Girls Dressing Room – yes those are pantyhose stapled to the wall
I was so hoping to be able to travel up to West Yellowstone to attend the 50th reunion party next week. But I just can’t justify the expense right now. I have had a blast reconnecting with several friends on Facebook and on the phone who I have not talked to since that summer of 1987.
And my friend Suzanne posted her whole scrapbook of photos on facebook. Chimene Benson, daughter in law to Lynn and Fern Benson uploaded precious photos from the Benson Family Photo Album. I grabbed a few of the photos from both ladies, so here they are in a slide show.
Suzannes Father was also one of the original founders of the Playmill and she recently wrote an article for a local paper on the reunion:
“Playmill Theatre celebrates 50 years of entertainment
By Suzanne Harris-Severe
“Popcorn!” “Suckers!” “Fudge!”
To many Rexburg residents, these words conjure up years of memories of the Playmill Theatre! The Playmill, located in West Yellowstone, Montana will celebrate fifty years of music, variety, and family entertainment on June 20, 2013.
It all started with a dream. Roger Harris, had always dreamed of opening a live theatre at the west entrance of Yellowstone National Park. With three of his friends and Ricks College colleagues, Lee Gifford, Lyle Watson, and Lynn Benson, they embarked on an adventure that they never imagined would turn into a successful and popular venue. The theatre was named the Westgate Playmill Theatre then.
That first year, 1964, was a difficult one. The men spent countless hours commuting and preparing the small rented building into a stage, seating, and lights. They were the cast, crew, box office manager, and directors…usually working 20-hour days. There were only seven Ricks College students in the cast that year. Seating was simply folding chairs.
There were many obstacles and challenges. Once the power went out and the front row of the audience held candles for light. Many nights, after the show, the four men would spend hours in a local family diner called Swanson’s. They would eat dinner, usually the only meal they had time for, and cried on each other’s shoulders wondering how they were going to make it. But despite the challenges, the ‘show must go on!’
Through the first few years, three of the original founders left to pursue other opportunities; leaving Lynn and Fern Benson as the sole owners and operators.
Years later, John and Trudy Bidwell would run the theatre, and then Roger and Heidi Merrill, who currently operate the Playmill.
Through the years, hundreds of college students have experienced being a “Playmill Player” and thousands of people have laughed, cried and sung with the cast on stage. There are many cast memories of players: falling through the ceiling onto the stage; witnessing bears nearly walking through the open theatre doors; vacuuming up a lot of popcorn; meeting audience members from all over the world; forgetting lines during a show; and in some cases, meeting their future spouses.
For many years, the Playmill was associated with BYU and Ricks College. Auditions were held at both locations, and many promising drama and music students chosen would then spend a summer in some of the most beautiful country in the world. Cast members were able to receive college credits upon completion of theatre classes taught during their summer.
In the last fifty years, there have been many shows performed, gallons of soda consumed, pounds of fudge made, and hundreds of songs sung. Next week, the Playmill Player alumni look forward to a 50-year reunion (June 20-22) at the Playmill. During the reunion, alumni will see performances, participate in an alumni variety and pre-show, take a midnight drive to Old Faithful, and enjoy a luncheon where they can reminisce and enjoy re-connecting with each other.
This family-oriented theatre has created a wonderful heritage, formed life-long relationships , and have welcomed thousands of audience members into the Playmill family.
So here’s to the four men who fulfilled a dream. Here’s to those who have continued their legacy. And here’s to fifty more years of Playmill Theatre entertainment!”
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This short video clip from closing night of Pippin has the finale scene, curtain call, and street greeting which we did after every show.
This summer stock company was founded by a few Theatre Professors from Ricks College and BYU and is still going strong fifty years later. I feel so blessed to have been a part of it for a few months of my life, performing eight shows a week and living the lifestyle of the professional actor before my adult life kicked in and husband, marriage, children, and life took over.
Human Events did a great overview of where we stand today: Click HERE to read
From Joy Pullmans article:
“Fighting national education standards has given the Tea Party a new battlefront, as the Washington Post and others have noted. But the Post’s recent front-page story ignored what several of the people they interviewed stated unequivocally: The currents swelling the Common Core tsunami are mothers.
Particularly concerned about Common Core are the middle-income, female, suburban swing voters politicians want on their side. The more they learn about Common Core, the less they like it and the more vocal they get with their neighbors and school boards.
“We’re approaching a tipping point where if you’re a conservative and not against the Common Core that’s a dangerous place to be politically—and midterms are coming in 2014,” writes education consultant and Time columnist Andrew Rotherham. “Meanwhile, you can see the clear outlines of the same problem on the educational left.””
She ends the article with this:
“It’s not just stupid politics to tick off suburban moms. It is unjust and elitist to manufacture crises to herd families and voters into prepackaged options. It is especially appalling to do this to serve the political and business preferences of select cronies at the expense of everybody else’s rights and freedoms.
Common Core reflects a profound distrust in the ability of parents and communities to solve their problems, and a blind trust in forced, centralized solutions. The parents have noticed.”
I have noticed a real sense of panic from the various articles in the media and politicians who have set up this behemoth.
Bill Gates organized a Bilderberg Mini tucked away from Media Oversight last month. Click here to read.
“Bill Gates, Jeb Bush, Oprah, Bloomberg and Warren Buffett meeting at SC island
Posted: May 10, 2013 10:39 AM CDT Updated: May 10, 2013 2:35 PM CDT
By WCBD News
CHARLESTON, SC –
Bill Gates, Chairman of Microsoft and one of the richest people in the world, is spending time in the Lowcountry.
WCBD confirmed the American business magnate is at the Sanctuary on Kiawah Island.
Suspicion was raised when nearly 20 very expensive jets were seen lined up at the Charleston International Airport on Johns Island.
Officials with the Beach Company confirmed to WCBD that other big names such as New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, TV host Oprah Winfrey and Billionaire Warren Buffet flew into the Charleston Executive airport on Johns Island Wednesday night.”
After the meeting Jeb Bush went on a tour around the country attempting to put out the many Common Core fires. He also sorta announced his candidacy for President in 2016. These people are so pathetic. They have their little money streams tied to Medicine and Education and if anything or anyone attempts to mess with it, they panic and go all out in the media blasting against the activists, calling us crazy and conspiracy nuts.
The question I have for parents is, “do you want your children, who have been endowed by the God of the Universe with certain rights regarding Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness to be a worker bee in Bill Gates Global Government? Or do you want them to have the Freedom to pursue whatever will bring them joy and happiness in life?”
It is really that simple.
Here is a complete playlist that contains hours and hours of footage for why Common Core is problematic. Take some time to review it. You will be really glad that you did.
Parents, it is a really great time to just pull your children out of school and teach them at home. The loss of income from school registrations is the absolute best message to send to the powers that be.
Paul sings with a wonderful group of Men called The Master Singers. They held a series of concerts over the weekend, with the final Fathers Day performance at The Heritage Center in Cedar City Utah last night. It was such an amazing event. I was pleased that Paul was asked to give the opening prayer.
Here is my video playlist of a few of the performances:
Last night our family marked several of our favorite scriptures in the Book of Mormon. I purchased thirty Spanish books and we highlighted a few of them. We also plan to put our pictures and testimony in the front of each book and mail them to Jeff in Honduras to pass out to the people he is teaching.
Jenny Hatch
Paul sings with a wonderful group of Men called The Master Singers. They held a series of concerts over the weekend, with the final Fathers Day performance at The Heritage Center in Cedar City Utah last night. It was such an amazing event. I was pleased that Paul was asked to give the opening prayer.
