May 31, 2015
Poppins People Post
Clint Warf
"Robertson Ay"

Being the new kid on the block is usually an intimidating thing.  I’ve sung several operatic roles, but this is my first musical theatre role and my first experience at MHT.  The long-standing history of high quality productions leaves one feeling they have big shoes to fill, so naturally I’ve been a bit nervous during the whole creative process.

I have known people in the MHT family for many years, but I’ve never been a part of that “family.”  Believe me when I tell you that “family” is the only appropriate word to use.  The sense of dedication can be felt among the actors and the crew alike, with everyone devoting virtually all of their free time in hopes of making something magical happen on stage. The hard work and time definitely pays off when the curtain opens and the audience feels the magic you’ve work so painstakingly to create.

Art, at its core, its meant to elicit an emotional response. Whether it be words, music, sets, etc., its all a form of art.  My hope is that I can play a small part in bringing art alive.  To transport at least one person into another place, to make them believe, even if just briefly, is the biggest reward of all.

“Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time.”
-Thomas Merton

May 26, 2015
Poppins People Post
Hope Hodges
"Jane Banks"

Out of all my shows at MHT, Mary Poppins has been the longest and one of the most fun I have ever done. Michael (Cochran), Emi (Hensel), and Cindy (Miller) do such a great job with us. They’ve put together a wonderful show! 

Mary Poppins altogether is an extremely fun show. Playing Jane Banks is very neat, because she takes on so many different emotions. In the first act she can be very naughty, short tempered, and rude. But in the second act, she is happy, thoughtful, understanding, caring, and sometimes scared. 

The very big musical numbers are super exciting. My favorite song is "Step in Time.” Emi did an amazing job with the choreography!

One of the best things about the show is the cast. Calling them a cast is really not appropriate. They are family. Tony (Bohannon) and Lucas are father and son and they already have a special bond. At first I did not have that with many people in the cast, but now I feel like I do. Stephanie (Hines) has been a mother figure to me. Lucas and I definitely have that brother/sister relationship. We agree on some things, and argue on a lot of other things! We both have a unique relationship with Mary (Bowden) too. If I had a dollar for every time we laugh, I would be a billionaire! Mary makes the proper face every time she walks off stage. It is hilarious! No words can describe it.

It is great to have Addie Beth Franklin and Kathryn Johnston in the show. Since I’ve done all my MHT shows with Kathryn, and Addie Beth was in the Best Christmas Pageant Ever with us, it is like a reunion. It is genuinely exciting working with them. The entire cast has been so friendly to me and I would like to thank them for that. 

Rehearsals for Mary Poppins are terrific. I like working with the new sets and props. It is neat to see how everything ends up working together. My dad always says I am in a better mood after practice. I guess I know that I can always count on Market House Theatre to cheer me up! I really don’t want it to end. I know that I will cry a lot when it’s over, but all good things must come to an end, and this experience has definitely been good!

May 19, 2015
Poppins People Post
Tony Bohannon
"Mr. George Banks"

Mary Poppins will mark by 20th year being a part of the Market House Theater. I was talking with Victoria Parrish about what would my life be like if I had never auditioned for South Pacific and joined the MHT family. 

I have always been somewhat of an introvert. I've never been one to be the center of attention at parties or gatherings. I've been a great audience for people much more clever and funny than I am. So when I walked into auditions for South Pacific, I was quite nervous. I was fairly confident in my singing but since I had never been in a play—well, not since a 5th grade school play— I really didn't know what to expect. Within seconds of sitting down, Al Knudsen sat next to me and introduced himself and made me immediately feel welcomed and at ease. I continued to make close friends through the years and they have also included my wife, Tammy, and my boys Alex and Lucas into the fold. It's an honor to be part of the MHT family. 

Stephanie Hinz (Mrs. Winifred Banks),
Lucas Bohannon (Michael Banks) and
Tony Bohannon (Mr. George Banks) rehearse
a scene from Mary Poppins

Every play and musical I've been in has given me a new challenge. Even though I'm an introvert, being on stage allowed me to play characters that were completely different from myself and through that, it has given me more confidence in myself. 

I now get to pass that on to my son Lucas. It started with Cinderella Enchanted, then Les Misérables, and now with Mary Poppins. I am seeing him blossom in front of my eyes and gain the same confidence that I didn't find until I was an adult. Playing his father in Mary Poppins has been especially interesting. There's the challenge of staying focused on my own part and allowing him take ownership of his own role and responsibilities. I must admit, some of the emotions George Banks shows come naturally as I just draw on the experience of raising two sons—from the frustration and exhaustion to the tender moments of singing "Feed the Birds" to my boys as a lullaby. Mary Poppins has been a great experience for so many reasons and I will always cherish it.

My life as well as the life of my family is so much richer for being a part of the Market House Theater.

May 13, 2015

Poppins People Post
Emi Hensel
Choreographer

As soon as I first heard that MHT was doing Mary Poppins, I was thrilled – I knew I wanted to be a part of it right away! I grew up watching Mary and Bert usher Jane and Michael through all of their whimsical adventures. To be able to bring those adventures to life through choreography is truly an honor. This is my third musical to choreograph for Market House, and each experience is always a blast. This show in particular has grown and stretched me as an artist in ways that I haven’t been before. Translating an idea into real-life movement is so much more than figuring out fancy footwork and cool tricks. I’ve really had to step back and look at every musical number as a transformation into a different world; whether that be a magical stroll in a seemingly gloomy park, a supercalifragilistic store front, or up on the rooftops of London.


Every scene brings something different, and because of that, we have to create a unique kind of movement and picture in each scene. Director Michael Cochran has helped me tremendously teaching me how to not only use my dance vocabulary, but to also create that over-all picture that brings it all together seamlessly. The final product is going to be stunning! Of course one of the biggest honors (and the most fun) is working with all of the amazing talent the cast brings to the table. I hope I have helped them grow and stretch as artists as well. They have been up for everything I’ve thrown at them so far! When asked to do something outside of their comfort zone, they always give it their best shot and practice until they get it. A choreographer couldn’t ask anything more out of her performers and I couldn’t be more proud of everything we have achieved so far.

One of my favorite parts of setting choreography is when we run a number with music for the first time after the cast learns the choreography. The song begins, and then all of the sudden, the room is filled with these beautiful harmonies sung by the cast. It takes me by surprise every time that these people cannot only dance but are incredible vocalists as well! As a dancer, we usually leave the vocals to somebody else while performing but musical theatre is a whole different animal! It takes true talent to dance and sound that good at the same time.
The end product is worth every ounce of energy, every hour spent up in the skylight classroom before rehearsals moving invisible people around on an imaginary set, and every run through and re-run through. Sitting in the back of the theatre, watching and listening to the audience cheer and applaud something that I had a hand in creating will always make me come back for more. The show is so much fun to watch already, and we’re still in basic skeleton form. Add in lights, set, costumes, and more musicians?  We’ll all be transported to the world of Mary and Bert and usher Jane and Michael through their adventures right along with them. It’s truly going to be magic.

Monday, May 11, 2015

Poppins People Post:
Maurie McGarvey

Like so many of us, I vividly remember as a young girl the experience of watching Mary Poppins make her slow descent onto Cherry Tree Lane, the extraordinary colors of Bert's sidewalk paintings and the joyous dancing of Michael, Jane and the chimney sweeps! Who knows how many times my mother took me to the theater to see it! Never in my wildest imaginations would I have anticipated the experience I am having now, 50 years later!!

"Miss Andrews" -- played by Maurie McGarvey -- sings about "Brimstone and Treacle" to the Banks children Jane and Michael (Hope Hodges and Lucas Bohannon). 

Our treasured community theatre, The Market House Theatre, will bring all the characters to glorious life in just four weeks! As it always goes at MHT, Director Michael Cochran and Musical Director Cindy Miller have invested their many gifts to ensure that the volunteer actors, the staging and the choreography create a unique and unrivaled experience for our community. There is one character who was featured in the Broadway adaptation of the show who was not in the movie . . . Miss Andrew. Ah, Miss Andrew, the stern, tyrannical, bullying "Holy Terror" of a nanny responsible for the upbringing of Mr. George Banks. Poor George, and his poor wife and children . . . Miss Andrew's ability to intimidate and cause fear have had a lasting impact on them through the years. Thank goodness Mary Poppins arrives to help them save themselves from this evil woman! And who gets to play this menacing creature in MHT's production?! Why . . . me!! What an amazing honor it is to get to be a part of this Market House production and to play a character who has such an important impact on the lives of these people . . . even though that impact is not at all a positive one!!

Miss Andrew (Maurie McGarvey) and Mary Poppins (Mary Bowden) rehearse a scene from Mary Poppins.

More than 35 of your friends and neighbors have been working diligently to share this beloved story with our region. Join us the first three weekends in June for a "jolly" experience you will remember for many years to come!