The community needs to get ready to say, “Hello, Dolly!” since the Fairfield High School’s drama club and music department is preparing for its spring musical according to directors Jim Edgeton, Zach Reiter, and Scott Slechta.

The show is scheduled for Friday and Saturday, April 16 and 17 at 7:30 and Saturday, April 24 at 7:30 and Sunday, April 25 at 2:00 at the FHS Auditorium.  General admission and reserved tickets go on sale next week at the high school office.

This classic favorite begins with . . . “And what do you do for a living, Mrs. Levi?” asks Ambrose Kemper in the first scene of this most delightful of musical comedies. “Some people paint, some sew…I meddle,” replies Dolly. “Hello, Dolly!” is full of memorable songs including “Put On Your Sunday Clothes,” “Ribbons Down My Back,” “Before the Parade Passes By,” “Elegance,” “Hello, Dolly!,” “It Only Takes a Moment,” and “So Long, Dearie.” The audience is off on a whirlwind race around New York at the turn of the twentieth century, as they follow the adventures of America’s most beloved matchmaker!

The cast and crew members include the following students.

Mrs. Dolly Gallagher Levi – Shannon Cochran

Horace Vandergelder – Griffin Hammel

Ermengarde – Elizabeth Gevock

Ambrose Kemper – Duncan Cochran

Cornelius Hackl – Ethan Newman

Barnaby Tucker – Max Sloat

Irene Malloy – Ashley Kukuzke

Minne Fay – Bethany Larson

Ernestina – Heidi Menke

Rudolf – Dimitrije Kolovic

Judge – Tyler Breeding

The ensemble will play these various parts: townspeople of Younkers and New York, Younkers band – lodge members, polka contest contestants, 14th Street Parade ensemble, and the Harmonia Garden waiters, waitresses, and cooks. The female ensemble includes Brittany Baldozier, Jaci Bell, Sarah Morgan, Olivia Kaska, Joy Oliver, and Cheyenne Van Hemert. The male ensemble includes Tyler Breeding, Alex Gookin, Michael Gookin, Eric Hung, and Dimitrije Kolovic.

Sarah Flinspach is the student assistant to the directors; Kahlise Rotondi is the Girl Friday.  Flinspach and Kaska  will work together to choreograph assigned musical numbers. Mitch Anderson, Brian Danielson, Tommy Price, and Kevin Thorn are the tech crew. Slechta is the artistic director; Mrs. Betsie Wotherspoon is his assistant; Reiter is the music director; and Edgeton is the orchestra director

The book is by Michael Stewart; the music and lyrics are by Jerry Herman.  Its orginal production was directed and choreographed by Gower Champion; it was produced for the Broadway stage by David Merrick and Champion-Five, Inc.  The musical is based on the play “The Matchmaker” by Thornton Wilder.

The directors are asking for not only the community’s support of this production, but also its assistance in spreading the news to past graduates. Slechta explained that coincidentally, the play “The Matchmaker” was performed 20 years ago, and the musical “Hello, Dolly!” was performed 30 years ago.

“The production staff is extending the invitation for past cast and crew members to attend the show free of charge as the guests of the fine arts departments involved,” said Slechta.

1980 Cast of “Hello, Dolly!”

Mrs. Dolly Gallagher Levi – Barbara J. Stanley

Mr. Horace Vandergelder – Donald R. Milholin II

Ermengarde – Tina Ankerbauer

Mr. Ambrose Kemper – Dave Riley

Mr. Cornelius Hackl – Clark A. Smith

Mr. Barnaby Tucker – Mark David Laslo

Mrs. Irene Molloy – Carol Dhott

Miss Minnie Fay – Anne Marie Herr

Ernestina – Kathy Stoltz

Rudolph – Scott Wisecarver

Judge – Richard Hadley

Mrs. Rose – Peggy Ogden

Waiter 1- Allen Shafer

Waiter 2 – Alan Peaslee

Stanley – Stephen C. Bekel

Policeman – Brian Hill

Court Clerk – Peggy Doyle

Director and Choreographer – Raymond Scott Brigham

Music Director – Russell Goodell

Conductor – Ron Prill

Stage Directors – Mark Goehring and Clark Smith

Assistant Director – Jan Schillerstrom

Stage Manager – Richard Hadley

1990 Cast of “The Matchmaker”

Mrs. Dolly Levi – Heather Warner

Mr. Horace Vandergelder – Russ Cooper

Ermengarde – Cheryl Kurtz

Mr. Ambrose Kemper – Matt Nelson

Mr. Cornelius Hackl – Shad Kunkle

Mr. Barnaby Tucker – Josh Ballard

Mrs. Irene Molloy – Beth Brouwer

Miss Minnie Fay – Sarah Holst

Rudolph – Chad Garrels

Malachi Stack – Jeremy Whittaker

Miss Flora Van Huysen – Mindy Meinen

Gertrude – Jill Ferrel

Miss Van Huysen’s cook – Laurie Miller

Augustina- – Lori McHone

Joe Scanlon – Pete Adam

Cabman – Allen Brokken

Student directors – Lori Lollar and Chris Lord

Artistic design – Katharine Chasey

Set crew – Dan Clemmons, Chris Horn, Mike Jackson, and Ryan Channel

Props – Mindy Sparks

Light masters – Randy Danielson and Chris Johnston

Light crew – Nick Bongiolatti, Burt Buttery, Todd Cummings, Jeremy Hostetler, and Brad Warner

Public Relations – Chris Roe and Andy Whitfield

Make-up crew – Kara Huff, Cathy Leyden, Tiffany Melchers, and Emily Reiff

Costume crew – Courtney Koch, Tracy Landon, and Stacie Wahl

Costume seamstress – Mrs. Julie McKay

“So please write, call, email, Facebook, Twitter, or actually talk to any of these graduates,” Slechta urged.  “Please have them contact me at the high school at 641 / 472 – 2059 or email me at scott.slechta@fairfieldsfuture.org so I can issue the invitation and the tickets.”

From the cultural district of Fairfield, Iowa, and the Midwest’s first solar powered radio station, KRUU, welcome to The P5K Radio Workshop, bringing you original radio theater in the vein of the classics. Through the powerful medium of radio and the power of your imagination, you will travel to new places, meet fantastic people, and experience outstanding thrills. Whether it’s classic radio drama or the dozens of other pulps, dime novels, serials, and films of our favorite eras, we love wearing our influences on our sleeves. And, if you’re anything like us, you’ll be able to find echoes of some of your favorite old-time stories in our own work.

Run by Corey Hickenbottom and Gregory Gallagher, The P5K Radio Workshop is glad to bring you tales of adventure, mystery, excitement, and drama. In The Perplexing Case of the Perilous Prom, an all-American boy detective must find out the identity of the mysterious “Panama” who threatened his high school’s prom in order to save the dance from disaster. Hidden Gem of Kumbundu follows a globetrotting cartographer and adventurer after his boat is shipwrecked while mapping the darkest heart of Africa. In the three-part Truth… Over the Airwaves!, an ace reporter for a small-town community radio station takes on the nefarious gangster who killed his best friend. And that’s only the beginning.

Airing periodically on KRUU’s Sunday night radio show The KRUU Theater of the Air, The P5K Radio Workshop now has a permanent home on the web at thep5kradioworkshop.wordpress.com, where you can listen to all of our current content and keep up-to-date on our upcoming productions. Speaking of which, we are currently looking for actors of any age in putting together our current production, Murder at Sea, a thrilling adventure tale in the vein of 1960s spy films. We are most in need of a suave and charming, yet cowardly leading-man and a strong-willed, yet soft leading-woman, each in their late-20s to early 40s. You can get in contact with us through our website, or by e-mailing us at kruutheateroftheair@gmail.com.

If you’re not sure where to start, Off the Map: Hidden Gem of Kumbundu or Danny McLipstick in the Perplexing Case of the Perilous Prom are both very accessible, light, and fun – and some of our best produced to date.