Press Releases

Winfield, Kan., June 4, 2002 — They’ve come from all over: Q. Smith, from New York; Laura Wilhelm, from Memphis; Aaron Sawyer, from Omaha; and J. Israel Green, from Los Angeles.

With a growing reputation for great summer theatre opportunities, numerous actors and technicians from around the country have made the trek to Winfield to join the Southwestern College Horsefeathers and Applesauce Summer Dinner Theatre company.

The company will put on the first of four summer shows, “Proposals,” Friday and Saturday, June 7 and 8, and Thursday through Saturday, June 13-15, in Messenger Recital Hall located in Southwestern’s Darbeth Fine Arts Center.

Tickets are still available by calling the H & A box office at (620) 221-7720. Showtime is at 8 p.m. with a dessert of hot caramel rolls or caramel pecan sundaes, coffee, or tea served at intermission.

“The cool thing about coming back to a place like Winfield and Horsefeathers and getting away from the political world of movies and TV is that you get to do what you love,” says J. Israel Greene. “It brings you down to what you love to do. It reminds you why you’re doing it.”

Greene has been living in Los Angles since “Hell Cab” closed after 10 years in Chicago. In addition to the stage, he has acted in several movies and commercials (including the part of a cameraman in a recent Gatorade commercial). He says the politics of the business —whether you have the right connections — can drive you away from the purpose, and theatre like Horsefeathers and Applesauce brings you back.

That doesn’t mean it’s all easy, says Aaron Sawyer, returning to Horsefeathers for the second summer in a row. “The misconception is that theatre work is play. We do have fun at the end, but there are long hours of work before you get to the fun. Your body is exhausted; it takes stamina,” he says. “In the end, it’s great to walk onto the stage and know you had a hand in it all.”

Sawyer, who has a bachelor of fine arts degree in directing, began acting in children’s theatre. He quickly moved into directing and debuts as a director for Horsefeathers and Applesauce with “Proposals.” He will spend next year as an intern with New Stage Theatre in Jackson, Miss., acting and directing.

“A full year of work,” he repeats. “We never know where we’re going to live, what country, what city, what job. Will we be able to take our friends out to eat? Or will we be living on a shoestring? It may sound crazy, but it’s exciting,” he adds.

Q. Smith describes it more as a calling. “I’ve loved this art form from the day I was born,” she says with a smile. “My dad tells me, ‘If you wake up in the morning thinking about theatre. If you think it, eat it, sleep it, it’s what you should be doing.’” Smith, who got her moniker from the children she taught (they couldn’t pronounce Quiana), has been living and acting in New York. She toured with “Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughter,” an African adaptation of “Cinderella,” before her most recent stint with “Smokey Joe’s Café.” She actually has toured twice with “Smokey Joe’s”: once with Gladys Knight and Bubba Knight in the lead roles, the second time with Rita Coolidge and Gary U.S. Bonds.

Her dream is to establish a school where she can teach children’s theatre. And that’s exactly where Laura Wilhelm started. With a master of fine arts degree in directing from the University of Memphis, Wilhelm was fascinated with the use of masks and puppetry for children. After a tour in Europe, however, her ideas were broadened to include audiences of all ages.

“I no longer see masks and puppetry as children’s entertainment,” she explains. “I see it as an art form for all ages.”

Wilhelm has studied the field extensively. In addition to her time in Europe, she studied Greek theatre in Egypt. She will leave H & A mid-season to begin an internship at Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theatre in Minneapolis. There she will lead inner city youth as they dream a story, write the tale, design and make masks for the show, and tour the city with their original production. In addition, the youth will learn and experience problem solving and conflict management skills.

“I’m already regretting I can’t be here for the whole season,” Wilhelm says. “I was here when we got things started, and it will be very hard to leave before it’s all wrapped up.”

For more information on the Southwestern College Horsefeathers and Applesauce Summer Dinner Theatre company, call Allyson Moon at (620) 229-6328.