Final bows
'Noises Off' to be the last show to be performed in Chalberg Theatre before remodeling
It seems only fitting that the final production staged in the John Chalberg Theatre at Central Lakes College in Brainerd before its renovation is a play about putting on a play.
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"Noises Off" will open Tuesday and run for 10 performances through July 16. On July 18, construction crews will begin a renovation of the auditorium space of the 38 year-old theater.
The cast of "Noises Off," a Central Lakes College production that opens Tuesday, is Kenny Simon (front left), Rebecca Souhrada, Katie Maine, Marc Oliphant, Dustin Beehler, Patrick Stenglein (second row, left), Abbey Olmsted, Emily Jensen and Craig Hostetler (back).
Brainerd Dispatch/Steve Kohls
"This play seems to me to capture what it means to do theater," said CLC director Patrick Spradlin. "With its look behind the scenes of a play in rehearsal, and then at the disaster the production becomes later in the run, this is a play that is a sure-fire hit with people who love theater. And what better way to say good-bye to the current Chalberg space than with a play that is so much about theater?"
Patrick Stenglein (left), Rebecca Souhrada and Abbey Olmsted rehearsed a scene in "Noises Off," a Central Lakes College production that will open at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday in the Chalberg Theatre.
Brainerd Dispatch/Steve Kohls
CLC was given the go-ahead to start the renovation of the Chalberg Theatre earlier this spring. As part of a $500,000 state bonding appropriation, the theater will have new seating installed. Improvements will be made to the auditorium to make it more accessible to wheelchair patrons. New house lighting and sound equipment will also be installed.
"This is long overdue," said Spradlin. "Our patrons have been very gracious in putting up with the seating, nearly 40-years-old now, and growing more uncomfortable by the year. We know this will be a much-appreciated improvement on the space."
And as for the play that will officially end the former era of the John Chalberg Theatre, "Noises Off" was produced in the 1987 summer theater season in the Chalberg.
Emily Jensen and Craig Hostetler rehearsed a scene in "Noises Off," a Central Lakes College production that will open at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday in the Chalberg Theatre.
Brainerd Dispatch/Steve Kohls
Written in 1982, "Noises Off" plays on the concept of a play-within-a-play, in this case a dreadful sex comedy titled Nothing On-the type of play in which young girls run about in their underwear, old men drop their trousers and many doors continually open and shut. Each of the three acts of "Noises Off" contains a performance of the first act of Nothing On.
Act One is set at the dress rehearsal, the night before opening, with the cast still fumbling with entrances and exits, missed cues, misspoken lines and bothersome props, most notably several plates of sardines. We learn much about each of the actors, the director and the backstage crew: What they are like as individuals, what their relationships are with one another, and of course all of the typical backstage gossip and rumors that are a part of any play.
Act Two portrays a Wednesday matinee performance one month later. In this act, the play is seen from backstage, revealing the deteriorating personal relationships among the cast that have led to offstage shenanigans and on-stage bedlam. Jealousies have erupted, battle lines have been drawn and the cast tries to work out their frustrations with one another while still performing the play.
In Act Three, we see a performance near the end of the 10-week run, when personal friction has continued to increase and everyone is bored and anxious to be done with the play. The actors attempt to cover up a series of mishaps but only compound the problems and draw attention to the bungling performance. All of the sabotage that was plotted in Act Two comes to full fruition in Act Three, but from the audience's point of view.
The cast of this zany comedy includes actors seen in many previous CLC productions, as well as some newcomers. Rebecca Souhrada plays Dotty Otley, the grande dame of the fictitious acting troupe performing "Nothing On." She was most recently seen as Nurse Ratched in the spring production of "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest." Craig Hostetler plays Garry Lejeune, the tongue-tied leading man. Hostetler was seen in last summer's "The Star Spangled Girl." Abbey Olmsted is Belinda, the cast gossip and mother hen. Her last CLC appearance was in the summer farce "Perfect Wedding." Patrick Stenglein is Frederick, an actor prone to panic attacks and nosebleeds. Stenglein is a theater student at Concordia College, and also appeared in last summer's Neil Simon comedy. Marc Oliphant plays Lloyd, the beleaguered director of the play. Marc was last seen in "Cuckoo's Nest" and has also appeared in "Chicago." Emily Jensen plays Brooke, a myopic act-by-the-numbers type. She was seen in "Donuts Dogs and Snow" this past spring. Katie Maine is the harried company stage manager Poppy, and was in the children's theater production of "Ella: Girl from the Cinders." Kenny Simon portrays Selsdon, the elder statesman of the troupe with an unquenchable thirst for booze. He was last seen in "Cuckoo's Nest." Dustin Beehler plays Tim, the company's backstage technician and general gopher. He played the stuttering Billy in "Cuckoo's Nest."
The stage manager for "Noises Off" is Stepanie Johnson, assisted by Josh Mattson.
Performances are Tuesday through July 10, and again July 13-17. All performances are at 7:30 p.m. Tickets can be purchased from the CLC Theatre Box Office at 855-8199, via e-mail at www.clcmn.edu/theatre, or on the theater's new online ticketing site at www.clctickets.com. If purchased online, patrons can print their tickets at home and bring them on the night of performance.
"This is a good chance to soak in the ambiance of the Chalberg Theatre as it's been for the past three-plus decades," said Spradlin. "This homage to theater will be good way to say good-bye to the current space, and welcome the opening of the renovated theater in the fall."