Allamakee Community Players, Inc. planning "A Night to Remember" medley show in June

by Brianne Eilers

The Allamakee Community Players, Inc. (ACPI) is an organization that many people may not be familiar with, but which has been entertaining communities and showcasing its members’ talents in this county for over five decades. ACPI is a group made up of volunteers who share a love for theater, and come from all over the county and from all walks of life - farmers, veterinarians, teachers, lawyers, business owners, parents, kids, etc.

The members have many different levels of experience and interests in theatrical productions. Some might love the spotlight, while others might prefer to work behind the scenes. The group holds monthly meetings, usually at Gus & Tony’s in Waukon, and also has elected officers. The current president of the organization is Jonathan Buhl.
The group put on its first musical, "Lil’ Abner," in 1973, but many of the members had been bitten by the acting bug long before that. Gwen Schroedel is one of those long-time members, and she is actually one of three generations of her family to be involved with ACPI. She joined with the local group in the late 1960s. Her theater career began earlier than that, however.

“This is really going to date me,” she said,” but I started in productions in country school.” Schroedel majored in theater in college, and says she really enjoys directing and also being on stage. Her daughter, the late Paula Troendle, was also a member of ACPI, and Paula’s sons, Zach and Dalon, are carrying on the family tradition.

“It’s a really proud feeling for me to be able to stand up there next to my brother and grandma and share the stage,” Zach Troendle said. He’s been involved in productions since the age of three, and says that his cast and crew members are like a second family to him. He also noted that he has celebrated many birthdays during rehearsals for productions with his cast mates.

Kate Wooden is another “original” member of the group. Wooden said she likes working backstage behind the scenes. “But, it is fun to be onstage and try to steal a scene,” she added. Her fellow players say she appears innocent and unassuming, but she can be a clever prankster.

Nina Van Gorp joined the group in the early 1970s. She had been in plays during high school at St. Patrick’s, and then went on to major in music during her college years. “When I came back home, I lived next door to Kate (Wooden) and one day she asked me if I’d like to be part of this group,” Van Gorp said.

Over the history of the group, its members have seen a lot of things come and go, or change in the way they put on a production. “When we first started, we didn’t have microphones,” Wooden noted. Actors really had to know how to project their voices so that the entire audience could hear them. The players have performed at many different venues over the years, including The Riv Aire, the Landmark, the Junior High gym (now East Elementary gym), the Vet’s Club and the Opera House.

The ladies reminisced about how it would get so cold in the Opera House backstage, and there would be frost on the walls and the actors couldn’t wait to get onstage and get into the warm spotlight. Lighting is also an area where they have seen some developments. When the players first started out, there was usually only one spotlight, so if it was a situation such as a duet, both of the actors had to stick close together if they wanted to be in the light. Now they use multiple lighting features for their productions.

There has also been a change in the demographics of their group over the years as well. With the busy schedules of today, it can be hard to recruit younger members.
The ACPI does a variety of performances, including musicals, plays, children’s theater and also variety shows. The group holds performances at different venues, like the Waukon High School Auditorium and St. John’s Lutheran Church in Waukon. The group also will travel to Postville for some performances.

Members of the group are involved in all aspects of production. On average, they have about six weeks from the time of auditions to the performance. The size of the cast and crew depends on the performance. Some productions have a smaller cast, while others have involved upwards of 100. Cast and crew work hard on set design, learning their lines and costumes.
Group members also volunteer time and talent to sew and make costumes. Schroedel is one of those seamstresses, but every now and then they might come across a challenge. “When we did Cinderella, I had to do grommets,” Schroedel said, noting that it was a challenge and not one she’d want to do anytime again. Grommets are little metal rings inserted into fabric, and in this case it was used for the lacing up of the dresses.

As far as props and costumes go, the group does own a few things, but also rents from other theater groups. Over the years, ACPI has also become quite well-versed in re-purposing props and costumes for different productions. Everyone is a volunteer, but directors do get a small fee to cover expenses they might incur. Royalties have to be paid on performances, and the scripts and music have a fee as well.

Putting on a production involves a lot of work, but the group members have a lot of fun doing it. Some of the best memories and times to be had often happen backstage, or even onstage. When not onstage, actors generally hang out in the Green Room or some other area. There is often not a lot of room behind the sets, so they try not to have that area be too congested. To while away the time, the actors find something to do until they get their cue to go onstage.

“One performance, we were playing cards in the Green Room and were so involved in our game, we missed our cue,” Van Gorp recalls. The director, obviously, wasn’t happy about that and the players all felt pretty bad about it, so the next night that didn’t happen again.

The cast will often play little tricks on each other, too. The ladies reminisced about an incident during a show involving apple juice. During one performance, the actors on stage were doing a scene with champagne, and they were using apple juice for the beverage. During the last performance, the apple juice was swapped for apple cider vinegar and caught the actors by surprise when they took a sip.

It is memories like these that make things special for the performers and their crew.

"A NIGHT TO REMEMBER"
In June of this year, ACPI will be doing a one-night only “medley show” which will highlight some of these special memories and moments, appropriately titled “A Night to Remember”. There will be pieces from past performances, as well as a computer slide show to honor those members who have passed away but still remain very much a part of the ACPI history. Keep watching The Standard newspaper for more information regarding this performance.

Anyone interested in joining the Allamakee Community Players, Inc. is encouraged to contact Nina Van Gorp at 563-568-2472 or Gwen Schroedel at 563-568-4456. For those who are social media savvy, Allamakee Community Players, Inc. also has a page on Facebook.