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LAKEWOOD NEWS!>
Lakewood Newsletter 7th Edition 2008
October 8, 2008
AND THE WINNER IS...
The 108th Season of Lakewood Theater came to a festive
close with the Annual CUE Award Banquet held at the
Lakewood Inn Restaurant Sunday October 5th. Ballots were
sent to staff, volunters, and season ticket holders and to
actors who had seen "a majority" of the shows.
The nine plays were divided into the following catagories:
COMEDY: "At First Sight" (FS) and "20th Century" (20)
FARCE: "Cash on Delivery" (CD) and "Leading Ladies" (LL)
DRAMEDY: "Marvin's Room" (MR) and "A Nice Family Gathering"
(FG)
MUSICAL: "Gilligan's Island" (GI), "Guys and Dolls" (GD)
and "Bubba's Revenge" (BR)
LAKEWOOD'S OWN
The evening began on a musical note as the gentlemen from
"Guys and Dolls" serenaded "Lakewood's own Dan Bacon." Dan
first appeared at Lakewood last season in "Crazy for You"
and he was an instant hit with his castmates and with the
audience. Dan is handsome, nice, respectful, intelligent,
energetic, hard-working, and he can sing. In a parody by
Cory King and Luke Ellis, the disgruntled gamblers from the
New York streets extolled Dan's virtues. They tried to find
a flaw but their luck ran out. The best bet is simply to
claim him as "Lakewood's own."
AND the WINNER IS...
General Manager of Lakewood Theater, director, and thespian
Jeffrey Quinn presided over the early evening gala. Shiny,
red
statuettes were presented to the following:
In COMEDY: LEADS: Jeffrey Quinn (Oscar Jaffe-20) and
Michelle Sweet (Lily Garland-20). SUPPORTING: Cory King
(Owen O'Malley-20) and Nancy McGuire (Ida Webb-20).
FEATURED: Bobby Keniston (Matthew Clark-20) and Hannah
Weston (Anita-20).
FARCE: LEADS: Nic Jewell (Leo Clark-LL) and Ellen White
(Meg-LL). SUPPORTING: Jayson Smith (Uncle George-CD) and
Danielle Beaman (Audrey-LL). FEATURED: Jayson Smith (Doc
Myers-LL) and MJ Clifford (Ms. Cowper-CD).
DRAMEDY: LEADS: Gabe Pinnette (Carl-FG) and Jen Flannery
(Lee-MR). SUPPORTING: (Tie) Sam Magesh (Charlie-MR) and
Stan Pinnette (Michael-FG) and MJ Clifford (Aunt Ruth-MR).
FEATURED: Stan Pinnette (Dr. Wally-MR) and Michelle Sweet
(Retirement Home Director-MR).
MUSICAL: LEAD: Bobby Keniston (Little Jimmy Timmy-BR) and
Lisa Neal (Miss Adelaide-GC) SUPPORTING: Nic Jewell
(Nicely-Nicely-GD) and Desi Dow (Ginger-GI). FEATURED: Cory
King (Big Jule-GD) and Jantha Gray (General Cartwright-GD).
BEST CAMEO ACTOR: Joe LaCombe (Cuban Dancer/Gambler-GD)
BEST NEW ACTOR: Isaac Davis (Curtis in FS and Butch in LL)
BEST NEW ACTRESS: Nicole Beaulieu (Sally Chessington in CD)
BEST DIRECTION: Jeffrey Quinn for "Guys and Dolls"
BEST SET: "Leading Ladies": Eight of the nine audiences
applauded when the curtain revealed the elegant mansion
with the grand staircase. Technical Director Matthew Quinn
thanked his crew--Danielle Maupin, Nick Willette and
Jeffrey Quinn (yes, Jeffrey designed the set, dressed the
set, and he painted the walls.) Matthew dedicated the set
to his mentor Jon Saleeby.
BEST COSTUMES: "Guys and Dolls": Susan Quinn thanked her
assistants, Cathie Starbird and Jan Reynolds. Susan noted
that the tear away dresses worn in the opening number of
the second act were still being fitted during intermission.
Not to worry...
BEST SHOW: "Leading Ladies": Director Jeffrey Quinn
maintains that the success of a show is usually in the
casting and Jeffrey cast oh so well when he fitted Nic
Jewell and Bobby
Keniston for ladies wear. Jeffrey hedged his bet with
Lakewood favorites Jayson Smith, Raelene Keniston, and Gary
Dorman and for good measure he added Danielle Beaman and
Issac Davis.
HAVE A HEART...
Have a Leonhardt. RAYMOND LEONHARDT Jr is the recepient of
the CUE AWARD for 2008. This award recognizes individuals
who give generously and freely of their time and energy to
support the theater. We all know that the theater relies on
actors, set builders, costumers, directors, musicians. And
if we think about it we realize there are ticket sellers
and takers and ushers and the wait staff who do the cabaret
boxes and the intermission desserts. That's about it, I
guess...Raymond and his parents relocated to central Maine
from Rhode Island probably eight years ago. I remember the
day they drove over to the threater to purchase three
season tickets. They decided the Sunday Matinee at 4:00PM
suited them best and they selected seats C 101,102 and 103.
They have been faithful and loyal patrons of the theater.
Last fall Mr. Leonhardt asked Jeffrey if there might be
some way Ray could help out at the theater this season. Ray
began by showing up one day a week. Soon it was two days,
and toward the end of the season we were asking if he could
fit in a third day. And why is Ray so valuable? He is the
invisible, forgotten person who cleans the bathrooms,
washes the windows, picks up candy wrappers, cleans the
refrigerator and The Shanty, empties the waste cans, and
vaccuums the rugs. Anything that needed doing, Ray did
gladly, happily, and very well. We are very glad that
Raymond is a part of our Lakewood family. And a worthy
recepient of the 2008 CUE AWARD!
TALL, DARK and HANDSOME...
Among the presenters this year was Lakewood veteran TOM
KELLEHER. Tom appeared at Lakewood in leading roles in
"Li'l Abner," "Damn Yankees," and "A Funny Thing Happened
on the Way to the Forum." Tom has the lead in the upcoming
production of "The Full Monty" opening in November at the
Waterville Opera House. Other Lakewoodites in the cast
include Bob Lovelace, Nic Jewell, Sam Maresh, Jen Flannery,
Michelle Sweet, and Randy Begin.
CRIME DOES NOT PAY
This past September The Lakewood Jesters performed for
2,000 students from Skowhegan, Madison, Jay, Newport,
Clinton, Fairfield, North Anson, Embden, Dexter, and
Albion. The audience friendly players included Nancy
McGuire, Bobby Keniston, Danielle Maupin, Kristin Seavey,
Cheryl Seamans, Raelene Keniston, MJ Clifford, and director
Jeffrey Quinn. This year's production was "The Ransom of
Emily Jane," based on the short story "The Ransom of Red
Chief" by O. Henry. Kidnappers McGuire and Keniston had to
pay Emily's father to take the rambunctious youngster off
their hands. This musical version included songs by our own
Barbie Demo. In addition to introducing young people to the
joy and spontaneity of live theater, innovative teachers
used the experience for a discussion of the short story
genre, the mores of the 1890's, the harmful effects of
gossip, vocabulary amd letter writing, and even the reasons
that Emily Jane "acted out." The Jesters are sponsored by
Franklin Savings Bank, The Borman Family Foundation,
Franklin-Somerset Federal Credit Union, and GHM Insurance
Company.
IN OTHER WORDS...
The second play written by BOB LOVELACE (Cornell Crawford
in "Bubba's Revenge") premiered recently at the Skowhegan
Opera House. In "Stand Up, Sit Down," a Maine comedy, Bob
portrays Lee Grant an unemployed Mainer who tries his luck
at stand up comedy--now that's funny. The cast includes
Desi Dow and Lakewood alums Mary Stuart and Richard
Roberts. Bob's first play "What Is This LIfe" premiered
last October at the Opera House and will be presented at
the Studio Theater at the Waterville Opera House in May
2009.
WELCOME BACK...
Stephanie Irwin will be among the directors at Lakewood
next season. Residency requirements of her husband Dr.
Allen Irwin had necessitated a move to the western states
for the last few years. The Allens are now at home on the
Maine coast and we are delighted to have the talented
Stephanie back where she belongs. Stephanie appeared in
"The Last Night of Ballyhoo" "Lafferty's Wake" and "Honky
Tonk Angels" and directed "I Remember Mama" amd "The
Curious Savage."
WISH LIST...
The snow that caused the collapse of the back deck last
spring also damaged our electrical room. We lost all of our
lighting props. We are in need of table lamps, floor lamps,
sconces, ceiling fixtures, and chandeliers. And the best
part, they don't have to work! And they can be ugly! As
you are doing your fall/spring cleaning or wading through
Aunt Nellie's attic or foraging in Grandma's Victorian,
please think of us. Anything you have may be left on the
back deck this fall until the snow flies or in the spring
when the snow melts. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
IT'S NOT TOO EARLY...
It is almost Halloween--time to think about those finicky
people on your Christmas list. We still have a few Lakewood
Hoodies available in yam or spruce and we have Longaberger
baskets signed by Tami Longaberger, President and CEO of
the famous basket company. Cards will be going out in
November announcing our season tickets and flex packages
for the 109th Season--the perfect gift! For all things
Lakewood: call 207-474-7176.
THE WORK CONTINUES...
Although the curtain has been brought down on our 2008
season, work on campus continues. Jeff is busy reglazing
the 240 panes of glass on the windows at The Shanty. This
only includes windows facing the east and the hexagon
shanty itself. west windows will have to be next year's
project. There are still theater seats to re-cover! The
flat roof backstage has been leaking all summer and now was
the time to investigate. After removing 6 layers of
roofing that included rolled roofing, asphalt shingles,
fiberglass, homosote (that was soaking wet and weighed a
ton) we are finally down to the boards. I think we heard
the theater heave a sigh of relief just to get that weight
off from its frame. But that's not all, of course rotten
stringers were found and now how to fix them. Another
unplanned financial mess we've gotten ourselves into. Any
extras dollars to cover costs as always will be
appreciated.
And IN OUR FUTURE...
The curtain came down on the 108th Season of Lakewood
Theater Saturday September 20th. Yet before the applause
had died away and before the lights had dimmed,
preparations were already underway for "another opening,
another show"--another season. And not just any season. In
2009, CUE (Curtain Up Enterprises) will celebrate 25 years
at Lakewood Theater! The reading of scripts has begun. It
is a lengthy process. From scores of possible scripts we
will select nine. Among the musicals that are high on
Jeffrey's list are "Gypsy" and "The Producers." We did
"Gypsy" in 1987; "The Producers" is just becoming available
for non-equity theaters. Among the interesting reads are:
"What the Bellhop Saw," "A Bad Year for Tomatoes,"
"Treasure Island," "Snake in the Grass," "Neville's
Island," "The House of Usher," and "Accent on Youth." Two
excellent reads (that would benefit from the studio theater
we wish we had) are the Tony Award winning "Doubt" and "The
History Boys."
The curtain will go up May 21st, 2009. That's only seven
months and a snow flake or two away.
May the coming holiday season find you safe and warm and
among family, friends, and critters!
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