The Santaland Diaries

PRESENTED BY
AND

SPONSORED IN PART BY

NOV 25–DEC 22, 2016

Comedy—Theatre PG-13

For mature elves only.

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La Crosse Community Theatre,
Pump House Regional Arts Center

and Casino Bar present

THE SANTALAND DIARIES

By DAVID SEDARIS
Adapted by JOE MANTELLO

Starring

MICHAEL SCOTT

Directed by

ANNE DRECKTRAH

Originally produced in New York
by David Stone and Amy Nederlander-Case on November 7, 1996

Special Acknowledgments

Thank you to all who made this production possible, including Polly, Ian, Emma and Owen Scott, Diane Breeser
and Susan Fox.

Production and Design Staff

Director.....................................Anne Drecktrah Costume Designer.........................Irina Christel
Stage Manager...............................Alex Bauerly Set Decoration............................ Dillon McArdle
Lighting Designer (Pump House)...Ryan Soberg Group/Tour Sales...........................Lisa K. Adams
Lighting Designer (LCT).............. Dillon McArdle

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A proupdrospdouncstioornof this
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Director’s Note

“I have always thought of Christmas time, when it has come round, as a good time; a kind, forgiving,
charitable time; the only time I know of, in the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem
by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely, and to think of people as if they really were fellow
passengers to the grave, and not another race of creatures bound on other journeys.”
—Charles Dickens

Biographies

MICHAEL SCOTT I list my LCT roles in ALEX BAUERLY One very interesting job
The Odd Couple (Felix) and Lend Me a I had was as an intern at a community
Tenor (Max) among my most memorable theater. It was very fun and I learned a lot,
and have appeared in many other shows but I had kind of“odds-and-ends”tasks. I
elsewhere, including Noises Off (Gary) at learned how to do a lot of things through
UW-La Crosse and The Merry Wives of this, however. I once had to help load in
Windsor (Master Ford) at the Fairbanks Shakespeare Theatre. and out for a performance. It was fun because we had so
Aside from being a copywriter and storyteller, I have also many problems to solve, but things kept popping up so we
found work as a shepherd at a historic farm museum outside had to think on our feet. This job taught me a geat deal about
the Twin Cities. I have also been employed as a mobile disc how to do many different kinds of things and I found out
jockey, a film projectionist, a substitute teacher (all subjects), what parts of theater I liked to do the most.
a blacksmith, a movie theater usher, an errand runner when RYAN SOBERG The oddest job I’ve ever
Jay Leno came to town, a walking tour guide, a Shakespearian had was working as a Flight Attendant
actor in Alaska, and the Kwik Trip Urge. I learned from all these for Delta Airlines. It wasn’t just the wide
jobs that any work is good work. I’d like to thank my wife for variety of passengers I interacted with
taking on the extra work at the home front. that made the job odd, but rather the
ANNE DRECKTRAH Probably the oddest personalities and temperaments of my
job I’ve had—though it seemed perfectly fellow Flight Attendants. I flew with a woman everyone
normal at the time—was as a chaperone referred to as the‘Dragon Lady,’I flew with a Flight Attendant
for“The Dating Game,”which some of you who had her own Televangelist cable channel, and I flew with
may remember was produced by Chuck the oldest Flight Attendant in the company, Bob, who was
Barris and was immensely popular in its about to celebrate his 89th Birthday. What I learned through
day. I was given airline tickets, an itinerary, money to cover my adventures in the sky was that I really enjoy meeting and
expenses, and sent places near and far with the couple who working with unique, one-of-a- kind and sometimes larger-
won the trip—mostly people you might not choose to spend than- life characters. At the very least, it keeps life interesting.
much time with in real life. I looked at these trips as a sort
of location scout for where I’d like to return without strange
traveling companions. However, on a trip to the Bahamas,
the young woman’s mother broke the rules and joined us.
The guy, the mom and I had a great time enjoying the food
and experiences while the girl pouted in her room. On a trip
to Busch Gardens, which was my last trip, I chaperoned two
teenagers, one from New Jersey and one from Los Angeles,
who shared their experiences growing up black in this coun-
try. Interesting people are lurking everywhere.

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Biographies

IRINA CHRISTEL“The thing that’s great before. I was handed some rubber boots and gloves and
about being a costume designer is you was directed to clean a very large bathroom in a factory.
never know what’s going to be next; you It was seriously the most foul thing I have ever done!
never know what world you are going Without going into too much detail, just imagine the
to enter”–Coleen Atwood. The oddest most filthy bathroom you can. Now multiply that by ten.
job I ever had was back in Kazakhstan It took a hose and lots of scrubbing to finish that job.
in late 1980’s when I was working at the Regional Fashion DAVID SEDARIS (Author) With sardonic wit and incisive
House. The company sent me and one of my co-workers to social critiques, David Sedaris has become one of
the newest trend in Kazakhstan—the Pageant Competition. America’s pre-eminent humor writers. The great skill
Our company was one of the sponsors of the event and made with which he slices through cultural euphemisms and
the dresses and swimsuits for the contestants. I made most political correctness proves that Sedaris is a master of
of the evening dresses and all swimsuits for all the women. satire and one of the most observant writers addressing
Our company wanted inside information about what was the human condition today. He and his sister, Amy
going on backstage. So, my co-worker and I were nominated Sedaris, have collaborated under the name“The Talent
to participate in the Pageant. We were supplied with all the Family”and have written half-a- dozen plays, which
clothing. All we needed to do was learn how to dance (very have been produced at La Mama, Lincoln Center, and
specific dances, required by the rules) and literally“spy”on The Drama Department in New York City. These plays
what participants deal with and what judges are looking for. include Stump the Host, Stitches, One Woman Shoe,
Ideally, this insider’s view of the event would help our fashion which received an Obie Award, Incident at Cobbler’s
company get more business in the future. Of course the two Knob, and The Book of Liz, which was published in
of us weren’t very serious about winning. We did it just for book form by Dramatists Play Service. David Sedaris’s
the experience and information. What I learned from this odd original radio pieces can often be heard on public radio’s
job was you cannot fake excitement on command. If I was This American Life. David Sedaris has been nominated
interested in competing, I might have first won place! for three GRAMMY Awards for Best Spoken Word and
DILLON McARDLE I once worked as a Best Comedy Album. His latest audio recording of new
cleaner for a close relative who owns stories (recorded live) is“David Sedaris: Live for Your
his own cleaning business. Everyday Listening Pleasure”(November 2009). A feature film ad-
we cleaned different office buildings, aptation of his story C.O.G. was released after a premier
churches and the like. Each day was at the Sundance Film Festival (2013).
different. I basically tagged along and was told what
to do when we got to each location. One day, I showed
up to work and drove to a place that I had not been to

This production has been presented
in collaboration between
AND

Thank you for your support!

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LCT Staff & Board

STAFF MEMBERS BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Executive Director . . . . . . . . . . . David R. Kilpatrick President. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sara Battison
Technical Director. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dillon McArdle President-Elect. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Wayne Oliver
Second Vice-President. . . . Susan McDonald-Conroy
Marketing Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jessi Davidson Treasurer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mary Isaacs
Office Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dominique Luecke Secretary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bradley Weber
Box Office Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ryan Puffer Past President. . . . . . . . . Nancy Wigdahl Sedbrook
Box Office Staff . . . April Brown, Brenna Gustafson,
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lisa Keyser Nancy Flottmeyer, Scott Horne, Bill Koutsky,
Bookkeeper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mary Hofer Brian K. Murphy, Randy Nelson, Karl Noll,
Administrative Intern. . . . . . . . . . Carissa Huebner Joan Temple, Kathy Van Kirk-Przywojski

Improv and Sketch Festival 2017

February 16–18, 2017

W C P Ae b e r e n t e r for the e r f o r m i n g r t s
Stage on Screen

War Horse

Dec. 11 at 5pm

Hamlet

Dec. 12 and 19 at 7pm

No Man’s Land

Feb. 6 at 7pm

608-784-9292 • www.webercenterfortheperformingarts.org

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JAN 26–FEB 12, 2017

Honesy isn’t always
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March 2–12, 2017
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AVAILABLE ON
FEBRUARY 13, 2017

Your classic story
of boy meets
Greek goddess.

May 12–28, 2017
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APRIL 24, 2017

The dreams she
carried were
unsinkable.