A Brief History of Theater in Annisquam
by Terry Sands, Director AVP
excerpted from Cooking with the Cast (1999)
Theater has been an integral part of the Annisquam community for almost 100 years, and probably long before. Throughout these years, the various productions have combined elements of the Village Hall, Village Church and Yacht Club. The earliest record we could find of Annisquam dramatic presentations was a 1917 production of John Madison Morton’s classic farce, Box and Cox, starring James H. Cunningham. There were also reports of productions involving locals May Davis Deacon, Almon G. Davis, Arthur F. Bragdon and James Morrow. During the 1920s and 1930s, there was an annual follies presentation at the Yacht Club as part of Labor Day festivities.
In 1933 and 1934, there were presentations of two versions of a Cape Ann Follies performed at the Moorland Casino in Bass Rocks. These two shows, both written and directed by Theodore von Rosenvinge, were presented jointly by the Annisquam Yacht Club and the Bass Rocks Golf Club.
In 1947, a seven-year stint of annual melodrama productions commenced under the artistic direction of Joseph Donald Batcheller, head of the dramatics department at the University of New Hampshire, and musical direction of S. Foster Damon, head of the English department at Brown University. These were all presented at the Annisquam Village Hall under the name of the Annisquam International Company, a corporation which issued stocks to its members. Shows included No Mother to Guide Her (1947), Under the Gaslight (1948), From Rags to Riches (1949), The Ticket-of-Leave Man ((1950), May Blossom (1951 and the only non-melodrama of this era), The Poor of New York (1952), Skin Game and Minor Miracle (1953 spring performances),and Billy the Kid (1953) the last of the annual melodramas.
Foster Damon, the musical director of the Annisquam International Company since 1947, wrote a drama entitled The Witch of Dogtown, which received the Russel Crouse Prize for the best play on a Cape Ann theme in 1954. That same year, Joe Batcheller directed the play at Gloucester City Hall in lieu of the annual melodrama. The show was a part of the 1954 Cape Ann Festival of the Arts.
In 1955, the Howard Lindsay-Russel Crouse hit, Life with Father, was presented at Gloucester High School with Larry Brooks in the lead role and his son, Tom, as one of his stage sons. Several other Annisquam regulars appeared in the production. The next year, a new young group of actors began a dramatic tradition in conjunction with the Junior Program at the Yacht Club, producing a Follies of two original works, Rich Gold and Big Surprise.
In 1957, Joe Batcheller produced his swan song in a new dramatic format created “under the tent” with an eight-performance in one day show, Box and Cox, at the Annisquam Sea Fair in July. And that same year Bob Edgerton’s group presented Not Fit for Man or Beast in August at the Village Hall. Edgerton’s last show, Naughty-Naught (1958), was suggested by Russel Crouse and his wife, Anna, who had performed in the original Broadway production.
The 1960s showcased several musicals and Smiley Ruggles, who had played in the orchestra for so many years, assumed the directorship. The 1966 musical The Fireman’s Flame starred Peter Hazzard and Lindsay Crouse -- the only performance where Lindsay graced our stage before she took off for Hollywood. In 1969 Ruggles produced Little Mary Sunshine and recreated the successful Naughty-Naught.
The next era of the Village Players was the era of the 1980s, when Lucy Mechem directed the shows. Her first production was An Italian Straw Hat (1980) and was the first production to use the name Annisquam Village Players. All of Lucy’s shows were a collaboration of the Players and the Junior Yacht Club, with the emergence of Larry Cook as the lead and the teen heartthrob of Annisquam. Bye Bye Birdie followed in 1983; then 40 Leonard Street(1988) in which Claire Norton made her debut and then remained a steady on the stage for a number of years. This show was an original musical written by Tom Mechem and based on the Broadway hit 42nd Street.
Lucy Mechem moved to Hawaii and two years later Terry Sands co-directed his first show, Free to be . . .You and Me, with Rosalie Hughes. This was a one-night performance put o by the JP/SP kids of the Annisquam Yacht Club. The next year, the Players under Terry Sands produced two shows: Godspell in July 1991 and Annisquam Follies (written by Terry Sands and Nancy Weir) in August of that summer.
1992 was the year that started a run of annual major Broadway musicals. The first show (a sell-out) was The Sound of Music, written by Howard Lindsay and Annisquam’s own Russel Crouse. Rumour has it that much of the show was written in the Annisquam home later owned by Bob Stewart, the musical director for the show. Anna Crouse Murch gave a personal remembrance of the Broadway opening in a gala prior to opening night. Linette French, as head of ticket sales, instituted a system of reserved seating which, over the last decade, has brought order to increased demand for tickets. John Wilson and Betsy Bornhofft starred as Captain von Trapp; and Maria, while the von Trapp children grew in number from the Broadway seven to eight to accommodate the huge list of children trying out for the show. The cast that year numbered almost 100 and ranged in age from 5 to over 80!
The summer of ‘93, the Players produced South Pacific. Nancy Bornhofft took over musical direction for this play, giving Bob Stewart the first respite from the piano since 1983. Karen Gorton joined the production as choreographer, a role she kept for many years. Wilson and Bornhofft again starred as Emile deBecque and Nellie Forbush, and Job Emerson made his debut with the Players as Luther Billis, complete with undulating ship on his belly.
1994 brought the four-night run of Oliver!, where Peter Hazzard took over the musical direction with Nancy Bornhofft. And this was the year Mary Curtis arrived as assistant director and drama coach, bringing with her many years of directing and acting ability from the Dover stage. The role of young Oliver was double-cast to allow new emerging talent to bud on the stage, with Peter Lordan and Peter Carrier sharing the spotlight. Job Emerson created a memorable Fagan. In 1995, the AVP returned to a Rogers and Hammerstein musical with The King & I, complete with twelve royal children.
1996 marked the 100th anniversary of the Annisquam Yacht Club and Terry Sands wrote an original musical recounting the history of theater 100 years, with Bob Stewart and Tom Mannle writing many original lyrics. Extensive research turned up much of the music of days gone by which was recreated for this performance. It was presented for three August nights at the AYC in dinner theater format.
The Players presented My Fair Lady in 1997, with Job Emerson as the illustrious Henry Higgins; Catherine Gunn and Beth Whitlock shared the role of Eliza Doolittle. Duncan Nelson returned from 50 years’ obscurity as a magnificent Alfred P. Doolittle, obtaining rave reviews for his flea scene. Chris Frontiero introduced Gloucester High School talent to our stage, playing the comic Colonel Pickering.
1998 marked the 375th anniversary of the founding of the city of Gloucester and in the spirit of honoring native Gloucester citizens in the arts, the Players produced Russel Crouse’s fabulous Anything Goes, energized by the wonderful Cole Porter score. Claude Deering took on his first starring role as Billy Crocker, and ingenue Jenn McKay played the sexy Reno Sweeney. Anna Murch gave a personal remembrance of the show’s Broadway opening, and of its New York revival which her son, Tim Crouse had written.
The summer of 1999 marked the tenth anniversary of the establishment of annual musicals in the Village Hall. Oklahoma! brought one of Broadway’s jewels to Annisquam. That season also marked Terry Sand’s tenth year of direction of the Players, with a goal of combining local talent and the introduction of children to the stage. Peter Nelson starred as Curly, Eric Jacklin as Will, Sara Balzarini as Laurey, Beth Whitlock as Ado Annie and Chris Frontier as Jud; with musical direction by the indomitable Nancy Bornhofft. Oklahoma! reaffirmed that the best of Broadway could also flourish as the best of Annisquam.
The tenth anniversary year was a time for recognizing the heads of the backstage committees which have organised a large segment of the community. Chicki Hollett has led the set committee for the last eight years, producing backgrounds as grand as a Thai palace and as sleek as an ocean liner. Catherine Russ and her predecessor, Jill Lovejoy, produced costumes numbering in the thousands for the various shows. Catherine’s husband, John, kept us out of darkness on our stage. Jane Deering, Stevie Neal, Amy Gault, Diane Jaquith, and Kim Smith have donated their talents and energy, along with their summers as stage managers to make these miracles happen.