Take
a Trip “Over the River and Through the Woods” with SCT!
We are excited to announce our presentation of Joe DiPietro’s Over
the River and Through the Woods at the Clay County Regional Events
Center. The show will run Feb. 11,
12, at 7:30 p.m., Feb. 14 at 2 p.m., and a special Dinner Theatre Performance on
Saturday, Feb. 13.
The Dinner Theatre Performance of the Off-Broadway hit will begin at 6
p.m. with a cash bar. Dinner will
be served at 6:30 p.m. In keeping
with the Italian nature of the show, the dinner will consist of a choice of
Chicken Parmesan or Pasta Primavera with a salad, bread service and dessert. The performance will begin at 7:30 p.m., and guests will be
treated to traditional Italian gelato during intermission.
Tickets for the dinner theatre performance are $35 for non-members, or
$20 plus a season ticket punch for members.
Treat your Valentine to this special SCT event, where food and la
famiglia (family) are celebrated.
The other performances of the hilarious and endearing comedy will feature
traditional Italian desserts of tiramisu and cannoli, and good old-fashioned
American apple pie a la mode. Tea
and coffee service will also be available, as well as a cash bar.
All proceeds from the desserts will go to SCT’s Children’s Theatre
programs, which include productions, camps, classes, and workshops.
Set in New Jersey in the 1980s, Over the River
and Through the Woods tells the story of Nick (Casey Muessigmann), a
single, young, Italian-American climbing the corporate ladder.
With his parents retired and living in Florida, Nick still has dinner
every Sunday night with both sets of his grandparents.
When he announces that he has been offered his dream job in Seattle, the
grandparents are up in arms. Devastated,
Nick’s doting, salt-of-the-earth grandparents cook up a plot to keep him from
flying from the nest. Their
brilliant scheme includes setting Nick up with Caitlyn (Lindsey Matthiesen), the
granddaughter of Emma’s canasta partner.
SCT audiences may be familiar with the work of playwright Joe DiPietro,
who was the mastermind behind the heartwarming comedic musical “I Love You,
You‘re Perfect, Now Change.” As
in his past work, DiPietro (who has been compared to playwright Neil Simon for
his ability to write compelling characters) hits the nail on the head in his
portrayal of Aida, Emma, Frank, and Nunzio.
The grandparents, all of whom are based on real people in DiPietro’s
life, are so true to life that an SCT Performance Committee member responded,
after reading the play, that it was like she was reading a transcriptions of
conversations that took place in her grandmother’s house.
SCT Volunteer Actors Kella Klinker-Simonin, Fred Lutz, Sofia Benedict,
and Dave Jacobson, bring the Nick’s grandparents to life so completely you
just might think you’re one of the family! Frank (Dave Jacobson) is an Italian
immigrant who’s been running into things with his car more and more
frequently. His wife, Aida (Sofia
Benedict), is a typical Mom who feels personally responsible for making sure
that everyone is well-fed at all times. Nick
describes his other set of grandparents, Nunzio (Fred Lutz) and Emma (Kella
Klinker-Simonin) as “the loudest people I’ve ever met.”
Despite this (or perhaps because of it), the family connection is strong,
and it is this connection on which the entire play revolves.
Director Jay Shelp says of the grandparents, “The grandparents in this show are typical. They
are Nick's grandparents, they are your grandparents, they are the people next
door, and they all have a story to tell that can't help but bring love to your
heart and perhaps a tear to your eye.”
The end of winter- February- is the
perfect time for this heart-warming show. After
all, who doesn’t need a little dose of love and warmth in a cold February in
Northern Iowa? The warmth in the
message of the play and the humor with which it is written are sure to rekindle
the spirit of home and the importance of family in even the most stolid of
audience members. Shelp agrees.
“In a world where ‘Me’ is
the predominate word for the younger generation and the pace of life is sonic in
speed, there is another generation that has lived through it all and has an
insight into life which can put much meaning into their lives-that ultimate love
is not hanging on but letting go.”
Further, the dinner theatre
performance on Feb. 13th is the perfect Valentine treat for your
special someone, as you laugh together and celebrate the love of family.
“When I first realized that this
show was scheduled to be performed on the Valentine weekend, I questioned the
choice, but after working with the show for a month I find that it is a great
Valentine show. It is all about LOVE. There are two wonderful love
stories of couples who have been married for fifty years and a great love story
of family. All three love stories are declared with wonderful humor,
irony, and poignancy.”
Jay Shelp directs the poignant
production, with Kathy Krebsbach serving as Assistant Director.
The Stage Management team includes Marta Johnson and Mark Joenks.
Over the River and Through the
Woods will be held at 7:30 p.m. on Feb. 11 and 12, with a 2 p.m.
matinee on Sunday, Feb. 14. The
special Dinner Theatre evening will begin at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 13.
Tickets may be reserved through the SCT Box Office at (712) 262-7336.
SCT Box Office Hours are 11 a.m.- 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday (at the
SCT Playhouse), 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. Saturday (at the SCT Playhouse), and an hour
before each performance (at the Events Center). The SCT Box office and administrative offices are still open
and operating in the SCT Playhouse at 518 1st Ave. E. Tickets are on
sale at that location.
SCT Playhouse, where tickets can be
purchased and picked up, is located one block off Grand Avenue in downtown
Spencer at 518- 1st Ave. E. The
Clay County Regional Events Center, where the performances will be held, is
located at 800 W. 18th St. in Spencer.
Tickets are $14 for the regular
performances and $35 for the Dinner Theatre performance (or $20 in addition to a
season ticket punch). The RIDES bus
will be running Friday night for our Senior Patrons. Over the River and Through the Woods is
appropriate for adults and older teens; children 3 and under are discouraged
from attending mainstage productions. Everyone who enters must have a ticket.
Over the River and Through the
Woods is made possible with the help of a sponsorship from
Community Bank and Insurance and produced by special arrangement with the
Dramatists Play Service, Inc., New York.