”
If you wou’d not be forgotten As soon as you are dead and
rotten,
Either write things worth reading, Or do things worth the
writing.
”
– Benjamin Franklin (signer of the Declaration of Independence,
1776)
“If you wou’d not be forgotten As soon as you are dead and rotten,
Either write things worth reading, Or do things worth the writing.” – Benjamin Franklin (signer of the Declaration of Independence, 1776)
In the old Kelly Moore Paint warehouse off of Monterey Street, 28 actors move about, shuffling script pages, eating snacks, and blocking out the steps they will make as they speak their lines. They are dressed in jeans, cutoffs, and sweat jackets, but soon they will be fitted with the costumes and wigs they will wear in the musical they are rehearsing, which is called “1776.”
Abigail Adams (Tammy Piper) seems to already know all of her lines as she works her way through a scene, and Michael Lund appears to be channeling Thomas Jefferson as he practices his lines, his long face and red hair already lending credence to his Jeffersonian resemblance even without wig or costume.
When Peter Mandel (John Adams), Bill Heiser (Richard Henry Lee), Charles Krahenbuhl (Benjamin Franklin), and Tammy Piper (Abigail Adams) gave an afternoon preview of the play on Sept. 14, they generated a lot of laughter and applause from the Uvas Valley Chapter of the California Retired Teachers Association.
As “1776” producer Kathy Tom balanced her grandchild on one arm and signaled the actors to come in for the next scene with the other, it was clear what a family affair this production is. Her daughter, Colleen Chipman is directing the musical, her husband Larry is the set construction manager as well as an actor in the show, and daughter Nicole is a producer as well.
“We love doing it as a family,” Kathy Tom says. “My husband and I met in choir, and we discovered we both have a joy of theater. This way we’re all together. The laundry may not get done, but we have so much fun together as a family.”
It seems everyone in the cast wears more than one hat in bringing this story to life. The show has been in the planning stages for more than a year now, and for the last couple of months, the actors have been working every weekend to build the set, not to mention three nights a week of rehearsal.
At the end of one of the rehearsals, director Colleen Chipman reminded the actors, “Those of you who don’t have hair yet need to stay.” The show’s requirement of such a large volume of wigs adds significantly to the cost for this non-profit group of players. They are getting the wigs from a place called “Alladin’s Lamp” in Willow Glen. Some of the actors have pitched in to help with the cost, while others are growing their own hair and using extensions.
When it came time to move the set from the paint warehouse to the theatre in Morgan Hill, about twenty of these hard-working actors showed up to take it apart. They unscrewed the walls and carefully laid all the parts in the bed of a small semi and the trucks they’d brought to the parking lot. The pieces were all numbered like a jigsaw and then bolted tightly back together and braced when they were set up at the theatre.
They recycled as much material as possible from previous plays as they recreated the old State House (now known as Independence Hall) in Philadelphia.
For more than 35 years, South Valley Civic Theatre has been committed to enriching the arts scene and entertaining our community with quality productions like “1776.” Come on out and see their latest creation at the Morgan Hill Community Playhouse at 17000 Monterey Road.
Show dates are Sept. 22, 23, 29, 30, and Oct. 6 and 7, all at 8pm. There are also two Saturday matinees, Sept. 23 and 30, at 2pm. Prices are $15, with students and seniors admitted for $12. For more information, visit www.svct.org or call (408) 683-2817.
