'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.