Through Feb. 18: ‘Prelude to a Kiss’ at Fire Hall Theatre
New Year’s Resolution? Check!
Lose weight. Take yoga. Eat more kale. Act on stage?
About 40 percent of people have already broken their new year’s resolutions. However, this February, some area residents will be meeting their goals when they take to the Fire Hall stage for the first time on Feb. 2, when the Greater Grand Forks Community Theatre (GGFCT) opens Craig Lucas’s dark comedy Prelude to a Kiss.
The play revolves around a magical kiss that takes place at a wedding. A mysterious, elderly man asks the beautiful young bride if he can have a kiss. Surprised, she obliges, and soon after the audience realizes that the elderly man and the young bride have switched bodies. The groom spends the play trying to unravel the magical moment and convince the man to leave his wife’s body.
While Fire Hall patrons will recognize some familiar faces on stage – Patrick DeMars, Rob Howard, David Kary, Theresa Knox, Robert Simon, Brooke Pesch, and Tina Wilkening, the GGFCT welcomes some new actors and crew to its stage.
Meg McGuire, who plays the minister and Tami the bartender, was last on stage “forever and a life time ago” in childhood and high school. “My kids are starting to get older and it’s been an underlying passion for me, so I decided to give it a go and see if the passion is still there.” Over the last five weeks of rehearsal, she affirms it definitely is.
Andrew Sailer, originally from Beulah, N.D., plays Taylor, the groom’s best man. Andrew sent an email to the Greater Grand Forks Community Theatre in fall of 2016 inquiring about acting classes. While the theatre isn’t currently offering classes for adults, he was encouraged to try out for the next play. He did and soon found himself cast in his first Fire Hall Theatre show. He has enjoyed the rehearsal process “and building connections with everyone else in the production – that has always been the best part when acting.”
Dave Dauphinais finds himself getting in deeper and deeper. For the last two years he’s served as a Foley operator on the December radio plays, and he’s master-minded quite a number of special effects for various productions on the Fire Hall stage. While this isn’t technically his first speaking role on stage, he did have an announcer role in Miracle on 34th Street, Dave is all in for Prelude. Not only did he have to memorize lines this time, he even grew an ‘80s mustache to show his commitment to his role.
Kirsten Dauphinais, a member of the GGFCT Board, put a toe on the Fire Hall stage in last season’s radio play, It’s a Wonderful Life, but she was active in theatre in high school and college. An Associate Professor of Law at the University of North Dakota, this is her first time serving as assistant director on a GGFCT production.
The final new addition to the Fire Hall family is Leslie Lekatz, an Assistant Professor of Animal Science at the University of Minnesota – Crookston. Leslie was last seen at Fargo-Moorhead Community Theatre in Rumors (2014). Getting back involved with theatre has been a goal of hers since moving to the Grand Forks Community. She picked a challenging role as the bride who switches bodies with the mysterious old at her wedding reception. Patrick Pearson, the director for Prelude to a Kiss, is delighted with Lekatz’s work and is eager to introduce her to local audiences.
Additional talent involved: Laura Nelson and Lena Davis are providing backstage assistance, Scott Correll will be on the light/sound board.
Tickets: $15 and $12 for seniors, students, military with I.D. Contains adult language, not intended for children. Please call 701-777-4090 for tickets.
Dates: Feb. 2-18, Thursday – Saturday at 7:30; Sundays at 2 p.m.
*Special Valentine’s Day Package: Two tickets, plus indulge in a chocolate fountain, a rose for your beloved, and other special surprises: $45. Must purchase by Feb. 13.
