Historical June 1986 report or notice. Original dates, prices and contacts describe the source period; current availability has not been established.
Applause, applause, applause . . .
These are the only words which will adequately describe the actors, set, and fare of the Skinker DeBaliviere 20th Anniversary Dinner Theatre held on Saturday, May 17, 1986, at New City School.
The presentation, “Penelope, Pride of the Pickle Factory,” brought to life some of the many talented actors and actresses living in Skinker-DeBaliviere. You may know them better as the “Double Decade Pickled Players.” Rita Sweets — with assistance from Arline Webb, Susan Fay, and Nancy Farmer — did an outstanding job directing the production.
The play revolved around Jasper Grimwold (Dan Shea) trying to steal the secret formula for Blocker’s pickles and a love story between good, honest Penelope Trueheart (Karen Kelsey) and handsome, honest Melvin Wentworth (Paul Kurtz).
Dan Shea, through his exceptional performance as the villain, caused the audience to “boo” and “hiss” every time he slithered onto the stage. Rich Lake, an undercover agent on the trail of Grimwold, added an element of adventure by posing as Count Frisby, whom Penelope distrusted and Bertha Blocker (Kathleen Williams) loved. Widow Trueheart (Betty Nerviani) gave a convincing performance as Penelope’s mother until she felt compelled to disclose that Bertha Blocker was Penelope’s true mother.
Following Cal Stuart’s lead, the audience of approximately 250, slipped into an exciting and enjoyable evening.
The Double Decade Pickled Players included: Karen Kelsey, Venita Lake, Tina Renard Offner, Peggy Peters, Roy Bell, Dan Shea, Kathleen Williams, Rich Lake, Paul Kurtz, Betty Nerviani, Al Nerviani, and Cal Stuart, with guest appearances by John Roach and Steve Vossmeyer.
The production staff included: Rita Sweets, Arline Webb, Susan Fay, Nancy Farmer, Bill Christman, Bob Dowgwillo, Peggy Peters, Venita Lake, Steven Radecke, Larry Pressgrove, Dale White, and Ken Cohen.
The cooks included: Neville Vatcha, Sam Green, and Hitch Powell.
A good time was had by all who attended.
Original photograph caption
A happy moment from “Penelope, Pride of the Pickle Factory.” The Times of Skinker-DeBaliviere, June 1986, page 2. Photographer not credited.
Originally published in The Times of Skinker-DeBaliviere, June 1986.
Read this article in the original newspaper issue.
Original source: SD_Times1986_06.pdf, printed page(s) 2; PDF page(s) 2.
