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On With the Show Boat

For the cast and crew of CEC, the real action happens behind the curtain

By Laura Dotson
Photos by Matt Hendel

June 22, 2006 | 12:00 a.m. CST

Gathered in a semi-circle in the First Baptist Church, actors stand one by one to audition for the Columbia Entertainment Company. Among these actors are obvious veterans and hopeful newbies. Some bring a sense of charisma to a simple read-through, and others stumble through the lines as their hands shake with each turn of the page. Regardless of whether an actor is a seasoned entertainer or a novice performer, the goal remains the same: They all want to be a part of the cast for the CEC’s production of Show Boat.

Auditions: Eight weeks before Opening Night

“You can sing anything you want,” says director Mary Paulsell. And the actors do, from “Happy Birthday” to gospel hymns. After each a cappella number, the dozen or so people in the restless crowd clap and cheer. Some actors turn to a supporter in the audience and look for acknowledgment of a good performance; others try to hide behind nervous jokes and laughter.

After two nights of grueling auditions, casting comes to an end, but there is still a lot of work to be done.

With the audition papers stacked in front of her, Carol Odor, the choreographer, reviews her choices from the dance tryouts. Paulsell begins to list possibilities and fills out the show roster.

Paulsell concentrates on three things when deciding whom to cast for the show: ability, availability and attitude. Of course, actors need to be able to sing, act and dance. Many of the performers auditioning have worked with CEC before, so reliability in past performances is also considered. But Paulsell says that a big piece of the selection process is attitude because everyone is a volunteer.

“This is for fun,” Paulsell says. “The last thing we need at the end of the day is to put up with people who have a poor attitude toward the rehearsal process of the show. We like to have fun and cut around and be silly, but we need people who can have a serious attitude about it and can grind down all the way through.”

Although many of the actors came into auditions knowing which character they wanted to play, several had never heard of the musical or its legacy.

Based on the award-winning book by Edna Ferber, Show Boat was originally produced by Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II in 1927. The performance presented a revolutionary new approach to musical theater, which was then characterized by vaudeville acts.

It was the first modern musical in that it combined plot, lyrics, music and lifelike characters in a unified theatrical work.

Primarily set on the riverboat the Cotton Blossom, Show Boat focuses on the post-Civil War South. The story follows Magnolia, the teenage daughter of ship owner Cap’n Andy and his obstinate wife, Parthy. It tells the story of Magnolia’s struggle with her family and her love for gambler Gaylord Ravenal.

For the CEC’s production of Show Boat, 32 actors make the cut. After a few nights to sleep on her decisions and a final assessment of her assignments, Paulsell posts the list of the actors for this year’s musical.

“When I found out I was Magnolia, I was in the library,” says the production’s assistant director and lead actress, Angela Merrithew.

“I wanted to jump and scream but couldn’t. It’s a dream role. I’ve had lead roles before but nothing like Magnolia.”

Merrithew, 26, works at Shakespeare’s Pizza when she’s not acting. When she and her husband moved to Missouri in 2002, she wanted to become as active in community theater as she had been in Minneapolis. Merrithew enjoys singing and acting and has played leading roles in everything from The Music Man to Guys and Dolls.

After failed attempts at her first auditions in Columbia, she received a small role in the CEC play Honk, which was directed by Paulsell. Since then Merrithew has participated in seven productions with the company.

Merrithew first saw a production of Show Boat in Minneapolis and immediately fell in love. Although Merrithew was excited to hear about the musical, she was hesitant to try out for the part of Magnolia.

“In the whole first act my character is supposed to be 17 or 18 years old,” Merrithew says. “I had to think about what would be exciting for someone that age and about what characterizations I could do on stage that would make me look and seem younger.”

In order to portray herself as a younger woman, Merrithew knew she would have to display more energy on stage and keep her voice higher and more excited.

Because Merrithew’s character ages 40 years during the play, she also had to consider the visual elements of the role, such as wearing her hair up or down, adding wrinkles or wearing more sophisticated ensembles.

Practice: Seven weeks before Opening Night

During the first weeks of production, it’s difficult to visualize the final creation. The stage is yet to be used, the floor boards are bare and the walls are painted a simple pale blue.

The actors still need to fully establish themselves in their characters and lines. At practice the actors line up and imitate the choreographer’s moves step by step.

“Our choreographer likes all the dances done and out of the way before we move onto songs and parts, and [she] expects us to practice in our free time,” Merrithew says. “That way when we get to blocking the dances, we can go right in, and there’s less worry and hold-up.”

During the initial few days, the three-hour practices drag on as the actors rework their steps. Feet are constantly stumbling, and wrong turns are coupled with the frequent “My bad” or “Can you show us that again?”

With each rehearsal, the actors become a more cohesive group. The actors celebrate small vocal victories with proud smiles and louder voices. When more experienced cast members hear off-key singing, they ask the director if they can keep rehearsing until each song is tuned to perfection.

“This is an amazing cast,” Paulsell says. “In a community theater like this, you don’t expect to have to put lead voices in the chorus, but all are exceptional singers. There is sheer enthusiasm and style in the dancing. It’s wonderful.”

Combining all the components of the production, however, doesn’t always go smoothly. Although each stage of the production progresses, not every phase moves forward like clockwork. A song perfected just two days before is stumbled through when spoken lines are introduced. Although these obstacles are frustrating, they help bring the cast closer together and make them feel like a family.

“Obviously it’s very taxing,” says Kevin Kelley, 20, who plays Frank. He supplies comic relief with co-star Jennifer Benson, who plays Ellie. Frank and Ellie are performers on the Cotton Blossom, and they help Magnolia with her musical career.

“Like any family, there are times when I could throw someone off a cliff end, and people are clawing at you to make it better or do it their way,” Kelley says.

However, Kelley explains that the bond between actors is vital. “If the audience is watching, and the cast is not connected, you can definitely tell.”

The actors come from different backgrounds and professions, from a convenience store clerk to a computer programmer. This variety adds to the actors’ characters and acting styles. “It’s a cross section of the community doing something for the community and all because they enjoy it,” Paulsell says.

Kelley, like many of the actors involved in the musical, realizes that acting involves an immense commitment, but it is one he is wiling to accept for his love of theater. Kelley has worked with CEC since he was in kindergarten on everything from Grease to Civil War.

When the dances and songs start to flow, the final stage of practice begins. They block and perfect scenes every week.

In blocking rehearsals, the director positions actors on the stage and indicates their precise movements. Actors slowly develop accents and traits to bring characters off the page and onto the stage. For some this task seems to go quickly; others clutch the script for as long as the director allows.

Dress Rehearsal: One week before Opening Night

During practice, Alex Innecco, who plays Magnolia’s love interest, Gaylord, imagines the cane he’ll use or the cards he’ll hold. As they dance the fast-moving Charleston, actresses dressed in sweat pants imagine how they’ll do it in full-length dresses. With just one week before the curtain opens, the plans for the production become a reality. Lights, props, costumes and a live orchestra are all introduced in a two-day span, and slowly the actors begin to realize their company’s vision.

Although six or seven volunteers helped in stage production during the month of practice preceding opening night, CEC relies heavily on the cast to assist in the set design. “The cast helps paint the set, and I do the final detail myself,” Paulsell says. “Like everything at CEC, we do it all ourselves.”

So, every weekend throughout rehearsals, the volunteers met to hammer, saw and paint the ship they will use for three weeks of performances. The final touches are added during dress rehearsal.

The actors also help in assembling props and costumes. If a chair is needed, a dining room set is raided at someone’s house. The actors joke that you know you’re in community theater when your sofa spends more time on stage than you do.

The set slowly develops, just like the actors performing in front of it. The actors add support and trusses, then floorboards and walls. The railings, doors, a fresh layer of paint and props are the last details added.

In addition to costume and stage design, the 12-piece orchestra, led by Carolyn Turner, has to match the tempo and pacing of the actors. Because the orchestra is composed of volunteers, a professional oboe player sits next to a grade school clarinetist in the cramped quarters of the theater’s upper deck room.

As dress rehearsal comes to an end, it becomes evident that time is running out. There is only one last chance to make corrections and to check lights and props. Paulsell goes through her notes as the choreographer tries to make final corrections on a dance.

“Sometimes you feel as if scenes will never come together, but they always do,” Kelley says. “It’s just the way of the theater gods to smile upon everyone in the show.”

Although there is obvious anxiety, the actors handle it with self-assurance and confidence.

“I think it’s more excitement than tension,” says Kelley. “Or maybe it’s just tension that I love. Either way it’s a rush, and I can’t wait till opening night.”

Opening Night

Some actors pace, and some meditate in chairs. A few run around making sure everything is in its place. The anxiety begins long before the scenes on stage.

“I have to slip into a zone, get myself mentally focused on the show and leave everything else that happened that day behind me,” Kelley says. “There’s a definite calming down, almost pseudomeditative place, and then I have to get perked up and excited for it.”

Despite weeks of practice, it’s never the same show once the curtain opens. During the repetition of rehearsal, actors can forget the emotion in the music, scenes and acting. In a live performance the audience is the final character. They laugh at all the little puns or dab tears and gasp at sad scenes.

“I know from other plays that you never know what kind of crowd you’re going to have,” Kelley says. “Some nights they love Frank and Ellie, others they find us annoying.”

Backstage, there is little downtime. With the stage manager directing the activities, all actors help move props and change costumes. Kelley says that what happens behind the scenes is an organized chaos almost more choreographed than what goes on in front of the audience.

“I know once we begin that things are out of my hands and up to the cast and crew,” Paulsell says. She takes notes during each performance and then goes through them with the cast and crew before the next performance.

“I always think about what I could have done to help prevent problems, but really all you can do is try to fix things,” Paulsell says.

Regardless of any mishaps that might occur during the performance, most actors agree there’s no feeling like being on stage and hearing applause for something that they have worked and practiced so hard for.

“In a way, you bring them on the same journey you’re taking on the boat and down the river,” Merrithew says. “It’s just such a reward for the connection after you give the best you have.”

After the lights go down and the theater empties, reality’s grasp returns. Actors begin to ruminate on the past and look to the future.

The stage will be taken down, and new scenery will take its place. Friendships made during the past two months will be kept and lost. Most actors will return for another stint in the spotlight -- this time feeling a sense of accomplishment.

“It’s like summer camp,” Merrithew says. “It’s fun and an escape from reality. We’re all family. We all brought something on paper to life.”

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