USP Announces auditions for Leaving Iowa
The Little Mermaid Closes.
From the beautiful and complex costumes, the wonderful singing and acting, through to the overall visual spectacle, Union Street Players’ production of Disney’s The Little Mermaid delighted our audiences young and old! Again, USP celebrated a host of new actors who have never before performed on our stage along with our seasoned actors who regularly contribute to our productions. It was a tremendous undertaking but thanks to the hard work and dedication of everyone involved, we stretched our limits once again to bring a strong performance to our beloved audience!
A special “Thank You!” to the cast and crew, our directors and producers, parents and guardians, and everyone else who helped in ways big and small to bring this production to our stage!
Attendance:
Tuesday, November 27 – 104
Friday, November 30 – 224
Saturday, December 1 – 225
Sunday, December 2 – 305
Thursday, December 6 – 179
Friday, December 7 – 268
Saturday, December 8 – 274
Sunday, December 9 – 336
Total: 1915
USP Awards Night
Over 80 people attended the annual Union Street Players Awards night on October 6th at the Pella Golf and Country Club. (Photos to follow soon)
Wendy Vander Well was inducted into our USP Walk of Fame in honor of her outstanding contributions to the organization over a span of 14 years! Contributions include being a member of the USP Board of Directors from 2004-2017, Treasurer from 2007-2017, Makeup designer, in charge of Front of House, Set crew, Props Master, Producer, Assistant Director, Director, and performed in 13 roles according to the USP Database. In addition, she is responsible for creating our Walk of Fame awards night, and moving the organization to online ticket sales. There was a standing ovation for Wendy’s induction as a heartfelt thank you for her work.
For the second year, the USPy Awards were given honoring the outstanding contributions of cast and crew members from last year’s productions of:
It’s a Wonderful Life, 12 Angry Men, and Kiss me, Kate!
The USPy winners are:
Outstanding Actor in a Leading Role – Lonnie Appleby as George Bailey in It’s a Wonderful Life
Outstanding Actress in a Leading Role – Lynn Cooper as Lilli Vanessi/Katharine in Kiss Me, Kate
Outstanding Actor in a Supporting Role – Danny Rivas as Juror #7 in 12 Angry Men
Outstanding Actress in a Supporting Role – Denise Gregory as Mother Bailey in It’s a Wonderful Life
Outstanding Young Performer – Annabelle Winward as Zuzu in It’s a Wonderful Life
Outstanding Newcomer – Justin Lenger as Juror #5 in 12 Angry Men
Outstanding Direction – Spence Ver Meer for 12 Angry Men
Outstanding Production – It’s a Wonderful Life
Outstanding Technical Achievement – Mat Kelly for Set Design in It’s a Wonderful Life
Outstanding Ensemble – Danny Rivas and Robert Uy as Gangsters 1 and 2 in Kiss Me, Kate
Outstanding Crew Member for It’s a Wonderful Life – Leigh Rasmussen
Outstanding Crew Member for 12 Angry Men – Jim Emmert
Outstanding Crew Member for Kiss Me, Kate – Holly Long-DeWolf and Denise Gregory
USP Awards Night, October 6th!
At the annual Union Street Players Awards night on October 6th
Wendy Vander Well was inducted into our USP Walk of Fame for outstanding contributions to the organization in a variety of capacities for over a span of more than 10 years!
And the USPy Awards were given honoring the outstanding contributions of cast and crew members from last year’s productions of:
It’s a Wonderful Life, 12 Angry Men, and Kiss me, Kate!
And the winners are:
Outstanding Actor in a Leading Role – Lonnie Appleby as George Bailey in It’s a Wonderful Life
Outstanding Actress in a Leading Role – Lynn Cooper as Lilli Vanessi/Katharine in Kiss Me, Kate
Outstanding Actor in a Supporting Role – Danny Rivas as Juror #7 in 12 Angry Men
Outstanding Actress in a Supporting Role – Denise Gregory as Mother Bailey in It’s a Wonderful Life
Outstanding Young Performer – Annabelle Winward as Zuzu in It’s a Wonderful Life
Outstanding Newcomer – Justin Lenger as Juror #5 in 12 Angry Men
Outstanding Direction – Spence Ver Meer for 12 Angry Men
Outstanding Production – It’s a Wonderful Life
Outstanding Technical Achievement – Mat Kelly for Set Design in It’s a Wonderful Life
Outstanding Ensemble – Danny Rivas and Robert Uy as Gangsters 1 and 2 in Kiss Me, Kate
The Little Mermaid has been cast!
Director: Deb Linn – Producer: Denise Gregory
Ariel – Kaitlyn Collin
Prince Eric – Michael Howland
King Triton – Danny Rivas
Grimsby – Jim Palmer
Ursula – Phyllis Beyer
Sebastian – Brad Rozenboom
Scuttle – Denise Gregory
Flounder – Sami Clark
Flotsam – Mia Andringa
Jetsam – McKenna Evans
Winward – Griffin Turner
Leeward – Hope Vos
Chef Louis – Doug Dewolf
Mersisters/Princesses:
Sarah Purdy
Taylor Decious
Sarah Maxwell
Emily Cutler
Katie Williams
Kathryn Andringa
Sailors/Sous Chef:
Pilot – Mark Schaefer
Arlyn Stuart
Chris Brown
Scott Vandenberg
Spence Vermeer
Jim Emmert
Dayrel Gates
Doug Dewolf
Maids:
Sarah Dron
Lynn Cutler
Hanna Sampsel
Zarah Van Dyke
Gulls:
Karen Ryals
Marti Zylstra
Sea Creatures/Merfolk
Amaya Cervantes
Carlyn Henry
Claire Braafhart
Kate Braafhart
Jessa DeNooy
Raegan Decious
Josephine McDonald
Kadin Ryals
Della Hesseltine
Rashaun Boyer
Aurelia Zylstra
L. Ver Meer
Kristina Mullen
Kenzie Kanis
Kelly Dykema
Kiss me, Kate closes.
Kiss me, Kate featured fabulous costumes, great music and the fantastic voices of a cast who clearly enjoyed every minute of the performances. We think our audiences enjoyed the shows very much too. Once again we were lucky to have so many talented actors and crew members help us bring this production to life!
As the director, Pati Van Zante noted “This has been a fun and challenging musical production, Mr. Porter has provided a wide range of musical challenges and this cast has risen to those challenges. Special thanks to vocal directors Spence Ver Meer and Kathy Haug for setting the bar so high, and getting us all up and over, to Tyler Coleman for working with the score and orchestra recording to bring a full digital orchestera to this USP production, and to my producers, Denise Gregory and Holly DeWolf whose help and mad organizational skills have made this production and the director’s sanity possible. Thanks to a talented, dedicated cast, crew and production staff.”
I would also like to add a special thanks to our audience members who attended our production and helped spread the word! We sincerely hope you enjoyed the show!
Attendance:
Friday, July 27 – 98
Saturday, July 28 – 77
Sunday, July 29 – 71
Tuesday, July 31 – 79
Friday, August 3 – 102
Saturday, August 4 – 93
Sunday, August 5 – 79
Total of 599 attendees
USP announces auditions for The Little Mermaid!
