Lyceum Theatre

Well, friends, I have learned this year that blogging just ain’t my thing. I had high intentions this season of keeping you up to date on the latest news at the Lyceum and I failed miserably! We had such a wonderful season with record breaking attendance and record breaking talent and that’s what I paid attention to, fully ignoring the blog.

But the winter winds are beginning to blow, Arrow Rock has grown quiet, and now there is a moment on a sunny Sunday morning to catch you up on what’s happening around here.

Steve and I are in the midst of piecing together the budget for next year, reviewing potential touring shows we may bring to the Lyceum in 2009, and I’m already hiring directors and designers for the upcoming season. So it is quiet here, but busy as ever.

One of the wonderful things about my job here is that I have the opportunity to work with many talented friends and make many new talented friends on a yearly basis. We hear updates all the time and I thought I might share a few “where are they now” updates with you. I do this with the risk of leaving someone out–if you read this and you’re up to something exciting, please let us know!

Jeffrey C. Wolf who played Mortimer in our production of Arsenic and Old Lace just directed Funny as a Crutch, an evening of irreverent short comedies about disability by Rich Orloff. Our very own stage manager, Emilee Buchheit was the stage manager for this production in New York.

Mike Berg, who appeared as Etcetera in Cats for us, is one of those high-kicking Rockettes at Radio City Music Hall this holiday season.

Our good friend Ericka Kreutz, who played Catherine in Proof this season, seems to be in every commercial I see on TV these days! Keep an eye out, you’ll see her. Ericka wrote a terrific blog post about her experience in Arrow Rock. Check it out–Ode to a Little Itty Bitty Town.
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Our wonderful Maria in West Side Story, Yolibet Varela, just returned to NYC after playing Maria in the European Tour of the show. I wonder how Greece compares to Arrow Rock!

Tyler Adcock, who played Snowboy in West Side Story, is in the Off-Broadway musical, Dear Edwina.

In St. Louis I saw John Kinney in Jaques Brel is Alive and Well at Webster University directed by frequent Lyceum director David Caldwell. You’ll remember John as Billy Kopecki from Big the Musical.

Our dear resident lighting designer, Randy Winder, is busy designing lights for the New Theatre Restaurant in Kansas City.

Lyceum fave, Brendan Byrnes, who was see this year as Munkustrap in Cats, Shrank in West Side Story, and Bill in On Golden Pond, just directed a very successful production of Charley’s Aunt at his alma mater, Providence College.

Our Beth in Little Women, Vanessa Claire Smith, just won an L.A. Ovation Award for her fabulous new musical, Louis and Keely Live at the Sahara. Vanessa penned and currently stars in this hugely successful show about the life and love of Keely Smith and Louis Prima.

John Rensenhouse, who played Robert in Proof and Jonathan Brewster in Arsenic and Old Lace, is beginning rehearsals for St. Joan at the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis.

Frequent company member, Elena Gronlund, who played Susan in Big and Miss Casewell in The Mousetrap, is appearing in Les Miserables alongside another Lyceum favorite, Timothy Shew at Northern Stage.

And those are just the few I can think of! All of us at the Lyceum wish our national family the best of broken legs and a wonderful holiday season! We wish the same to all of you and look forward to seeing you when Arrow Rock begins to thaw!