The Regional in Theatre

The Round Barn Theatre and others toss around the term "regional" to describe themselves. Definitions vary among the same theatres, but here's proof that the impact of our theatre has broad impact across northern Indiana. Last Wednesday Willy Wonk Junior was presented by The Round Barn Theatre's Joseph Stein Young Actors Studio with an all-star cast of eighteen high school students from ten schools across northern Indiana.

The Willy Wonka Junior cast includes Nicole Tompkins from St Joseph High School, South Bend,; Tanner Smale from Elkhart Memorial; Tyler Miller, Ty Stutsman, Thomas Reid and Lance Mullins from NorthWood High School in Nappanee, Ann Thompson from Chesterton High School; Tom Eiser of Triton High School, Bourbon; Jon Tyree, Nancy Tyree, Camden Robertson, John Patrick, and Haley Jaggers from Plymouth; Alex Kilmer from Trinity Lutheran in Elkhart, Celina Davis of Warsaw, Susan Grothouse of Goshen, and Emily Reth of South Bend John Adams. The production is directed by Regina Warren, choreographed and costumed by Scott Saegesser, with musical direction provided by Amber Bontrager and lighting designed by Jeremy Littlejohn.

The buses came from Ligonier Elementary School, Teachers Home School, Elkhart; Tippecanoe Valley, Bourbon; Veritas Academy, South Bend; Trinity Lutheran, Elkhart; West Goshen Elementary; Schmucker Middle School, Granger; First Baptist Christian, Mishawaka; Battell Elementary, South Bend; Concord Southside Elementary; People Praise Home School, Elkhart; Buchanan Middle School, Michigan; Christian Haven, Wheatfield; Mayflower Apostolic School, South Bend; St John's Elementary, South Bend; and Christ the King, South Bend.

Each of these young students benefited from the experience of seeing and being seen in a professionally produced musical theatre show. Our experience show that at least one person in the audience or on the stage will choose to pursue a career in theatre as they mature; and to us, that makes it all seem worthwhile.

It took twenty years

David Smith selected Mr. and Mrs. Gerard Montani as the "VIP Guests of the Day" at The Inn at Amish Acres yesterday. As he was checking them in they were excited for the recognition and proceeded to tell the story of how they found Amish Acres.

Mrs. Montani mentioned that while traveling 20 years ago they found an Amish Acres brochure lying on the seat of an airplane. At that moment the both promised each other that they would one day visit this Amish Acres. So today, 20 years later they arrived with their confirmation neatly written on the back of a vintage Amish Acres brochure.

It also was their first day of their visit to the United States; the Montani's are from France. With their complementary Amish Acres Recipes cookbook in hand, they were all smiles. I remember the warm reception we received in our hotel on our last visit to Paris; and whenever I think back to Paris, it is not the Eiffel Tower or the Louve that were visible out side our hotel room window that comes to mind first, it is Jon Paul's warm welcome at the Hotel Brighton at 218, rue Rivoli. These experiences are what make tourism such a potent force in creating a world community to go along with the new world economy.