APRIL 15,1996 — THE DECREE — PAGE 3
‘Music Man’ pulling out all stops
In a year of firsts at North
Carolina Wesleyan College, one
is the upcoming theater produc
tion at the Dunn Center for the
Performing Arts, a full-scale mu
sical the likes of which has never
been seen on the NCWC campus.
“The Music Man,” the peren
nially popular sow by Meredith
Wilson, involves more than 60
actors, the biggest •tast ever as
sembled for a Wesleyan theater
production.
Performances will be in the
Minges Auditorium on April 18-
The American Red Cross
Bloodmobile will be on campus
today from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30
a.m. in the Student Activities Cen
ter.
Those interested in giving
blood and who want an appoint
ment should call the Student Life
office at x5177. All blood types
are needed, especially O-positive
and 0-negative.
20 and April 25-27 at 8 p.m. Tick
ets are $6 for general admission,
$4 for students, and are available
at the door or by phoning the box
office at 985-5197 between 4-6
p.m.
Wesleyan has done smaller mu
sicals, including “Nunsense” and
“Little Shop of Horrors,” but noth
ing as big as “The Music Man,”
said director Vaughn Schutz.
“Because of our bigger space
in the new Dunn Center, we have
purposely chosen a large cast
musical with lots of singing and
Donors must be at least 17
years old, weigh at least 11 lbs.,
have taken no antibiotics within
48 hours prior to donating blood,
and have had no tattoos in the
past 12 months.
Most anemics are able to give
blood and diabetics are now al
lowed to give blood. Donors are
advised not to give blood on an
empty stomach.
dancing,” he said. “We wanted to
involve as many community
people as we could, so it’s really
a community show. The range of
ages of the performers is from
four to age 80. Actually, the little
ones can’t even read. There are
60 cast members in all.”
In the title role, as the quick-
on-his-feet con man Harold Hill,
is Clay Jackson, a junior major
ing in theater, who recently played
Frank Butler in the Playhouse’s
“Annie Get Your Gun.”
Harold finds resistance to his
schemes in the form of librarian
and piano teacher Marian Paroo,
played by Playhouse and
Wesleyan Theater veteran
Melinda K. Harden.
Joining Wesleyan’s theater for
the first time is Max Miller as
Marian’s younger brother
Winthorp, who sings the song,
“Gary, Indiana.” Audiences will
also enjoy seeing Kevin Corbett,
Jim Singleton, Missy Harbach,
Drew Davis, Charlotte Pettit, and
a host of other familiar faces.
“Some of the cast who haven’t
been in a show before, are amazed
at how fragmented a big musical
is, in preparation,” Schutz said.
“They learn songs and go over
different pieces, not in sequence,
and it’s only when we begin put
ting it together that they under
stand how it all fits.
“The kid playing Winthrop,
Max Miller, has no fear. When
he sings he really projects
throughout the entire theater,”
Schutz added.
Backstage, Jan Zarr is the new
Dunn Center technical director,
whose sets will include everything
from a library to a train to a high
school gym. Assisting Schutz are
Michael McAllister as musical
director and Alison DeNio as cho
reographer. DeNio, who choreo
graphed “Nunsense,” is a profes
sional actress and choreographer
from Greensboro.
The crew for “The Music
Man” is also large and includes
three stage managers, four on the
costume crew, six people moving
scenery, another three flying scen
ery, four in the booth, and, lastly.
a babysitter.
Students in the college’s
makeup class will help with the
makeup, and the college is bor
rowing almost 200 costumes for
the production from the Rocky
Mount Playhouse, the Oxford
Little Theatre, Wilson’s Shoe
string Theater, and Campbell Uni
versity.
The college is renting scenery
from the Dick Van Dyke Broad
way tour of “The Music Man,”
and the East Carolina Wind En-s
semble will be the orchestra.
A local Rocky Mount barber
shop quartet will sing the quartet
part, moving throughout the story
like a Greek chorus.
“We’re excited about ‘The
Music Man.” This is a big time
production,” Schutz said. “We do
professional theater, we believe
this is really good theater, and at
$6 for adults and $4 for students,
it’s a great deal.
“We hope the community will
enjoy this All-American favorite,”
he said. “‘The Music Man’ is
good wholesome, family fun.”
Bloodmobile here today
If you are interested in joining this
national psychology honors
society, see Dr. Quinan
immediately for more
information.