hard work. The play practices ran four times a week, more or less. Many people find that being able to commit to so much time in practice and rehearsal is hard. Hunter finds that many people come and go throughout each play and gives more of a variety.

Dawn Timbs, the actress who portrayed ‘Ida’, has also had much experience in performing arts and theater. She majored in Theater and Drama, and has had much experience throughout her high school years, along with a couple other plays participated in through The Lamplighter Community Theatre.

“Its fun collaborating with other actors and seeing the play come to life.” Timbs said, “Its fun to be part of a team.” Timbs works hard for all her success in theater, but also her job as a journalist for the Staples World Newspaper. She went on to explain that it was different for her to be interviewed since she always does the interviewing.

“Lines become part of you,” she continued, “It’s a way to bring truth to life in a different way. When being in a play it’s as though you were listening to your favorite song, you no longer think of the lyrics, you just sing them; in this case you just act them and see the play come to life.”

With success of “The Cemetery Club”, there is another play coming your way. “The Pirates of Penzance” is a light opera comedy. Sword fighting, pirates, cops, and of course the music is what you’ll find with this entertaining play by Gilbert and Sullivan. Auditions will be held in the choir room at Staples Motley High School March 14, 15, 17, and 19. For more information visit www.lctstaplesmn.org, or call Pam Quance Harris at 218-316-7224 for appointments.

Hayley Guevara Interview Article

 

It was love at first laugh for Hayley Guevara, 25 of Coon Rapids, Minnesota. Guevara adores her husband who she met her freshman year attending Bethel College in Mishawaka, Ind. Uniquely, this couple found love being from two completely different worlds. Guevara’s husband, Javier, age 27, is originally from Venezuela, and has family and friends there. He speaks fluently in both English and Spanish.

“From the moment we started talking, we just clicked.” Guavara said. A dodge ball game is the reason for this couple ever coming together. Javier cracked a joke, and Hayley laughed, from then on they were inseparable Guevara explained.

Being that Guevara’s husband is from Venezuela, it has brought many great opportunities for the both of them together. Guevara was fortunate enough to travel to Venezuela to experience the food and geography, along with meeting Javier’s friends and family. They have been happily married for 6 years. They have two children, 5-year-old Ronan, who loves T-ball, and being athletic, and their 9-month-year old little girl, Keira.

Hayley and Javier cherish the moments they are alone, because it comes so rare, but when they are alone they spend time with each other by going out to eat, their favorites being Fogo de Chao (a Brazilian steakhouse), and the Melting Pot. They also like to stay active by preparing for the upcoming 5k race in June. They both love to travel and were finally able to take their honeymoon last December.

The Guevaras are funky and spontaneous. “My husband surprises me everyday by saying something silly to our kids,” she expressed, “ One of my favorites being, ‘It isn’t the last Pepsi in the desert.”

To Guevara, marriage is very important and and is like a lifelong friendship. Her husband is her best friend. He has been by her side through everything, from the first joke, which cracked the first smile, to the sadness of losing a baby in 2008.

“My advice to other people is, find someone who makes you laugh. Laughter will last, and will pull you though everything,” she encouraged.

Javier’s saying may not strike every ones sense of humor, but to Guevara it does,

“To me, he is the last Pepsi in the desert,” she stated, “He is my rock.”

Love at first laugh? This is the story for the Guevaras in which case, the key of laughter unlocks the treasure of happiness, and for these two the treasure has been beautiful.

Interview Questions

 

Q: Where did you attend your high school years?
A: I moved around a lot in high school. I attended First Baptist School in Rosemount, Minn., Northfield High School in Northfield, Minn., and finally Mountain Park Academy in Patterson, Missouri.

Q: How did you and your husband meet? What was his joke that made you laugh? How does he still make you laugh today?
Dodge ball was the craze when I started my freshman year at Bethel College in Mishawaka, Ind. I met my husband at an intramural dodge ball game. I don't remember the specific joke, but from the moment he started talking, we just clicked. We are both really funky and spontaneous, and he surprises me every day by saying something silly to our kids. One of my favorite phrases that he says: "It isn't the last Pepsi in the desert." Meaning: nothing that special about it.

Q: He's unique because he's from Venezuela, is there anything else unique about you two that comes from that? Have you ever gone their because that is where he is from?
A: Our relationship is unique because we come from two different worlds. He spoke Spanish in his and I speak English in mine. Although he is fluent in English, sometimes there can be a barrier due to the difference in language/culture that we are used to. I visited Venezuela in 2007. It was really neat to see where he is from, meet his family and friends, and experience the culture thru the food and geography.

Q:How long have you been together? You have kids, what are they like, how old, and what are their names?
A: We've been married for almost six years. Our son Ronan is 5-years-old. He is a busy, social little boy who enjoys t-ball and anything athletic. Our daughter Keira is 9-months-old, and adores her big brother. She crawls after him and copies his every move-even playing with GI Joes.


Q: What are things you and your husband like to do together? Is there anything unique you two do together?
A: We relish any alone time without the kids, because it is rare! We enjoy eating out at places like Fogo de Chao (a Brazilian steakhouse) the Melting Pot, and we are running a 5K together in June. We love to travel. After nearly six years of marriage, we took our honeymoon in December and went on a Mediterranean Cruise to Italy, Tunisia, Spain, France, and Monaco. It was surreal!

Q: How old are you two, what is his name? Last name?
A: I am 25 years-old and he is 27. His name is Javier Guevara.

Q: Is there anything else that you would like to share with me about you or your husband, and or family?
A: My husband is my best friend. To me, he is the last Pepsi in the desert. I know that sounds corny, but we've been thru so much together. We lost a baby in 2008 and he never left my side, and he was my rock. To me, marriage is about the lifelong friendship. My advice to other people is find someone who makes you laugh. Laughter will last, and will pull you thru everything.