MP Community Theatre hosting 50 year reunion June 8

Kay Young never imagined that a performance of 'The Man Who Came to Dinner” in the fellowship hall at First Presbyterian Church in 1969 would launch a 50-year tradition of Mt. Pleasant Community Theatre.

'It was a pretty good play and a pretty good cast,” Young said. 'We started with people who stayed with us over the years.”

Mt. Pleasant Community Theatre will be celebrating their 50th anniversary with an evening of reunion and reminiscing on Saturday, June 8, from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Mt. Pleasant Country Club. Anyone who has participated throughout the years on stage or behind-the-scenes or has an interest in community theater is invited. There is no charge, reservations are requested and a free-will donation will be accepted. There will be a cash bar and a light supper will be served.

Young organized that first Community Theatre show because ever since she was a little girl, theater has been her passion. She loved theater, movies and really good TV is her 'thing,” she said.

In college, she tried out for her first play and found it was something she was good at.

'I loved reading plays and looking at characters and studying what they were trying to say. Theater tells us so much about life,” Young said.

Following a couple of good seasons, Mt. Pleasant Community Theatre organized their first musical. They performed in the chapel at Iowa Wesleyan University with a full orchestra.

After rehearsals, Young said the cast and crew would spend time in one of the cast members' backyards, have a drink and talk about the show and their characters.

'We really tried to dig into the show and know what we were doing,” Young said. 'I find in most amateur theater one thing is lacking: Are people actually understanding their character and what their character's main purpose is? It's a craft you constantly want to improve on.”

Young slowed down in her involvement in Community Theatre in the late 1980s after she started working for Farm Bureau. She is impressed with those who continue to direct and perform in shows year after year, and credits Lynn Ellsworth with the quality of many of the productions. Ellsworth performed in Mt. Pleasant Community Theatre's first performance and has been involved off and on since then.

Young said that the most amazing thing about Community Theatre over the past few years was the dedication to it by Lola Swan, who died earlier this year.

'Lola was there from the day it started until she passed away a month ago,” Young said. 'She was our treasurer and kept us straight as far as money was concerned. Lola was in one or two of our plays. She was very needed and appreciated - I'm not sure if she was appreciated enough - but I appreciated her so much because she stuck with it all those years, and I didn't.”

Ellsworth said that Swan's dedication to the organization shows that it's a significant part of community life in Mt. Pleasant.

'It can be a durable activity in one's life, and Lola was a steady, consistent person who kept the books. That was pretty important to have someone who was dedicated to that,” Ellsworth said.

Swan's commitment to Mt. Pleasant Community Theatre will be recognized with a plaque that will be unveiled during the reunion on June 8.

Ellsworth said that Community Theatre started the same way it's continued over the last 50 years - with new people wanting to participate at different times.

'It will ebb and flow and for a while there won't be any directors to keep it going, and then they'll be more directors to do more shows,” she said.

With seven Community Theatre performances under her belt, Ellsworth said she's kind of a ham when it comes to the stage. She likes to perform, sing and try on new characters.

Mt. Pleasant Community Theatre adds to the quality of life in Mt. Pleasant, Ellsworth said. She has gotten to meet a lot of interesting people over the years, and it's been a good creative outlet for her.

'From the audience, I hear they're always so surprised with how much talent we have,” Ellsworth said. 'Community Theatre is a gift to the community, for both performers and audience members. That's very rewarding.”

Ellsworth said she hopes the reunion on June 8 has a good turnout of Community Theatre participants from all eras.

'I don't play sports, but I imagine that's what it feels like. You're like a team in this one point in time, and you have special memories built around those experiences,” Ellsworth said. 'I'm hoping to see some people I haven't seen for a while and reconnect with them.”

To RSVP, text or call Dave Brown at 319-931-7113 or Karen Brimhall at 319-931-2683.