Laura created an animoto Thank You for the cast and behind-the-scenes crew who did such a wonderful job of producing our play, The Santa Diaries. We couldn’t have asked for more.
We were made to feel part of the theater community. It was a very special weekend.
Michael Lambert (cast as Will Hawes) sent us this message…
Dear Mala and Laura,
It’s Hell Week this week, tech rehearsals culminating in our opening night production on Friday of your The Santa Diaries. Last night was the first tech rehearsal and it went very well, so hopes are high.
(Thomas D. (Timmy), Cynthia Paley (Jessica), Jerry Fox (Sandy), Michael Lambert who-is-sitting-down/not-that-short (Will), Matt Drenth (Josh), Sydney Place-Sallstrom (Brandeee))
We even have the “real” Santa Claus coming this Friday for the premier! And an opening night reception that may even feature some bites of sweet potato hot dishes. Mmmm!
These are The Merlin Players’ set builders, Matt and Roger, working on the rear projection screens for The Santa Diaries. Everything is good to go for this weekend’s opening.
Of course the flu needed to make an unfortunate appearance, sadly with both my leading ladies. Cynthia (Jessica) came down with it over our Thanksgiving break, and Sydney (Brandeee) is bravely battling it right now. Our poor Amazon princess! But as miserable as she feels, she still looks great. Ah, the power of youth … In the meantime, I’m downing vitamins and zinc and washing my hands every chance I get. And no kissing either of them until clean bills of health!
I can’t put into words how much it means to me to come back to my small hometown to be in this touching play about a guy coming back to his small hometown to find the true meaning of Christmas. I truly love everyone involved with this show, even the little turkey who teases me each night (I know he secretly admires me … or at least that’s the story I’m going with). Some are people who I went to school with, others are kids of people who I went to school with, some are parents of people who I went to school with. A real “small town” feel to this show.
It’s snowing outside right now (“It’s really coming down out there!”), but the forecast looks clear for the weekend. Hopefully no snow storms for your upcoming trip to Minnesota.
We got quite a bit of press coverage in the local papers and I’ve attached some of the pictures and link.
Safe travels and we’ll see you soon.
-Michael
Note from Mala: I can’t tell you how much Michael’s reflection about coming back to his small town means to me. We all yearn for that community of people who know us and love us anyway. It doesn’t have to be a small town; it could be an urban neighborhood, or a church. That longing is at the heart of The Santa Diaries and Laura and I wrote this play because our Christmas wish is for everybody to find their own heart’s small town.
Breaking News: The Merlin Players of Faribault, Minnesota is going to produce The Santa Diaries as its 2014 Christmas production. We can’t tell you how excited we are that another community theater will be putting its own stamp on our play.
The theater in Faribault was originally an opulent opera house that was destroyed by a fire in the 1920’s. Somehow this seemed fitting as our play has a theater fire. Several incarnations later the theater became the home of the Paradise Center for the Arts. It can seat over 375 in the historic Bahl Family Auditorium. If you want to read more about the fascinating history of this theater, click here.
The Merlin Players are a semi-professional, non-union theater company that is located at the Paradise Center for the Arts. Recently chosen as the best theater troupe in southern Minnesota by Scene Magazine, the Merlin Players, in partnership with area high schools, also provide learning opportunities for student audiences, actors and technical staff through their student intern program. Under the guidance of founding Artistic Director Julianna Skluzacek, this regional theater has attracted audiences and talent from Owatonna, Faribault, Northfield, Waseca, the Twin Cities, Albert Lea and Rochester for the past 19 seasons.
We can’t wait to see the Merlin Players’ interpretation of The Santa Diaries.
Is a road trip to Minnesota in our Christmas stockings?
We Thank the Cast and Crew 
The cast and crew made the Liberty Showcase Theatre’s production of The Santa Diaries so very special and Laura and I are grateful for all their hard work. I was ill and unable to get to the last performance, but Laura attended with her husband. Despite some weather issues the Saturday evening performance and the Sunday matinee were packed. Laura said people laughed and cried. When that happens we know we’ve done our job as writers. Immediately after the last performance, volunteers began breaking down the set. In community theatre everybody gets to do a little bit of everything. My belief is that this is part of why participating in community theatre can be such a bonding experience. As some previous blogs have indicated, participation often spans generations.
Hiccups
In this production there were a number of hiccups. One was replacing the person who was to play Josh two weeks before the show opened. Although this is a male role, the person who knew most of the lines already was the female music director who heroically stepped in to fill Josh’s size twelves. Josh became JoJo and there was some hurried rewriting of the final scene in which Will calls Brandeee in the middle of the night and Josh answers. Did we want JoJo to be in Brandeee’s bedroom in the middle of the night? This was a family show, after all. Even having Josh in her bedroom was a bit of a stretch, but lines were finessed and everything worked out just fine. The snow/sleet/rain hiccup on the show’s last weekend was more problematic. The Liberty Theatre website home page was amended with the announcement: 12/14/2013 – It may be snowing outside, but the show must go on!! The Santa diaries will still be performed tonight at Glyndon United Methodist Church! Come out and get in the holiday spirit!!
People got the message and the cast performed to a full house. Last year at the Avalon Theatre the last show was on December 23. That was a burden on the cast and crew as it was so close to Christmas. The Liberty Showcase Theatre’s production ended on December 15 which gave people a little time to breathe before the last reindeer dash to the 25th.
Liberty Showcase Thanks Us
At the last show Lori Chapman, the Assistant Director, gave Laura two wrapped packages. She brought them to me a few days later and we opened them together. They were framed photos of the cast and crew of the this production. We were thrilled. On the first Sunday performance Laura and I were given one of the posters signed by everyone. Mine will go on my Santa Diaries wall! We have felt very thanked and appreciated by Liberty Showcase Theatre. The are such a professional group. We’d love to work with them again.
Post Production
We need to know how the play could be tweaked to make it better. What could be done to make it easier to stage? Liberty had a cast of about 25 as opposed to the Avalon’s cast of 65+. Most of those additional people were children which is its own special challenge, but when writing for community theatre it’s good if the cast number has some flexibility. You want to be able to showcase especially talented people and need to plan for that. Laura and I will have a post production meeting with the Director, the Assistant Director and the Producer after the holidays so that we can make useful changes to the script and notes that would help with the direction and staging of future productions. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if The Santa Diaries was produced somewhere every year!
Our thanks and excellent Holiday Wishes to all the cast and crew and to the audiences who enjoyed the show. Find your inner Santa and celebrate with family and friends.
Break a leg! Why in the world would theater people say this to one another before a show starts? I went to Wikipedia for an explanation of the derivation of this expression, but although there are many ideas, there is no conclusive evidence as to why it’s “break a leg” instead of “may you be attacked by hippos” or some other ill wish. But I will not be one to mess with traditions. Theater people are a superstitious lot.
The Santa Diaries opens tonight at Glyndon United Methodist Church. Last night was the final dress rehearsal in full makeup and costume. Assistant Director, Lori Chapman, sent me this photo of Lizzie as Marley and I just had to share it.
The costume is wonderful as is the make-up.
So, from Laura and me goes a shout out to all the actors and behind the scenes crew…
Break a Leg!
This just in from Assistant Director, Lori Chapman:
“So I have a few minutes to let you know some of the challenges we have faced this week. And there have been many. LOL.
Starting with the kid who emailed me on Monday five minutes before she was due at rehearsal and said she was out of town and might be back by Wednesday but if not, she’d see us Saturday. Did she not remember we open on Friday?
We lost our spotlight operator for opening night and are in the process of trying to find someone now. All the other shows are covered except tomorrow night. (Update…a spotlight operator has been found.)
Our Sandy really fell off the ladder on Tuesday night. He’s fine. LOL. But the crash noise was the best it’s ever been.
Trying to turn the lights on the Christmas tree in the Hawes house on and off at the right moments is proving to be a huge challenge. Nothing like turning the tree on and lighting people frantically trying to get in the right places or having the lights left on to illuminate set changes that are supposed to be hidden.
The set changes for the finished set and burned set are harder than we thought and require tall people. Hopefully we will get much faster with those. And moving set pieces on when the entire cast is exiting the stage is like running through an obstacle course.
And I didn’t even mention the teen whose dad came and picked her up halfway through our rehearsal on Monday night and didn’t tell her mom who is also in the show that he was taking her. Panic ensued when we thought we had a missing 15 year old.
Brandeee is right. Never work with kids or dogs. LOL.
Tonight we run with costumes and makeup. Hopefully things will go smoothly. Although they do say bad dress, great opening night so maybe I should be hoping for lots of problems.”
Thanks, Lori. It’s going to be a great show. Laura and I are so appreciative of all the hard work of everone on and off stage. We can’t wait to see it.
Performances dates are as follows: Friday, December 6th and 13th at 8PM; Saturday, December 7th at 2PM and 8PM; Saturday, December 14th at 8PM and Sunday, December 15th at 2PM. The venue is Glyndon United Methodist Church, 4713 Butler Road, Glyndon, MD 21071. For tickets visit the Liberty Showcase Theatre website at http://www.libertyshowcasetheatre.org/.
Yesterday Laura and I drove to Glyndon, MD to attend a rehearsal of The Santa Diaries – an hour and a half drive from Easton. We arrived a little before the time rehearsal was to start (one o’clock) but the parking lot already had cars in it. Inside we saw why. Dan Lohrfink and his son, Philip, were busy screwing casters to platforms that will carry sets. I recognized them from the photos I’d used on the blog about the Lohrfink family. On the stage, ladies were on ladders painting. I recognized some of them as well. The participants in this show don’t just show up and say their lines. They are helping with everything. Somebody even brought in pizzas and soft drinks. Sustenance is really important when you’re putting on a play.
We were impressed at how organized the Liberty Showcase Theatre people are. Promptly at one o’clock the music directory, Liz Kanner, gathered people around the piano and began a vocal warm-up.
Then they went all the way through Act 1. Seriously…all the way through. There were a few hiccups, but opening night is two weeks away. Plenty of time for tweaking. At the end of Act 1, the director, Barb Gasper, sat everyone down and gave notes – praise where due and suggestions, blocking issues and reminders to everybody about not clomping up and down the stairs to get on stage.
There was a ten minute break and the cast went all the way through Act 11, followed by more notes from the director. Because there still was a little time left before the scheduled end time at 4pm, the director asked for a run through of one particular scene. While that was going on children were being fitted into elf costumes by the costumer. We couldn’t get over how well behaved and professional these kids were. They knew their lines, where they were supposed to be on stage and we didn’t see any drama. You’d have to be a real Grinch to resist these cuties.
It’s just two weeks to the opening and according to Lori Chapman, Assistant Director, everything is on schedule. They’ll hang the lights on Black Friday and the final week will be all tech. She told us there would be two complete dress rehearsals. Laura will be there opening night, Friday, December 6th at 8PM. I’ll go the next day. We are over the moon that The Santa Diaries lives on.
Other show times are as follows: Friday, December 13th at 8PM; Saturday, December 7th at 2PM and 8PM; Saturday, December 14th at 8PM and Sunday, December 15th at 2PM.
The venue is Glyndon United Methodist Church, 4713 Butler Road, Glyndon, MD 21071.
For tickets visit the Liberty Showcase Theatre website
at http://www.libertyshowcasetheatre.org/.
The Chapman family is not the only family to have multiple generations involved in the current production of The Santa Diaries.
Kimberly Lohrfink tells me that their family first got involved in theater in 2004 when older son, Nick (now married and out of the house), was cast as Daddy Warbucks in his school’s production of Annie. As Nick went through high school, he was in various productions, and the acting bug took hold of the whole family. The kids became involved with STAR, LTD., a community theater in Relay, MD, in 2007 – Nick was 16, Sarah was 8 and Philip was 4.
Kimberly took on many roles such as costume coordinator, make-up artist, stage manager – “anything and everything offstage,” she said. In 2008, STAR announced that they were doing an “all ages” production of Scrooge and Marley, and Kimberly, thinking that it would be a great family bonding experience, convinced her husband, Dan, to audition. She thought they would just be in the ensemble, but were cast as Mr. and Mrs. Cratchit. Kimberly said,”It was a wonderful show, and we had a blast.”
In 2010, Sarah and Philip were both cast in St. Gabriel’s Miracle Player’s production of Wonderland. Kimberly was again behind the scenes as the Stage Manager for that show, and Dan helped out with lights and sound.
In this production of The Santa Diaries, Dan Lohrfink fills the role of Sandy Hawes, the small-town Santa who comes from a long time of Santas and hopes his son, Will, will put on the Santa boots.
Normally, when Dan takes the stage he’s not wearing a red suit, he’s playing bass or guitar with a band. He said, “my stint as Bob Cratchit was quite a change from playing a dumb ol’ shepherd in my 1st grade Christmas play.”
Kimberly Lohrfink is playing Edna (one of the Casserole ladies) and also appears in the ensemble cast. Offstage, Kimberly works as a Program Director for Johns Hopkins CTY, volunteers as a Girl Scout leader, chauffeurs her kids to their various activities, and she makes the BEST sweet potato casserole. Can we get the recipe, Kimberly?
Dan and Kimberly’s son, Philip, is a 6th grader at St. Agnes School. He enjoys playing the piano and trumpet and singing. He’s in his school choir and band. Clearly this kid loves the stage!
His previous roles include Colin (Secret Garden), Tiny Tim (Scrooge and Marley), the Red Knight and the Lion (Wonderland). In his free time, Philip enjoys Origami, drawing and Legos. In The Santa Diaries production he is playing Boy Ebenezer, and five different ensemble roles. Keeping track of those costume changes is going to be a challenge.
High school Sophomore, Sarah Lohrfink has been cast as Rose, along with two other ensemble roles. Sarah is no stranger to the stage. She’s been involved in theater since she was eight. Previous roles include Biddy Haggerty (The Ghost of Rhodes Manor), Little Boy Blue (Babes in Toyland), Ruth Taylor (Don’t Say No to the USO), Captain Bree (Lady Pirates of Captain Bree) and Alice (Wonderland). In addition to theater, Sarah enjoys singing, and she plays flute in the TCHS Band. Her dream is to someday be on Broadway.
Due to schedule conflicts, jobs, etc., the Lohrfink family has not been able to all do a show together since 2010 – until now. Sarah, Philip, Dan and Kimberly are having a great time taking the stage together again in The Santa Diaries. One of the themes of our play is family coming together. What better way than parents and kids participating in this wonderful family show!
A child and a stuffed dog are just two of the characters in The Santa Diaries who begin to penetrate Will Hawes emotional armor. Timmy Darling has a problem and it’s one to which Will can relate. Other people know about it, but Timmy only confides his feelings to his stuffed animal, Marley, a toy from which he is inseparable. As Will lets Timmy in, he becomes a mentor and protector of this little boy who, at the beginning of the play, is afraid of Will. And as Timmy let’s Will into his life, Marley can occasionally be relinquished.
James Stranger, age 6, is playing Timmy in the upcoming production of The Santa Diaries at Liberty Showcase Theatre. This is his first play and his mom, Michelle, tells us he loves to entertain. A first grader at The Chatsworth School in Reisterstown, James takes ballet and tap classes and it was his dance teacher who recommended he audition for the role of Timmy. Mom says he is very excited and loves practicing his lines! In his free time, James likes playing with friends and dressing up in a variety of costumes. “He’s always wearing something crazy,” his mom says. We like his style! James is only the second person to play Timmy and he’s going to bring his own charm and enthusiasm to the role.
For staging purposes, Marley, the stuffed animal has to be big enough to be visible from the back row. And since there are several scenes when Marley comes to life and is a costumed actor, the stuffed dog and the dog costume have to match. At the Avalon Theatre last year, a Dalmatian was chosen and a costume with detachable head was purchased. Liberty Showcase switched things up and chose a lovely brown dog with floppy dark ears and white paws and snout. A costume is being made for the actor who plays Marley. I’ll post a photo when I can.
Laura and I will be attending a rehearsal of the show on Saturday, November 23. That’s just two weeks before the opening. We remember how chaotic things were at Avalon rehearsals last year around the same time. It’s the time when you think there’s no way everything can come together. There’s a reason live theater is called DRAMA! But then it happens – the lights go up and magic happens.
Performances dates for The Santa Diaries are as follows: Friday, December 6th and 13th at 8PM; Saturday, December 7th at 2PM and 8PM; Saturday, December 14th at 8PM and Sunday, December 15th at 2PM. The venue is Glyndon United Methodist Church, 4713 Butler Road, Glyndon, MD 21071. For tickets visit the Liberty Showcase Theatre website at http://www.libertyshowcasetheatre.org/.
Fran Desha has been cast as Martha in The Santa Diaries being performed at Glyndon United Methodist Church this coming December in Maryland. Liberty Showcase Theatre is producing the show.
Performances dates are as follows: Friday, December 6th and 13th at 8PM; Saturday, December 7th at 2PM and 8PM; Saturday, December 14th at 8PM and Sunday, December 15th at 2PM. The venue is Glyndon United Methodist Church, 4713 Butler Road, Glyndon, MD 21071. For tickets visit the Liberty Showcase Theatre website at http://www.libertyshowcasetheatre.org/.
Laura and I loved writing this character. Like many of us, Martha especially misses her family at the holidays and hopes that if she can make Christmas perfect, they might come for a visit. She’s afraid to ask. What if they say “no.” Martha loves Sandy, the father in the play, and has to fend off her friends…the interested-in-any-single-man Casserole Ladies. She feels responsible for Sandy breaking his leg. After all, he was on her roof stringing Christmas lights when he tumbled to the ground. Martha is everyone of us who yearns for the holidays to sync with our fantasies.
Fran told us she did a lot of theater in high school and then took a 35 year break! Professionally, she works as a Regional Sales Manager for an insurance company. She came back to theater a couple of years ago when her daughter got involved in theater at her college and convinced Fran to audition with her that following summer. The theater bug bit her again, and she has now been involved in several shows with various community theater groups – sometimes on stage, sometimes behind the scenes painting scenery, running curtain, moving props, or selling tickets.
Fran’s show credits include Auntie Em in The Wizard of Oz, Assistant Stage Manager of Narnia the Musical. and my favorite… a Zombie extra in Night of the Living Dead. That must have been so much fun!
In her spare time Fran enjoys reading, antiquing, going to auctions and flea markets, and spending time with her daughter and friends. She told us she’s having a lot of fun doing The Santa Diaries which she calls a “wonderful heartwarming show.” We love that description. When it premiered at The Avalon Theatre last year, people laughed and cried. Something about the show touched audiences more deeply than we had anticipated. We think it might be that innocent holiday magic we had as children, and for which we still long.
The Santa Diaries Project 