We had some rather professional musicians that told us, there is a reason you don't see this show performed very often. It is a very difficult show to do, that requires expert scene changes, a skilled orchestra, and at least eight fantastic vocalists. They told us they were impressed at how well we covered ALL of those requirements.

As you may have noticed, I put up a cast photo on the main page, and added the short page of show pictures as well. Should you have an interest in the full resolution shots of all the show pictures (126 shots) you can click here.

I thought I better get this page finished and updated before the post production depression set it. Hopefully we can decide on the next fall musical and Christmas special soon. Then we'll have a full year's worth of shows to look forward to. Nothing cures that depression faster than planning the next production.

Stay tuned for Noises Off happening this coming April 2007!

The excitement and drive is there however, and you can expect a wonderful show the next three nights!   Friday night is still your best night for great seats.   There are good seats available for all remaining performances at this time.  Be sure to all and get your seats reserved!

Hopefully you've had the opportunity to talk to people who have seen the show.  We're having a great time putting this show on for you, and the audiences seem to be enjoying our efforts as well.   Heart-warming fun all around.  Come join us for the closing weekend of Annie Warbucks!

We'll work on some show pictures this next week, and is our usual custom, we will post those after the close of the show.   We had several of our original 1992 Annie cast with us on Opening night, so that was a joy for all involved.  I just had to share one photo of our 1992 Annie with our current 2006 Annie Warbucks.  The surprising thing is that they are both the same size!   Hopefully being Annie doesn't do anything to stunt your growth! <G>

We had a great audience and the cast enjoyed the interaction and response to all our hard work.   It looks like a good audience for tonight's show, and a fantastic audience for the matinee.   There are still seats left for all performances at this time.  The best seats are for next Friday night (Oct 6th) if you are looking for the time to go.

Hope to see you there.   We'll make you smile!

It is the mark of both a good show, and a close cast, when even before opening, not only is every cast member ready and waiting for that audience, but also lamenting the fact that we only perform this show six times for an audience.   I have a feeling, if the area supported longer runs, you wouldn't have a hard time convincing the great majority of this cast and crew to continue!

Even more striking is the mixed senses of joy at the opening and sharing our finished product, and sadness that comes from knowing this experience will soon be over.   People often ask if we won't be happy to get our lives back when this is over.  For the majority of us, the answer is a resounding NO.  Not that I'm one for sports metaphors, but it's like asking a football fan if they're happy that the Superbowl is finally over.  We all want to share with an audience, and while we all know we can't keep up this level for much longer, we are savoring every moment of it!

Come and join us, and savor with us, the joy that only live theater can bring!

From the smallest orphan to the largest member of my staff these people have talent in abundance and have been showing it to me nightly this past week.   Now we need to show it to YOU!

Annie Warbucks is a wonderful show with absolutely beautiful music sung by some of the finest voices in N.E. Iowa.  Don't miss it.  You have six opportunities over the next two weekends.   You'll be very happy you made the time.  There is no other opportunity for such entertainment at these prices.   The cast and crew await you with a song in their hearts and a smile on their face!

There are three nights left for us to fine tune an already good show.  The directors are working on perfecting the acting of all of those on stage, so that if for some reason your eye wanders and concentrates on a supporting character when they are not the center of action, the story line and feel of the production is never broken.  We want this experience to be a complete immersion into the story we are about to tell.  When there is anguish on stage, you should feel a knot in your stomach, when we laugh, you should laugh too, when there is joy, your heart should be lifted up.  This is something that only live theater can truly attain.   You are there, you can feel the tension, the happiness, the love, and the joy first hand.

Prepare yourself for Annie Warbucks as we prepare for you.

This time, I knew it made much more sense to take care of my hair without such a device.   The only thing more difficult, is explaining to people what happened to my hair.   In this day and age, people often start to think you lost it due to some medical treatment!  Please feel free to tell everyone you meet, that Craig Strutt shaved his head for the upcoming performance of Annie Warbucks at the Elkader Opera House.

We did record the event in pictures.   I'm sure this is something that I'll always remember.   Just like I'm sure that if you join us for the show, it will be something that you will always remember.

It is not a sentimental story, or a kids show, or a romantic comedy.  It is a perfect blend of all of those things and more.  If you want to see a light comedy, a romantic story, a children's show, a musical with music you will be humming for days, or a plain old "feel good" show, then Annie Warbucks is for you!

We are still fine tuning our sound system and touching up our dances.  I marvel at how kind and patient our choreographers can be when dealing with some of us that don't know a waltz from a box step, let alone a shuffle step or some of those other dance steps that leave my mind boggled.  Please be kind, and don't mention to me that my tongue was hanging out as I concentrated on my steps. :-)

This show presents some similar situations as we had in several of our past major musicals.  We are using some minor video projection, some silouette set pieces, some fantasticly smooth scene changes, as well as off stage backup singing that requires a video connection between the pit and back stage to keep things in sync.  Then, of course, we try to keep monitors of the stage going in the pit and back stage so both our orchestra and cast & crew can stay in tune with what is happening on stage.

All of this is done in such a way that we hope you will not notice anything but a seamless show unfolding before you.  Making that happen does take effort.  The hallmark of an OHP show has become making it flow so well that you never once think about what time it is, or where we are in the show.   With over a week left before opening, we are well on our way to making that happen.  Come join us.  Grab one of the remaining seats and enjoy an evening with Annie Warbucks!

"I'm very pleased" with the results of all our hard work thus far, and with less than two weeks left till opening we're pushing things to the limit to give you the best show possible. Nine rehearsals left, which reminds me... I've still got to learn that dance...

We welcomed more orchestra members last night. The added dimension above and beyond our already skilled accompanist was very noticeable. These wonderful songs are coming alive. The matinee is still the most "sold" of our performances. If you want great seats, there are still some available for most of the other performances. Don?t wait however. Things continue to sell briskly.

I promised some new pictures and here they are, from the Sept. 14^th rehearsal.

Just because I can, I have taken the opportunity to put up a short sound clip of a rehearsal of "All Dolled Up" along with a still shot from that rehearsal.  Click here to see the picture and hear the clip.   You must have sound capability (of course) for this to work.

No excuses however!   We will be ready to go as always.   This is the standard point in rehearsals where we always start to wonder when things will pull together.  Notice, it is not *if* but *when*.   This group always comes through, and this cast and crew will be no different.   If you see people with tired looks on their faces who seem to be moving a bit slower through the day, you may be looking at a member of our hard working cast and crew.  Give them encouragement!   We're working to give you an absolutely wonderful show.   The kind of production you have come to expect from the OHP.

The phone is ringing, and tickets are flying out the door.   Don't be one of the surprised people that wonder why main floor is no longer available.    Of course, for this production, all the seats will be good.  That's the advantage of the truly wonderful Elkader Opera House.

Join us for an evening of fantastic entertainment.  Annie Warbucks opens September 29, 2006.

I thought I'd take this opportunity to show you a couple of pictures from rehearsal just to prove we are there and working!

Get your ticket soon if you want premium seating. All the seats are good however. That's the beauty of this theater. Don't wait to hear the reviews on this one. By then it may be too late.

Normally we wonder after a read-through if we have allowed enough time to put the show together and make it good.  I don't think there is any question this time!  Songs were belted out and lines were read with lots of character.  Chelsy is going to do a phenomenal job as Annie.  Amanda is perfect for Grace, Clark is the perfect southern sharecropper and Sophia as his daughter C.G. (Christine Grace for those of you that wondered) really shines.  It's also wonderful to have Jerry back as Drake, and Dave may have found his near perfect role as Simon.

There were lots of other people I could mention, Shirley, Katie, Kim.. the list goes on and on, and I haven't even touched on the other orphans!  You get the idea though. This is a dynamite cast!   Even some of the people who had to miss the rehearsal or some reason (we called it on rather short notice) will be perfect for their roles.  Many of us are already envisioning what character and vocal skills they will bring to their parts.  Anne, you will be the perfect proper caring southern lady, and Diane.. let's just say your role as the Witch in The Wizard of Oz will put you in good stead to play Commisioner Doyle!

Can you tell I'm excited to be a part of this production, and for us to begin in earnest to start to get this wonderful music and dialogue down?  Stay tuned as we plunge into Annie Warbucks! 

We're working out the details of the remaining rehearsals. Obviously we want to get started. Watch for emails / phone calls. Rehearsals will begin next week.

We even spent some time on the set for this show. I think people are going to be impressed with this production from start to finish.

I would be remiss if I didn't make at least one comment about the Moto Guzzi show last weekend. Great production. The visiting motorcyclists seemed to enjoy the production a great deal. Of course... perhaps it was just the air-conditioning. ;-)

Cast - be sure to watch your email for notification of the first full read-through and for handout of materials.  The music is beautiful, but somewhat difficult, so we will be spending quite a bit of time on that in the beginning.  The orphans have been working on their music already.  It's time for the adults to play catch up as usual.

We have plenty of ideas for the set that I hope will knock your socks off.  We've learned a lot over the past couple of years in terms of set design, lighting, and sound.  I hope that we can use this production to show you just how far we have come.   We have purchased new lighting instruments for use for this show, and for other acts that may use the Opera House.    The OHP would like to continue to help make this one of the premiere locations for talent in the area.  Stay tuned for more info on Annie Warbucks.   If you are interested in some light variety entertainment, be sure to stop by the Opera House this weekend (July 14 & 15, 2006) for the 8pm National Moto Guzzi Rally show.   Tickets are only $5.

It was fun to see all that talent on stage.  We did get a chance to take a picture last night during the orphan tryout portion of the night.   I'll try to get a copy and get one online.  It's pretty amazing seeing all those bright faces, and it was thrilling hearing all those voices singing out with "Annie ain't just Annie anymore."

Standby for a wonderful experience this fall!  Annie Warbucks begins!

I want to remind people that there are lots of wonderful adult parts available as well.  We had a good number of both men and women there last night, but I would love to make the casting committee's job just as hard for the other parts as well!

This show has some fantastic music and character roles for people to shine.  Oliver Warbucks, Drake, Grace, Harriet Doyle, Mrs. Kelly, President Roosevelt, Alvin & Ella Patterson.  All major roles that people will walk out of the theater remembering.

Come join us for the final night of tryouts and be part of another fantastic OHP show that will have people saying, "It was as good or better than any professional show I've ever seen."

Annie Warbucks is another wonderful show, with some fantastic music.  We've already started planning set, and interest is high both among potential cast members and theater goers.

Those of you who are interested in being part of the cast or crew for this fall's show, please remember to bring a list of conflicts with you to tryouts this coming May 24th & 25th.   For those of you interested in being prepared ahead of time, I've posted the tryout sheet online here.  It is in PDF format, and you can print it out and have it filled in when you come to the theater in Elkader at 7pm.

Please remember to come to the side door.  We do our best to remember to open the front doors, but the side, and stage doors will always be open during tryouts and rehearsals.

We're going to be trying something a bit different for these tryouts.  Normally, we plan on teaching people a song or two from the upcoming production.  We still plan on doing that, but for those that may feel more comfortable coming prepared, this time we will also allow people to bring a show tune of their own choosing to showcase their vocal talents.  We do request that it is a show tune from a musical production.

In this way, we take the learning and sight reading out of the picture for people who may be wonderful vocalists, but just require a bit more time to feel comfortable with a song.   Certainly, this is not required, and you can feel comfortable learning and singing from songs we provide as well.

Tryouts for a production such as this normally last over two hours, so be prepared.  We'll move things along as quickly and efficiently as possible.  If people can make both nights, that is appreciated, but not required.  If you can not make either night, the earlier we know that fact, as well as available alternate times, the more likely we can arrange a possible alternate tryout date.

You can contact us at ohp@icsbbs.com