After weeks of rehearsals, ‘Laura Ingalls Wilder’ production scheduled to open July 13 in Fergus

By Rebecca Petersen | The Daily Journal

Published Saturday, July 7, 2007

The stress of going on vacation is awful, but once you’re there, it’s glorious. While you’re reading this article, I’m sitting somewhere near a babbling brook or hiking up some mountain trail or reading a book. Maybe all of the above.

The stress comes before you leave — trying to find a house sitter, a dog sitter, someone to mow the law — trying to clear your desk and get all of the bills paid and stop the paper and leave all the messages for who is supposed to do what while you’re gone. So, by the time you go on vacation — you really deserve it.

We’re trying to figure it out — how you stay on top of things day-to-day so you could actually go on vacation in a moment’s notice without getting stressed out.

One of the ideas is to hire some more people to help us out around here. So, soon you’ll start seeing some new faces. In the meantime, Rena, Robin, Jessica and I have been holding down the fort. Thanks for bearing with us.

Lots of great things coming up ahead of us so we really need to work hard to keep our heads above water. Laura Ingalls Wilder opens July 13. Under the direction of Sarah Helland, you’ll be charmed by these talented performers and the play they’ve put together under her direction. The cast includes: Andy, William and Cassandra Eerdmans; Jason and Jennifer Holt; Sam Kitterman, Julia Christenson; CJ Rasmussen and Carlotta Rasmussen and Dwight Rasmussen; Isabelle Kremeirer, Jessica Drake, Emily Borowski, Alexandra Johnson, Alaine Risbrudt, Caleb Larson, Kai Thorstad, Grant Kress, Jordan Rasmusson, Nathan Johnson, Stephanie Heidorn, and Anne Tungseth.

“Beauty and the Beast” is rapidly coming together under the expert hands of Scott Brusven, director; Michelle Danielson, vocal coach; Mark Solie, music director and (along with Jeff and Carl Zachmann) set building. You’ll love this cast as well: Ansty Skillingstad, Dylan Olmsted, Katie Strom, Kirby Case, Brittney Knick, Karl Haataja, Ned Eerdmans, Abby Kiefer, Joe Johnson, Sommer Robles, Debbie Kaminski, Eva Marie Deterding, Emily Enderson, Curtis Deterding, Grant Kress, Rebecca Thanel, Elissa Rolf, Leslee Wedll, Ashley Bremseth, Melissa Aasness, Alexis Wedll, Taylor Hought, Stefanie Miller, Angela Holman, Nick Ganoe, Nathan Jobe, Mogan Fylling, Lindsey Boyd, Leah Johnson, Andy Eerdmans, Bill Eerdmans, Brinna Skillingstad, Suzi Gard, Anna Norgard, Pauline Norgard, Courtney Diestler, Hanna Leapaldt, Morgan Shuck, Emilie Reard, Cassandra Eerdmans, Jessica Blaskowski, Nathan Kaminski-Horak, Taylor Leapaldt, Max King, Michael Aasness, Jenn Kaminski-Horak, Andrew Johnson, and Mikaela Norgard.

It’s a cast of thousands this summer, and that’s not even including “Songs from the Tall Grass.” More on that next week. There are some pretty famous locals in that production, too.

Rebecca Petersen is the director of A Center for the Arts in Fergus Falls.