THE ROUND BARN THEATRE
AMISH ACRES ®
November 11, 1999

Meet Me In St. Louis Last Look At 20th Century At The Round Barn Theatre

NAPPANEE, Indiana - The Turning of the Century Season at the Round Barn
Theatre at Amish Acres comes to a close with its final 1999 production of
Meet Me in St. Louis November 16 through December 31. The show was selected,
along with Hello, Dolly! and Annie Get Your Gun as a final salute to the
20th century as it came in with hope and innocence. Meet Me in St. Louis was
selected to cap the season because of its dual role in the American
consciousness.

Although the show, first produced as a movie, follows the fortunes of the
Smith family leading up to the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition--The St.
Louis World's Fair--it swept the nation on the brink of the end of World War
II late in 1944. The nostalgic tales and stories of young love struck a
chord in families far and wide who had loved ones over seas and away from
home serving in military uniform. Victory was in sight and the promise of a
return to normal life was in the air. Of course the life the nation returned
to was far from the one it put on hold following Pearl Harbor. But dreams
can fill voids and bring comfort when most needed. Perhaps no show in cinema
history captured both the optimistic mood of the beginning of the 20th
century and the cautious longing for a return to unfettered family life near
the end of World War II.

Sally Benson wrote a series of sketches in the New Yorker about her
childhood remembrances. The sketches were soon published in book form and
the film followed shortly thereafter. The story of "fond recollections" was
new to literature. Neither the Greeks, Romans, Shakespeare nor Bernard Shaw
wrote about their childhood memories. The first important such self-portrait
was Eugene O'Neill's Ah, Wilderness! in 1933, a play with a unique tie to
Amish Acres Round Barn Theatre. It was turned into one of Broadway's biggest
musical hits in 1959, under the title of Take Me Along starring Jackie
Gleason and written by Joseph Stein, author of Plain & Fancy and Fiddler on
the Roof, for whom the stage of the Round Barn Theatre is dedicated. Look
for Take Me Along to be presented on the Joseph Stein Stage in the near
future.

Although "The Trolley Song" and "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas"
were written for the show by Hugh Martin and Ralph Blaine, many songs, the
title song for example, was pulled from great American popular music. The
show features rousing versions of "Skip to my Lou" and "Under the Bamboo
Tree." "The Trolley Song" vaulted to the top of the Hit Parade before the
film opened. "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" sets the stage for one
of the show's most enduring scenes. Finally in 1960 the live theatre
received the gift of Meet Me in St. Louis as a full fledged musical, with
the addition of eight new songs by the original composers. A $5 million
dollar Broadway production opened at the mammoth Gershwin Theatre in 1984
and national tours continue to cross the country nearly annually.

Tootie Smith, the authoress's alter ego was made famous by eight year old
Margaret O'Brien, whose show stealing performance still did not dim the
light of the redheaded Judy Garland who played Tootie’s sister, Esther and
whose instant stardom became legend. Of equal significance the Smith
family's bittersweet decision not to relocate to New York City foretold the
end of the integrated family unit as the norm, as job opportunities continue
to relocate and scatter American families at an ever-increasing rate.

Elena Graham of Granger, Indiana will make her stage debut as Tootie at
Amish Acres. Her grandfather and Don Knotts grew up together in West
Virginia and remain best of friends. Grandfather plays banjo and records
CDs. During a summer family picnic on a lake, Elena, whose parents had no
idea of her interest in singing, joined in and could be heard across the
lake in perfect pitch! This is her first theatre experience. She attends
Stanley Clark school in South Bend and has arranged to work her schooling in
with her rehearsal and performance schedule.


The story, its music and its obtuse message make it the perfect vehicle for
the Nappanee troupe. A cast list of 1999 company members and veterans from
past seasons includes some of the most popular performers to have appeared
at the theatre. Kent M. Lewis, most recently seen as Frank Butler in Annie
Get Your Gun helms the family as the boisterous yet tender father, Mr.
Smith. Kent also co-helms the production, sharing staging responsibilities
with Scott Saegesser. Marcia Sofley and Lindsay Genshaft, seen throughout
1999 in a wide variety of roles play the two oldest daughters, Esther and
Rose. Other Round Barn regulars include Scott Saegesser as brother Lon
Smith, Robert Geils as Rose’s suitor, Warren Sheffield. Grandpa Prophater is
played by the versatile Joe Clark, featured in Plain & Fancy as Papa Yoder
and a series of memorably comic roles throughout the season. John C. Brown,
a regular performer at Augusta’s The Barn Theatre will be returning to Amish
Acres as "The Boy Next Door," John Truitt. John C. Brown was featured as Man
#3, the musical director for the March 1998 hit production of Closer Than
Ever. In a surprising casting coup, Sara Heigaard known for her chameleonic
portrayals at the theatre (Marian in The Music Man; Aunt Eller in Oklahoma!;
Miss Hannigan in Annie) will return to play the feisty Irish maid, Katie.

The set requires a multi-level, multi-location representation of The Smith
Family manse, a ballroom and the World’s Fair. The task of designing for the
intimate 400 seat theatre is being met by Cain M. Bilbrey, a veteran of
several seasons at Augusta’s The Barn Theatre. Cain will also be designing
the lighting for the period piece. Costumes are designed by Scott Saegesser.
Musical Direction for Meet Me in St. Louis will be provided by another "Barn
Theatre" veteran, David Jenkins. Sound Design is by Timothy Bennett of
Elkhart.

Amish Acres eight-week run of Meet Me in St. Louis will end with the show's
final performance on New Year's Eve. It will be followed by a cabaret show
in the Round Barn, three parties accommodating 800 guests and conclude with
fireworks at midnight across the farm's pond, perhaps, the Nappanee
community's equivalent of the Smith's first visit to their beloved World's
Fair.

Call the Box Office at 800-800-4942 for tickets. Shows are most Wednesdays -
Saturdays at 8pm and Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday at 2pm. Theme buffets
will be November 19, 26, December 10, 17. Reservations are required.

Meet Me in St. Louis Buffet
1904 World's Fair
Louisiana Purchase Exposition
Birthplace of hot dogs, ice cream cones, iced tea,
Dr. Pepper, peanut butter and cotton candy

45 full restaurants and 80 food vendors
The German restaurant in the East Pavilion and the Italian restaurant in the
West Pavilion
Each seat over 2000 diners at a time

Friday nights, November 19, 26, December 10, 17
Reservations Required

Appetizers
Pigs in a Blanket

Soup
Swiss Cheese Soup

Salad
Caesar Salad
Roquefort Blue Cheese dressing

Breads
Bavarian Stolen Bread

Entrees
Italian Lasagna

French Beef Burgundy over Noodles

Starch
Parsley New Potatoes

Vegetables
New World Squash
Spanish Rice

Desserts
German Chocolate Cake
Brenda's Crème' Brulee
Mrs. Smith's Apple Cinnamon Pie
Tootie Fruitie

Never before Served
Over 300 pounds of ice made and stored daily.
Mint Iced Tea!
Iced Water!

Reservations 1-800-800-4942
More Information on "Meet Me in St. Louis" at Amish Acres


Angie Pletcher-Stillson
Amish Acres
1600 W. Market St.
Nappanee, IN 46550
Phone & Fax(219) 773-3722
AngiePletcher@AmishAcres.com
www.amishacres.com