Kingsley Hall dba/
Elma Theater
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The
Elma Children’s Theater Assn.
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Elma,
Washington 98541
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PRESS RELEASE
Touch of Classical Art
Saturday August 23, 2003 8 PM
Kingsley Hall Opens the Show on Piano -Rex (tenor) & Connie (flute) on Youtube
MEET THE PERFORMERS
Produced by Dr Verne Eke & Kingsley Hall this show will feature the efforts of a great variety of classical artistic disciplines from the presentation of; new & old historic poetry, new & old musical compositions, new & old songs to; new & old modern & classic artistic set designs including well recognized former & present musical faculty &/or performers such as;
Sharry O'Hare, has been in over 80 major mostly musical theater productions including title roles in Hello Dolly, Peter Pan, Funny Girl, & Mama Rose in Gypsy. including earlier this year Sister M. Regina in Nunsense at Lakewood Players
Micheal O'Hara, (Note difference in last name) has played roles as; C Hackl in Hello Dolly @ Tacoma Little Theatre D. Quixote in Man of La Mancha A. Craven in Secret Garden both @ Renton Civic Theater and K Herod in Jesus Christ Superstar @ Bellevue Civic Theater where currently rehearsing for Smokey Joe's Cafe.
Eric Lee, accompanist. He has been a musical /vocal director for many of the major theatre organizations in Pierce and Thurston counties, having worked with the Centurion and Chinook Theatres at Fort Lewis, the Lakewood Players, Tacoma Little Theatre The Tacoma Actors Guild and Abbey Players in Olympia. His work in youth theater includes 10 years as musical director/ accompanist for Creative Theatre Experience in Olympia and 6 years at Tumwater and River Ridge High Schools in Thurston County where he played for their musicals. He is currently the accompanist for Masterworks Choral Ensemble in Olympia
Dr Verne Munro Eke, Pianist/Organist/Conductor/Co-producer this show was a Co-Founder of Olympia, Washington's Harlequin productions. Verne Eke was one of the founders of CAAPA (the organization which started the Washington State Center for Performing Arts Bldg project, Director of the Contemporary Arts Festival all in Olympia, Washington. He has also served as General Director of Idaho Opera. .In these capacities, among others, he has conducted more shows than we can mention and performed in even more. Verne presently serves as; State Organ Chair for the Washington State Music Teachers Assn., a member of The Board of Directors of Arts Ballard, and as a judge for the piano auditions sponsored by the National Federation of Music Clubs. He is very active in the Alumni Associations of both the University of Southern California (where he was faculty for many years) and the University of Washington. Activist to help theaters and churches needing aid in keeping their organs & pianos going and available he donated the grand piano for the Washington State Center for Performing Arts in Olympia, sponsored & organized fund raisers to restore the pipe organ (Hastings one of oldest pipe organs in W.State) in the Plymouth Congregational Church in Seattle. And of course he is here doing this show to help restore our antique keyboards
Reiff Mel Olsen, baritone soloist, is very active in the music program of Fremont Baptist Church and has performed in a variety of too many venues to mention in Seattle, Olympia, Buckley and Puyallup Last summer took part in The Seattle Mahler Festival and in the world wide production of Mozart's Requiem on September 11. His vast repertoire includes Frank Sinatra favorites, operatic areas, show tunes and numerous abstract art songs on many subjects.
Connie Bevington , flutist and flute teacher in Grays Harbor and Pacific Counties, has taught flute at Grays Harbor College, and given masters classes in Centralia . She has performed at annual masters workshops for several years at Ashland, Ore. At the Elma Theater she has either sat in or as a regular member performed with; the Dance Theatre Northwest Ballet Musical Ensemble, which she had played with for about nine years, the Washington State American Legion Band which she has played with for about ten years (they will return to our stage Sept 4, 2003), the Bellevue Concert Band, the Renton Concert Band, the Backwoods Windjammers, along with the pit orchestra for an imported production of Your A Good Man Charlie Brown. She has been musical director at the Elma Theater for among other things ten annual productions of both Scrooge and Alice in Wonderland. Performances elsewhere include the flute soloist in Bach's Bradenburg's IV & V Concertos with the Grays Harbor Chamber Orchestra,, too many other performances to mention either by herself or with both the highly respected High F'lutin' Quartet, and/or Olympia Flute Choir, City of Raymond Civic Choir etc. She also designs and paints all the new sets including those for this show at the Elma Theater
Rex Valentine musical vocal director recently of the award winning Elma LDS Church Choir, The Washington State Grange Choir, The Washington State Methodist Youth Conference Choir. and the Elma All Church Choir. Roles in Musical theater include; lead in Title of Liberty, three roles in Balled of Baby Doe, among others. Was a member of the Barbershop Quartet THE FOGHORN FOUR which won the Nat'l Grange Quartet Championship & The Evergreen District SPEBSQSA 3rd place honors. He is a highly respected composer/ song writer (with numerous CDs in circulation) and author recently of a book (also on CD) featured in this production
Kingsley Hall, owner of the Elma Theater and artistic director of the Elma Children's Theater Assn is a veteran of over 2,500 performances of mostly musical theater performed mostly as directed by Dennis Hart at the Auburn Dinner Theater. Only had lead role in productions of Fiddler on The Roof, Man of La Mancha & Scrooge. Did one month each as Kringelin in Gypsy, Andrew Carnes in Oklahoma, Ogre in Puss In Boots (play), Gryphon in Alice In Wonderland (musical) three different roles in three different productions in Carousel etc., Four performances in King & Pierce Counties and one on his own stage of Pooh Ba in The Mikado. For seventeen years he sang Barbershop in Kirkland, WA with the Lake Washington Skippers (in 1966 they took a ninth place in national competition in Chicago) Later sang with The Strait Men of Port Angeles, WA He currently directs about four productions a year at the Elma Theater (some of which he takes on the road) which he is trying to retire from. He spends one month a year on a North America Rail pass scouting in US & Canada for shows to book in to his theater. His dream is to direct and or produce Die Fledermous and Carousel on his own stage soon. He is still trying to buy a certain private railway car for his acting troupe & a certain local piece of property that has a railway spur.
Natalia V Colson, graduated from P. I. Tchaikovsky Musical College in Ekaterinburg (Russia) as a teacher of theory of music and then graduated from Institute of Culture in St.-Petersburg (Russia). Worked as accompanist for ballet classes. Came to USA in 1998. Played for Johansen Ballet School in Olympia, WA. Now she is rehearsing as Duchess in Elma Children's Theater Association in production of "Alice in Wonderland". This will be the first time for Natalia to play on stage in USA. Natalia's name on the above playbill (which comes up slow on a link from Russian archives) from St Petersburg, looks like HaTanMA BOrYnKMHA. This playbill advertises her playing in The Okhta Humanitarian And Aesthetic Education Exhibition for the ballet portion of the program at The State Academic Capella St Petersburg (i.e. Theater or Concert Hall)
Mason Lake Quartet, The current six members (four of which play pianos at any one time) of this group are Mary Beth Morris, Iris Little, April Cassell, Lilis Nogler, Kyra Miller or Kira Theine and Patty Nutt. Each of them is a solo concert pianist and faculty &/or private music teacher. Their biographies and picture will be presented as soon as they are received. The quartet was founded when Mary Beth Morris came across some old music for two pianos, eight hands, in an old trunk in the attic of a friend's house. She then went on a search for friends and neighbors around Mason County with a similar interest in piano. Thus, the quartet was formed. Over the years, others have joined to make the current grand total of 6 players, each taking their turn at playing different pieces. This has increased the repertoire to a great extent. The Quartet has performed in Seattle and Olympia in the past and now they can add Elma to their growing list of cities and towns.Most of their pieces are in the classical tradition but for a little diversion, they sometimes entertain with some Sousa and Gershwin.
Mason Lake Quartet Members:
April Cassell: Graduate of WSU. Retired public accountant.
Enjoys kayaking, rowing, hiking at Mason Lake.
Lilis Nogler: Retired elementary school teacher and
church or
organist. Mother of four, grandmother of six.
Iris Little: Taught
for many years at Montesano High
Has three children, four grandchildren, and soon
to have #5.
Patty Nutt: A fifteen year
member of Sweet Adelines chorus.
Arranges music for, and sings in, a barbershop
quartet. Has taught piano and is an organist at
St. Edwards Church in Shelton.
Mary Beth Morris: Having grown up in Hoquiam and visited
grandparents in Elma, she is very much at
home here. Taught music in Texas and
California schools and private piano
instruction. Is Music Director at
North Mason United Methodist Church.
Visiting friends in
audience that will be in future productions include;
Louis C. Stewart, international respected concert pianist an associate Professor in the Composition Department at the Berklee College of Music Boston, Massachusetts. His bios will be on this page within a few days pending some details of contract negotiation with his managing agent
Jed K. Omori, until recently (just moved to Elma area) has been performing with the chorus of The Hawaii Opera Theatre in Honolulu, HI. Previously respected for his works singing in two shows after master classes by soprano Sharon Spinetti in Hawaii. Also spent over five years singing with Honolulu Symphony Chorus and the Oahu Choral Society. Sang solos for the Waipahu United Church of Christ and with their choir. Somewhat recently was accompanist for the Boys from Syracuse musical at Leeward Community College
Les Rhinehart, At one time played trumpet in US Navy Band in Washington DC Many of us remember his virtuosity but he hasen't played the trumpet for quite a few years. On the other side of the footlights he is now well known for his participation for about 18 years as a performer in The Carmel (Calif.) Bach Festival and for about 10 years Honolulu Symphony Chorus and the Hawaii Opera Theater Chorus for twenty one seasons.
Distinguished members of The Washington State American Legion Band incorporated in 1904 which will perform in the Elma Theater 9/4/2003 8 PM
among others yet to be announced
(A small video clip can be found here)
To view our main web page if you did not come here from there.
Last Revision Friday, August 08, 2008 02:26:13 PM