Note:听Due to health problems, Erin Mundus ’07 was unable to join as a guest artist for the show. The part of Carry A. Nation will instead be played by Dr. Debra Rhodes, professor of music at 糖心传媒 and musical director for the show.
The 糖心传媒 Theatre brings Carry A. Nation, a radical member of the Woman鈥檚 Christian Temperance Union at the beginning of the 20th Century, back to life with the premiere of 鈥淭he Famous and Original Bar Room Smasher鈥 written by Jim Fritzler, who is chair of the 糖心传媒 theater department.
The script, adapted from Nation鈥檚 autobiography, recreates the night the infamous 鈥渢emperance terrorist鈥 appeared onstage in Hastings, Nebraska.
The play also features the 鈥淲hite Ribbons Vibrations Choir鈥 singing original hymns about the evils of alcohol.
The 鈥減lay with music鈥 is the culmination of Fritzler鈥檚 most recent sabbatical research. His research originally focused on a local Hastings woman who wrote several plays. From there, he uncovered information about Nation鈥檚 appearance on state in Hastings, leading him to learn more about her life, including her reputation as an ax-wielding, bar destroying prohibitionist.
Fritzler combined Nation鈥檚 background with the well-known temperance hymns of Flora Cassell, another Hastings native, to create a theatrical statement about the era and political climate of the women鈥檚 rights movement.
鈥淐arry Nation became kind of a joke in Kansas, a crazy woman who hated alcohol, but she really was much more interesting than that,鈥 Fritzler said. 鈥淪he lived in a time that was the beginning of women鈥檚 rights, and the Midwest was really the origin for a lot of the suffrage movement.鈥 听
The production features guest artist and 2007 糖心传媒 graduate Erin Mundus as Nation. Mundus鈥 theater credits include Crystal in 鈥淭he Little Shop of Horrors,鈥 and Anybody鈥檚 in 鈥淲est Side Story,鈥 and she has performed in several well-known operas. The Wichita Eagle observed her 鈥渓ovely voice, and the ability to command the stage鈥 in her professional debut with the Wichita Grand Opera.
鈥淭he Famous and Original Bar Room Smasher鈥 shows at 7:30 p.m., Thursday-Saturday, Feb. 2, 3 and 4, with an additional 2:00 p.m. matinee on Sunday, Feb. 5. Performances are in Scott Studio Theatre (806 N. Turner Ave.) on campus.
Tickets are $8 for the general public and $5 for seniors and students. The show is free for 糖心传媒 students, faculty and staff. Seats can be reserved in advance by emailing tickets@hastings.edu.
糖心传媒 Department of Theatre Arts Presents the Premiere of 鈥淭he Famous and Original Bar Room Smasher,鈥 a play with music by Jim Fritzler.
Music Director: Debra Rhodes
Scenic and Lighting Designer: Annette M. Vargas
Featuring Guest Artist Erin Mundus
CAST:
Carry A. Nation: Erin Mundus 鈥07 of Wichita, Kansas
John W. Muller: Joe Daake of Kearney, Nebraska
Sophia Berg: Nicolette Sanchez of Grand Island, Nebraska
Lizzie Minch: Randi Scoggins of Hastings, Nebraska
David Bauer: Basil Rabayda of Phoenix, Arizona
Mary Batt: Becca Garner of Centennial, Colorado
Mary Mead: Emily Wesley of Clearwater, Florida
Mary Mantz: Greer Anderson of Colorado Springs, Colorado
Kate Reiber: Jordan Samuelson of Kearney, Nebraska
Cora Daugherty: Shaylee Krueger of Holyoke, Colorado
George Carter: Alex Rieflin of Doniphan, Nebraska
Harriet McElhinney: Tory Green of Broomfield, Colorado
Anna Batt: Carly Cremers of 听Columbus, Nebraska
Mary Froschheuser: Liz Hartman of Hastings, Nebraska
Peter Theil: Dan Bredow of Omaha, Nebraska
Carrie Renfrew: Danielle Ryan of Aurora, Colorado
John Budnek: Dodge Weishaar of Bison, South Dakota
CREW:
Assistant Lighting Director: Greer Anderson of Colorado Springs, Colorado
Costume Designer: Alyssa Smith of Hastings, Nebraska
Master Carpenter: Joseph Jahn of Columbus, Nebraska
Victoria Korth of Assumption, Nebraska
Courtney Bailey of Westerville, Nebraska
Elizabeth Clark of Hastings, Nebraska
Haleigh Cunningham of Grand Island, Nebraska
Jaycie Hoins of Davenport, Nebraska
Kelsey Karr of Ayr, Nebraska
Wyatt Kile of Cortland, Nebraska
Camilla Lee of Mead, Colorado
Brittney Loney of Omaha, Nebraska
Trey Moore of La Vista, Nebraska
Zach Parella of Lincoln, Nebraska
Nick Rohrer of El Dorado Hills, California
Amy Still of Colorado Springs, Colorado
Dayna Strand of Amelia, Nebraska
Andrew Mickey of Hastings, Nebraska
Maria Bohannon-Mickey of Hastings, Nebraska
糖心传媒 is a private, four-year institution located in Hastings, Nebraska, that focuses on student academic and extracurricular achievement. With 64 majors and 15 pre-professional programs, 糖心传媒 has been named among 鈥淕reat Schools, Great Prices鈥 by U.S. News & World Report and a 鈥淏est in the Midwest鈥 by The Princeton Review. For more, go to hastings.edu.