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Music and Lyrics by Clark Gesner, Book by John Gordon

October 28-30, November 11-13, and 18-19, 1994

Directed by Rick Hayes
Produced by Mike Clinchard and Karen Wooding

St. Mark's Episcopal Church, Third and A Streets, SE, Washington, DC
 

The Setting
A day in the life of Charlie Brown

Musical Numbers

	Act I
You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown		Company
Schroeder		Lucy
Snoopy		Snoopy
My Blanket and Me		Linus
Queen Lucy		Lucy and Linus
The Kite		Charlie Brown
The Doctor Is In		Lucy and Charlie Brown
The Book Report		Company
	Intermission
	Act II
The Red Baron		Snoopy
The Baseball Game		Company
Glee Club Rehearsal		Company
Little Known Facts		Lucy
Suppertime		Snoopy
Happiness		Company

The Company

Jill Arquette (Lucy)  Playing the part of a young, spoiled brat adds yet another dimension to the varied, yet schizophrenic gamut of roles Jill has played. Having played the boyish Edwin Drood in RCPs The Mystery of Edwin Drood, and the 180 year-old Joice Heth in Barnum, she's comforted to know that at least she's not typecast. Most recently Jill has been seen in TAP's City of Angels and Zorba. Prior to moving to DC she traveled to nine countries with the "perky" Up With People cast. Her daytime role is playing the part of a PR assistant for a government laboratory. Jill wants everyone to know that she's really not a crabby person.

Alyn Beauchamp (Choreographer), the original "Little Red-haired Girl," has been dancing and making dances all her life. Locally, she has choreographed productions of Oklahoma! (for which she was nominated for an ACT award), The Music Man, Nunsense, Fiddler on the Roof, and Godspell. She's also appeared on stage as Sister Mary Leo in Nunsense, and in Lil Abner and My Fair Lady. During normal working hours she gets to be creative for Moving Comfort, women's high performance athleticwear. She thanks the cast, crew, and friends for enduring her knee problems during this production.

Mike Clinchard (Producer) is a member of the St. Mark's Players Board of Directors. His experience with the Players include Box Office Manager for The Fantasticks and Assistant Producer for The Miracle Worker. His favorite cartoon character is SpiderMan, who defends the citizens and gets no respect.

Chuck Dluhy (Charlie Brown) makes his first appearance with the St. Mark's Players in a somewhat "normal" role which is quite unusual. He was most recently seen as the slimy Persian, Ali Hakim in Oklahoma! at Dominion Stage. With over fifteen years of theatre experience, he has danced stark naked as the hippie Ron in Hair, groped Catholic school girls as the sex-starved Felix in Do Black Patent Leather Shoes Really Reflect Up?, exhibited schizophrenic tendencies as Barry in The Boys Next Door, donned a yellow mini-skirt as Leslie in Love, Sex and the IRS, and had a nervous breakdown as the disturbed Billy in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. Chuck's life is more calm offstage as a mild-mannered systems analyst for Long & Foster Real Estate. He also enjoys racquetball, tap dancing and watching Picket Fences. He plans on growing his beard back after this show.

Simon Hawkins (Schroeder), a graduate of Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Clown College, likes to commute to his job as a research associate with a science education think tank on his unicycle. Simon began his community theater career in California when he was seven and has been at it, off and on, ever since. In the Washington area he appeared in The Bells are Ringing and The Man Who Came to Dinner with the Little Theater of Alexandria, working with the Capitol Hill Arts Workshop, and with the improvisational comedy troupe, Comedysportz.

Rick Hayes (Director) You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown, is Rick's fourth directing assignment for St. Mark's, having previously directed My Fair Lady, Godspell and Nunsense. He directed last year's Port City production of Talley's Folly which was nominated for several ACT awards (including Best Play and Best Director). A real control freak, Rick is also Vice President of the Players and daylights as an Administrative Assistant for the Division of Government and Community Affairs at Children's Hospital. He dedicates this show and his heart to his favorite Furrburger Goomba. His favorite cartoon character is Garfield ('cause he's fat, furry and knows how to appreciate a wicked sense of humor).

John Hutson (Technical Director) has lit most of the shows for the St. Mark's Players since almost its inception (Look, there's John hauling the sun rise ... no really!). John's favorite show was Wind in the Willows.  John has worked with other groups in the area and was trained at UVA in Theatre Tech and Scene Design ("this is a wrench, this is a light..."). In his real life ("what is reality, anyway...") John is an Information Systems Manager at a national trade association here in DC. In his copius spare time John designs, builds and flies kites ("Look there's John flying a kite! Oops, it's going up ... there goes John. Bye!").

Pat Jarvis (Music Director) has music directed My Fair Lady, Godspell and Nunsense for the St. Mark's Players. She was also seen on stage as Golde in Fiddler on the Roof and as Mother Superior in Nunsense. This is Pat's third show in a row as music director. Since March she has worked on Oklahoma! for Dominion Stage and The Fantasticks for The Arlington Players. In her spare time (!) she teaches music at a middle school in Alexandria.

Stu Kaplan (Linus) Charlie Brown marks Stu's 22nd role in a musical, but his first stage appearance in almost five years. His credits include nine appearances on Broadway (and 120th Street at Columbia University). He is currently completing a three-year run as a Pediatric Resident at Children's Hospital. He dedicates his work on this show to his friends who have supported him over the past three months, and the last three years; especially RCP, RAR, and MRV.

Marsha Lahammer (Stage Manager, Props Mistress) graduated from Northwestern University in 1993 with a degree in theater. Her past roles include Anna in The King and I, Eliza in My Fair Lady, Laurey in Oklahoma!, and Titania in A Midsummer Night's Dream. Other past productions include Yerma, Don't Drink the Water, K2 and I Never Saw Another Butterfly. When she isn't dreaming of a career on the stage, she works for a Senator from her home state of South Dakota. "Hobbes" is her favorite cartoon character, because he's the best friend anyone could have.

Pat Leitner (Patty) makes her local debut as Patty, although she has been seen (but, just barely) in high school and college productions of The Tale of Ichabod Crane, Oklahoma!, The Taming of the Shrew, and A Flea in Her Ear. A trial attorney with the Department of Justice, Pat is also an aspiring pastry chef, a full-fledged feline fanatic, and an avid supporter of community theater and service groups. Pat thanks Paul Bridenhagen, for the warm introduction to the St. Mark's Players, and E. Cat, Alex, and C.J., for being cursed with such cute, fuzzy faces. Pat also assures everyone that she would never strangle a cat!

Cami Moffat (Costumer) is a native of Los Angeles, CA - and actually likes LA! She is working in the Public Forestry Department at the American Forest & Paper Association in DC. She worked for 2 years at Utah State University's costume shop as a costume technician. Past productions include The Merchant of Venice, A Christmas Carol, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor® Dreamcoat, Nunsense and 2 seasons of USU summer stock. All of this while studying political science and history! Last year's production of The Music Man was Cami's first with St. Mark's.

Joseph Perna (Snoopy) has appeared in many community theater productions performing roles as diverse as Alan Strang in Equus and the Scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz. Other roles include Barnaby Tucker in Hello, Dolly!, Motel the Tailor in Fiddler on the Roof, and George in Our Town. Joseph has also appeared in productions of Hamlet, Rosencrantz & Guildenstern are Dead, The Elephant Man and The Fantasticks, among other plays and musicals. Most of his work has been done in his native Philadelphia area. Law school brought Joseph to Washington nearly eight years ago. He is now an international trade law attorney, specializing in antidumping law. This production of You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown marks his Washington debut.

Alvin Smithson (Rehearsal/Performance Pianist) begins his 3rd straight season with the St. Mark's Players as accompanist, conductor and actor. He's participated in Hans Christian Andersen, Godspell, Fiddler on the Roof, Nunsense, The Music Man and as coach for the Young Actors Workshop. Alvin has just completed his Masters of Music in Piano at the Catholic University of America, and received his Bachelor's at Kansas University. He's won numerous awards as a performer and recording artist, composes, teaches, performs, accompanies and tunes pianos in the DC area and nationally. He is the Music Director at the Community United Methodist Church in Arlington (where choir recruits are always welcome). Watch for his most recent recording of solo piano works. He admires Schroeder for playing masterpieces on a toy piano, Snoopy for an imagination Beethoven would roll over for, but Alvin the Chipmunk best describes Alvin's musicianship and most excellent outrageousness at always doing something cool. "ALVIN!! Where are you?l?"

PJ Thiessen (Assistant Director) is happy that the Hayes/Thiessen directing team is back in action. Last year they directed the Port City Playhouse production of Talley's Folly and this past summer ran the St. Mark's Players Young Actors Workshop, a program she initiated two summers ago. Charlie Brown begins PJ's sixth season with the Players. Her other directing credits with the Players include Co-Director of Hans Christian Andersen, Director of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Assistant Director of Shadowlands, and Children's Director of The Music Man. She also wrote book and lyrics for the Players original musical adaptation of Wind in the Willows. Her acting roles include Mrs. Mullins in Carousel, Mrs. Pearce in My Fair Lady and Fruma Sarah in Fiddler on the Roof. She is also on the Board of the Players. PJ received her Theatre Arts B.A. at Southern Connecticut State University, and her acting degree at the National Conservatory of the Performing Arts. PJ's favorite cartoon character is Jessica Rabbit, only PJ admits "I can't honestly say 'I was drawn that way'... I really am bad."

Karen Wooding (Producer) debuts with the Players this year as a Producer. Previously she has been a Box Office Manager and Costumer. She doesn't have a particular favorite cartoon character, but is fond of the characters in this cast.

A Word About the St. Mark's Players by
Stephanie Deutsch, President, St. Mark's Players

Many community theater groups are associated with churches but most perform on stages in parish halls. Few present plays as we do, in the church's nave. While our plays generally do not have obviously theological themes, all are in some way enriched by being performed here.

Years ago, during the 50's and 60's, St. Mark's and several other area congregations prepared thought-provoking dramas during the Lenten season and presented them for each other. Each performance would be followed by a discussion of the play's significance. We have maintained that tradition's sense of theater as part of our theological explorations. From the love of life in Our Town to the struggle for meaning in last season's Shadowlands, the problems of being human are central to the plays we present.

We currently produce three shows each season, both musicals and dramas. Over a hundred people, children and adults, participate each year, about half of them members of St. Mark's church, the others from all over the Washington metro area.

The Players is a membership organization, open to all participants and supporters, with officers and a Board of Directors elected by the members. Our goals are to provide personal growth to members of each company; to create an outlet for dramatic and musical talent within the community; to engage and entertain our audiences; and to contribute to worthy parish and community projects.

And we use theater to celebrate life - the funny, sad, silly exasperating, tragic and heroic stories of our time together in this world are our subject matter.

After each Saturday night show we must strike our set and reset the church for worship the next morning. After the 11:00 am service on Sunday, we reverse the process - the space becomes theater, again, for the matinee performance. This is not easy. And yet each and every show performed here is enriched, for audiences and Players alike, by its association with this beautiful, sacred space.

Members of the Board
Stephanie Deutsch, President
Rick Hayes, Vice President
Larry Cardwell, Treasurer
Ray Castillo, Secretary
Alyn Beauchamp
Fairfield Butt
Michael Clinchard
Greg Gay
Linell Grundman
John Hutson
Carole Sullivan
PJ Thiessen
Diane Wilshere

The Board gives special thanks to Glen Hoptman, who recently completed his time with the Board, for his special contributions to the Players and the Board.

St. Mark's Players Production Archive