Three Lakes Theater Company to Produce Cinderella

By Michele Bergstrom

olks, it’s time to circle June 12, 13, or 14 on your calendars.  That’s when the Three Lakes Theater Company will bring Cinderella, Rodger’s and Hammerstein’s timeless musical, to life.

The play will be held at 7:30 p.m. each of those evenings in the Three Lakes High School auditorium.  The production will warm the hearts of all ages.  Guaranteed.

Last week on stage, as they do regularly, about two dozen actors rehearsed a ballroom scene.  They bowed and dipped, twirled and waltzed, laughed and sand, with the grandeur of the moment enhanced by . . . the prince in blue jeans?  Cinderella in hiking boots?  The fairy godmother in a sweat suit?  Yup, and having a ball.

Over and over the group ran through the scene.  They walked, gestured and trilled.  They were prodded into better positions, cajoled into singing louder.  One of the stepsisters tripped—on cue, of course—as the prince began searching for his dancing partner, and hopefully, the love of his life.  Each time through gave the scene new polish.

Director Mari Lynn Garbowicz, a special education teacher in the Three Lakes school system, allowed herself a moment of panic, “There’s so much to do and the play’s only three weeks away!”

She needn’t worry.  As it has done twice before, this local company will pull of an event that’ll leave its audience astonished at the incredible array of talent found in the woods of the north country.

This is a cohesive group that includes a mechanical engineer, professional dance instructor, insurance agent, goat farmer, taxidermist, and psychologist.  Some teachers, two youth ministers, a group of students and a few builders help round out the cast. Some have had professional voice-training; others just let their natural talent ring out.  Whoever they are, they’re your neighbors.  They’re good.

Twice before, the Three Lakes Theater Company has put on plays that brought rave reviews.  The first effort was Peter Pan, which delighted audiences with its clever innovative approach.  Last year, Oklahoma! Brought crowds to their feet whistling and cheering.  The singing, acting, sets and costumes showed the company is serious about entertaining.

Cinderella and the prince are played by a Three Lakes husband-and-wife team, Mel and Amy Ellenwood, the leads from Oklahoma!  Equally gifted in voice and directly complementing each other, the two bring professional control to their parts.  Young, attractive and dedicated, they have established a strong base in Three Lakes as youth ministers for the Three Lakes Evangelical Free Church.  Before marrying, they sang for two years with the Continental Singers, a Christian orchestra and choir that entertains in foreign countries.  They have much experience with choirs and have added class to many weddings with their singing.

The fairy godmother is played by Lisann Bolte, well-known in the Eagle River area since childhood for her clear, lilting soprano voice that has enhance many weddings and other public gatherings.  A music major from St. Norbert College in De Pere, Bolte owns Danceworks Unlimited in Eagle River, and is the choreographer for the play.

Don Meeder, a Three Lakes resident with a psychology background, plays the part of the herald. His rich, full, baritone, announcing the prince’s ball, fills the auditorium.  A graduate of Slippery Rock University in Pennsylvania, Meeder took private voice lessons in high school and sang in choirs and choruses during his college career.  He played the part of Ado Annie’s father in Oklahoma!

Donna Russell, secretary for a Three Lakes church, homemaker and mother, has acted in all three plays.  Husband Doug is again the technical director, and their daughter is also a member of the cast.  “I became an actress by default.  I brought my son in for a Peter Pan audition and was told they needed an adult to read a part.  Could I read with an English accent?  So I did and became the English housekeeper and the grown-up Wendy,” she smiled.  “I also got to supervise the 40 kids in the play!”

“In this production, I play Joy, one of the stepsisters.  Her name is a direct contradiction to her personality—she’s a sour puss!”

Russell has only praise for the production. “Everything does so smoothly. Time spent in rehearsal is much more efficient because Mari Lynn and Lori Hunter, the pianist, now have things down to a science.  They break down rehearsals into segments so not everyone has to be there each night.

“I never dreamed there could be so much professionalism.  Mari Lynn as director is marvelous.  The costumes are gorgeous, the music wonderful.  The sets are elaborate, all top quality, and have improved in efficiency so they can be bet up or torn down quickly.  The stage crew is super.  In this small area, it’s amazing there is so much talent—makes me wonder how much more is out there.”

Providing the music for the play is Lori Hunter, pianist with pizzazz.  An accountant with a love for music since childhood, Hunter has been the musician for all three plays.  To watch this small woman play the intricate challenges of Rodger’s and Hammerstein’s music is a study in precision, motion, and melody.  She has equal admiration for the actors.

“Every year more talent shows up.  During one of the first practices, we were working on a song with seven-part harmony.  After only a few times doing it, the cast got it.  This is wonderful,” laughed Hunter, accompanist and choir director for a local church.

Sara Bredesen, operator of a goat farm just north of Three Lakes, has been instrumental in set design since the company was formed.  Working closely with Chuck Hunter, Lori’s husband and a professional engineer from Sugar Camp who designs and constructs the sets with a crew, Bredesen says her group adds “filigree and flowers” to the finished sets.

“Chuck has the expertise in design.  There’s a 14-foot high castle that’s very complicated, and we’re trusting it will all fit!”

The elaborate costumes, colorful and fitting the period of the play, are the results of many hours of imaginative and skillful work from Dianna Blicharz, of Three Lakes, and her crew of ten seamstresses.

In addition to Three Lakes, cast and crew come from other local communities of Sugar Camp, Eagle River, and Crandon.  “It’s a huge commitment, but when those performance nights roll around, it’s all worth it,” said Russell. “It’s a blast!”

Couple Continues Spring Tradition

by Michelle Bergstrom

Mel and Amy Ellenwood, the talented couple captivating local theater-goers as the lead characters in last spring's "Oklahoma!" are back in full voice to wow this year's crowd. 

The attractive duo from Three Lakes will star as the famous charmaid and her prince in the TLTC's current production of "Cinderella." 

Her dark brown eyes dancing, Amy Ellenwood gave a thumbs up to Rodgers' and Hammerstein's classic musical.  "It's completely different from "Oklahoma!" which was wonderful fun," said Ellenwood.  "Last year's play was a hoe-down, down-home kind of play, but 'Cinderella' is much more magical and filled with fantasy.  The music is beautiful." 

Husband Mel, newly shaven of a trim beard because of his princely role, agreed with his wife.  "The play has a great cast, great voices, and wonderful people.  It's a perfect way to use all this local talent," he said. 

The Ellenwoods add a touch of royalty to the little pretend kingdom on the stage. Embellishing a cast already filled with a stimulating assortment of talent, background and personality, the two bring much singing experience to the performance. 

In real life, the young couple are popular youth ministers for the Three Lakes Evangelical Free Church and have earned the deepest respect not only from the kids they work with, but the adults in the community as well.  To many, their musical talents are a reflection of the deep commitment to excellence they give to anything with which they become involved. 

Mel is from San Antonio, Texas, while Amy hails from Morton, Illinois. The two met when they performed with the Continental Singers, a Christian orchestra and choir out of Thousand Oaks, California.  They toured with that organization in western Europe during 1985-1986.  They also sang full time for two years in Buffalo, New York, at a Christian camp, then for the evangelist who founded the same camp. 

After studying a year at the Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, the two married and began an active ministry that has always revolved around young people.  Choir work, weddings, funerals and other functions calling for music became a central force in their lives. 

"We've always worked in youth ministry," noted Amy, "We started in my home church in Peoria and loved it.  But then we received a call from God to come here." 

A big part of the Three Lakes scene for the past six years, the two have seen this youth ministry flourish, with many local kids participating in programs offered through the church.  They also became involved in the community.  Amy coached cheerleading at Three Lakes High School, and now teacher piano and voice at home.  Mel coached the varsity soccer team for one year and the junior varsity for three years at Three Lakes while always focusing on developing strong relationships among area teens. 

Three Lakes has become more than home for them since the births of their three children. Hannah, their eldest, is 5, Hayley is 3, and Noah, 21-months-old. 

Mel, who thrilled the "Oklahoma!" audience with the quality, power, and range of his voice has no need for a microphone.  Amazingly, he has had no formal training in voice.   Totally at home with the technical aspects of theater production, he was named assistant director of the Continental Singers at 19. 

Not only is he helpful with advice on songs from "Cinderella," he's proven invaluable with the sound equipment.  During rehearsal, it's not unusual to find the prince singing his heart out on stage, then leaping off it to listen with a technically critical ear to his colleagues, making sure the microphones are just right. 

It's obvious from her luscious mezzo soprano voice giving life to every note, that Amy has been trained to sing.  She studied voice for six years during high school and college before joining Continental Singers.  I'd never been in a musical before "Oklahoma!"  I loved being in it."  Cinderella gave her prince a smile. 

"It's so much fun doing this play with Mel. I can't imagine doing it with anyone else!"  "I've always wanted to do this," grinned the handsome prince.  "It's really been fun."

Come fall, Mel and Amy will be interested in the most important kingdom when the world of ministry begins a new pull on the couple.

Feeling that another call from God is asking them to do even more for youth ministry, but on a global scale, the Ellenwoods will leave Three Lakes for the Czech Republic.   September will find them in school preparing for the venture, with January the target date for departure.  With their three small children, they will live in Cesky Tesin.

"We feel we've received a call to go there to start a model youth ministry.  After our Polish and Czech language skills increase, we plan to train Czech nationals to do youth ministry so they don't have to be dependent on missionaries." said Mel.

"We want to help these people who've become agnostic because of years of having state-run churches.  We want to help them develop a vision and philosophy of ministry.  Most importantly, we want to help them start a relationship with Christ."

"This has not been a light decision," added Amy.  "A lot of people in the community have become family to us here.  We feel like we really got to know everyone.  Our lives are much richer because we've been here.  But through much prayer, we feel this is what God wants us to do.  We must be obedient.  We are His tools."

Take heart, fellow thespians and patrons of the arts!  While the Ellenwoods plan to live in the Czech Republic for up to seven years, they plan to keep their house in Three Lakes.

"This is home," they both said together.

They will be missed, not only for the songs they will leave in people's hearts, but also for their important contribution of helping teens recognize their intrinsic worth.  They will be especially missed by the adults who saw them accomplish that wonder.

Page last updated on 02/26/2008