'Noises Off'

“Noises Off,” described as “the funniest farce ever written,” closes the Central Lakes College summer theatre season July 6-10 and 13-17 in Chalberg Theatre on the Brainerd campus. Performances are at 7:30 p.m. “Noises Off” plays on the concept of a play-within-a-play, in this case a dreadful sex comedy titled “Nothing On.” The cast: Rebecca Souhrada, Brainerd, as Dotty Otley, the grande dame of the fictitious acting troupe performing “Nothing On.” Craig Hostetler, Brainerd, as Garry Lejeune, the tongue-tied leading man. Abbey Olmsted, Brainerd, as Belinda, the cast gossip and mother hen. Patrick Stenglein, Brainerd, as Frederick, an actor prone to panic attacks and nosebleeds. Marc Oliphant, Baxter, as Lloyd, the beleaguered director of the play. Emily Jensen Brainerd, as Brooke, a myopic act-by-the-numbers type. Katie Maine, Brainerd, as the harried company stage manager Poppy. Kenny Simon, Royalton, as Selsdon, the elder statesman of the troupe with an unquenchable thirst for booze. Dustin Beehler, Brainerd, as Tim, the company’s backstage technician and general gopher. Patrick Spradlin directs. Stephanie Johnson is the stage manager, assisted by Josh Mattson. Tickets: CLC Theatre Box Office at 218-855-8199, by email at www.clcmn.edu/theatre, or on the theatre’s new online ticketing site: http://www.clctickets.com/
Photo by Steve Kohls, Brainerd Dispatch

Young actors perform

Central Lakes College’s 40th summer theatre season continues July 1 and 2 when Adventure ’n Theatre presents “Rumpelstiltskin.” The play will be staged in Dryden Theatre on the Brainerd campus of CLC at 7:30 p.m. July 1 and 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. July 2 by actors in grades three through six. Dennis Lamberson is the writer/director. The production is the story of a troupe of traveling performers who arrive at the theatre to perform a production of “Rumpelstiltskin,” only to discover that the majority of the actors have taken a wrong turn and have not arrived at the theatre. To make matters worse the lost actors have all the props, costumes, and more importantly all their lunches. But the show must go on, so with the help from members of the audience the remaining actors present their production. This is an audience participation comedy for ages three and older. Members of the Adventure ’n Theatre acting company are Anthony Sloan, Andrew Smith, Madelynn Gibbons, Madeline Hinrich, Trysta Beck, Max Seymour, Megan Yeager, Austin Toal, Madison Yeager, Kristen Schreon and Mariah Hummer.

Golf event

Golfers are needed for the 12th annual Central Lakes College Heavy Equipment Golf Tournament July 20. Proceeds go directly to the CLC Heavy Equipment Training Program. The event is held at Oak Glen Country Club, Stillwater, and starts at 1 p.m. on July 20. Golf packages include range balls, field events, golf cart, 18 holes of golf, awards/prizes, a buffet dinner and program. Single golfer entry fee is $150. Foursome rate is $500. Any company wishing to buy a hole sponsorship may do so for $250. The Frattalone Companies sponsor this event each summer and have raised a significant amount of money for the Heavy Equipment program. Frank Frattalone (pictured) is a graduate of the program. If interested, contact Shelly Boss by July 9 at Frattalone Companies, Inc., ph. 651-484-0448 or email shellyb@frattalonecompanies.com

Big equipment show

The Staples-Motley Early Childhood Coalition's "Big Equipment Show" is scheduled from 4-7 p.m. June 24 in the Staples Elementary parking lot. All families are invited to attend. Vehicles will be on display from the Central Lakes College Heavy Equipment program, the Staples Fire Department, the Staples Police Department and Lakewood Health Systems. School Readiness classes are at the elementary school for children the year before they enter kindergarten. Children become familiar with the school environment and learn skills necessary for kindergarten. Due to state budget cuts, the School Readiness program is facing current and future budgetary shortfalls. The Staples-Motley Early Childhood Coalition is beginning the process to raise funds to help sustain this program long term. Freewill donations will be collected during the "Big Equipment Show" and donated to the School Readiness program. Hot dogs and root beer floats also may be purchased. The Staples-Motley Early Childhood Coalition is funded in part by a grant from the Initiative Foundation. For more information, contact Sara Dregney at (218) 894-1897.

Music Video Camp

As construction continued next door, Music Video Camp participants at the Staples campus of Central Lakes College created music videos June 14-18. Camp Director Leon Dahlvang has taught for 11 years in the Communication Art and Design program at CLC, where he once was a student. This fall he adds Videography Production to the resume' when that degree program begins in remodeled space that also links to the Photographic Imaging program. Construction is to be finished by Aug. 1, with facilities to include 20 wide-screen I-Mac computers, 10 digital video Hd cameras, two broadcast studio cameras, Ethernet connections for fast video download, and Final Cut Pro software. Shooting footage for their music video during Camp at Central Lakes College in Staples were Jesse White, Brainerd, and Elena Spradlin, McKenzie, Tenn.

Alexandria name change

The Minnesota State Colleges and Universities Board of Trustees has approved expanding the mission of Alexandria Technical College to a comprehensive technical and community college and changing the college’s name. The new name, which is Alexandria Technical and Community College, and new mission take effect immediately. The new mission will allow the college to offer the first two years of a liberal arts degree so students can transfer to a four-year institution. The college will continue to offer technical and career programs that lead directly to jobs. “Expanding the college’s mission fits well with the board’s strategic goal of providing more opportunities for Minnesotans to enter and complete post-secondary programs,” said David Olson, the board chair. The college is part of the MnSCU system that includes Central Lakes College, a community and technical college with campsues in Brainerd and Staples.

Mexican trip

A Central Lakes College delegation has delivered a package of donations to Mexico for Friends of the Orphans. Spanish instructor Jan Kurtz, students Abra Fisk of Fort Ripley and Heidi Purdy of Brainerd, and staffers Tyra Osvold of the Veterans Resource Center and Susan Bowman from Technology Support accompanied items that had been collected from students and churches in the final days of the spring semester. The five women took a large suitcase of children’s clothing, including 250 pair of underwear, as well as children’s books for Nuestros Pequenos Hermanos (Our Little Brothers and Sisters), a network of orphanages in Latin America and the Caribbean. Immersed in the language for six hours of conversational learning each day, they added to the experience by staying with Mexican host families.“We went on an excursion that included the Basilica of Guadalupe and Teotihuacan, the city of gods and pyramid of the sun and moon,” said Kurtz.