LCTG History
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1966-67 Rally Round the Flag, Boys! * 1984
1967-68 Under the Sycamore Tree* Bye Bye Birdie
1968-69 Tom Jones * The Music Man
1969-70 The Odd Couple * My Fair Lady
1970-71 Wait Until Dark * How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
1971-72 Don't Drink the Water * Feiffer's People *West Side Story
Summer 72 You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown (first summer show!)
1972-73 Cactus Flower * A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum
Summer 73 How the Other Half Lives * The Little Prince * Summer Theatre Workshop production of Love Rides the Rails, or Will the Mail Train Run Tonight? (2 shows and a workshop show in our 2nd summer season!)
1973-74 Butterflies Are Free * Funny Girl (oh, that scene 14!)
Summer 74 Fiddler on the Roof starring Michael T. Lewis as Tevye!
1974-75 Barefoot in the Park * Sugar
Summer 75 Godspell (soon to become LCTG's signature musical!)
Second Summer Theatre Workshop production of Arsenic and Old Lace, directed by Michael Berglund
1975-76 Arsenic and Old Lace * Hello Dolly!
Summer 76 1776
1976-77 God's Favorite * Oliver! (in the cafeteria during auditorium renovation)
Summer 77 Applause (almost got the rights to Pippin! Had to wait 1 more year!)
1977-78 Sherlock Holmes * Once Upon a Mattress
Summer 78 Pippin ( finally got it! World Amateur Premiere, well worth waiting for!)
1978-79 Dracula * Guys and Dolls
Summer 79 Jesus Christ Superstar (what an experience!)
1979-80 One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest * It's a Bird! It's a Plane! It's Superman!
Summer 80 Cabaret (first musical for Rob Mikulski incoming freshman!)
1980-81 Sly Fox * Camelot
Summer 81 Grease (another incredible summer!)
1981-82 Something's Afoot! (first fall musical, played & conducted by soph. Rob Mikulski...Sammy's first lead role in a musical!) * Oklahoma
Summer 82 The Wiz (named by Jean Isaacs, Gary Post-Trib theatre critic as the Best Show of the Year!)
1982-83 Whose Life is it Anyway? * The Pirates of Penzance
Summer 83 Deathtrap * Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat * Grease (Indiana State University Summer Workshop, music by "Raw Meat"=Go, Sammy, Rob, Steve, & Dr. Al ! )
1983-84 You Can't Take it With You * Grease (ISU Workshop reunion at Griffith High School) * Barnum (postponed 3 times due to state basketball finals. Yea! Rah! Go, Stats Incredible!)
Summer 84 A(nother) Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (1st revival)
1984-85 Trixie True, Teen Detective (second fall musical conducted & played by Jr. Lisa Berilla) * Peter Pan
Summer 85 Greater Tuna * Godspell (1st revival) * Peter Pan (extended summer run) Greater Tuna named by Rick Sherman as Best Show of the Year, winner of "The Reggie"...The whole cast of Greater Tuna, namely Beth Bachnak & Larry Nigh, won Best Actress and Best Actor
1985-86 The Death and Life of Sneaky Fitch (turned into a musical by Angie, Pete Balciunas, & Steve Putman * Bye, Bye Birdie (revival)
Summer 86 True West * West Side Story (revival) * Godspell (2nd revival presented as special shows at Bridge-VU Theatre in Valpo)
1986-87 Wait Until Dark (revival) * Annie Get Your Gun
Spring '87...LCTG's own '77 grad Michael Berglund debuts on Broadway in NYC as Weltschaft, the German engine, in STARLIGHT EXPRESS. We have an autographed poster in our theatre! Boss had a one-on-one conversation with the one and only Trevor Nunn, the director and collaborator with Andrew Lloyd Weber!
Summer 87 Noises Off * Hair
1987-88 Don't Drink the Water (revival) * Carnival
Summer 88 Little Murders * Little Shop of Horrors
1988-89 Fools * Little Shop of Horrors (first New Year's Eve show 89-90) * Anything Goes
Summer 89 Godspell (revival) * The Nerd * Shenandoah (all opened on the same weekend in repertory! Oh, God, we were so young!)
1989-90 One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest (1st revival) * The Mystery of Edwin Drood (an amazing show with an amazing cast! Oh, the '90 grads!)
Summer 90 What a summer this was! A 4-show summer!!!!
*Pump Boys & Dinettes * (quite possibly the most popular musical we've ever done, with the whole pit and cast onstage!) AND Grease (1st revival) * AND Wally's Cafe, LCTG '77 grad Jim Robinson, Director * AND Four One-Acts: The Ledge, The Ledger, and The Legend / I'm Herbert / Sociability (directed by Carolyn Simmons!) / Unbeatable Harold (written by Randy Noojin LCTG '78)
1990-91 Scapino * Pump Boys & Dinettes (New Year's Eve revival 90-91) * Sugar (1st revival)
Summer 91 Pump Boys & Dinettes (Father's Day revival) * Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (1st revival) * Chess
1991-92 The Curious Savage * On the Twentieth Century (an entire train onstage??? "What the hell (were we) doing?? to paraphrase a Jason Utesch lyric)...This was Scott Smith's favorite set, by the way! "Bring on them showgirls!"
Summer 92 Candide (in the cafeteria-------another fun summer experience with an incredible orchestra and conductor...Rob Mikulski ...with gratitude to Leonard Bernstein!)
1992-93 The Madwoman of Chaillot * Into the Woods (quite possibly the best high-school production ever of this Stephen Sondheim musical!)
Summer 93 City of Angels * Bleacher Bums * Women and Wallace (Angie appeared onstage!! Directed by and starring '90 LCTG grad Dan Winkler, now directing at Whitney Young in Chicago!)
1993-94 The Man Who Came to Dinner * How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (revival)
Summer 94 Prelude to a Kiss, Director, LCTG grad Dan Winkler Winner Best Play, NIETF * Woman of the Year * Music Review (it might still be going on! 525,6000 minutes!)
1994-95 Tons of Money! = tons of fun! * Lucky Stiff! (a train and a plane onstage!)
Summer 95 Rumors * My Favorite Year (4 costumes changes in the opening number? Gay musketeers and a woodpecker onstage!)
1995-96 Out of Sight, Out of Murder * The Pirates of Penzance
Summer 96 Don't Dress for Dinner * Godspell (3rd revival) * The Goodbye Girl
1996-97 Dearly Departed * Once Upon A Mattress (revival)
Summer 97 The Pink Cadillac (2 One-acts) at the CTG's Alley Studio in Valparaiso, Indiana (Laundry and Bourbon & Lone Star) NIETF Supporting Actor Award for Mark Reay! * The Foreigner (NIETF Supporting Actress Award for Kay Wagman as Betty Meeks) ** Chess (revival)
Chess was the final show after a 17-year run with LCTG for Sammy and Rob Mikulski! They move to NJ to work in NYC!
1997-98 You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown (1st revival) * First-ever Freshman Show Mrs. McThing * Working
Summer 98 Beyond Therapy (guest-directed CTG's 2nd show at their brand new Chicago Street Theatre in Valpo) * Murder at the Howard Johnson's * Roxann's Kiss (Angie co-wrote script with Dan Schaaf, even helped with the music!)
1998-99 Hamlet II * Tribute (Gary Jones, NIETF's Best Actor Award* Durang, Durang at Chesterton's Coffee Creek *Schoolhouse Rock Live! * Freshman Shows: Foiled By an Innocent Maid * Egad, What A Cad! * Great Western Melodrama
Summer 99 * Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean (at the Urgency Theatre in East Chicago) * Noises Off (revival with Bruce Jung in a different role than the one he played in '87)
1999-2000 * Murder at the Howard Johnson's Encore and Benefit for earthquake victims in Turkey * The Zoo Story and Men in Suits (at the Urgency Theatre) * Gramercy Ghost * Twelve Angry Men (at the Urgency Theatre...NIETF Winner BEST PLAY and BEST DIRECTOR!!!! * Grease * Freshman Shows: This is a Test * Baby * That Was No Lady, That Was A Private Eye * When God Comes to Breakfast, You Don't Burn the Toast!
Boss had his heart attack during Grease, retired from teaching in June.
Summer 2000 * Squabbles * Lost in Yonkers...NIETF Best Actress award for Lisa Massa as Bella!!! Lost in Yonkers Set Design nomination for Boss and ALowe!
2000-2001 * Harvey * One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (revival) * The Compleat Works of Wllm Shkspr (abridged) * Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (1st revival) * Sylvia (LCTG "goes to the dogs"!!! What a blast! Hey!Hey!) * Freshmen Shows: Goodbye to the Clown * Yes Means No (***more than these 2 maybe? Help!***)
ALowe retires from teaching in June.
Summer 2001 * Annie
2001-2002 * The Sunshine Boys (at the Urgency Theatre) * 2 Fall Shows!! Don't Tell Mother (ALowe directed) * The Odd Couple (female version) (Boss directed) * In January, ALowe directed That Championship Season (at the Home Lumber venue in Dyer, In) * A(nother) Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (2nd revival)*
Summer 2002 * Steel Magnolias (Angie portrayed Ouiser!) * 1776
??? Les Belles Soeurs was in here somewhere....Help, anybody???
2002-2003 * All Because of Agatha * Chase Me Up Farndale Avenue, S'il Vous Plait * Something's Afoot! (revival)
Summer 2003 * Jesus Christ Superstar (revival...or resurrection??)
2003-2004 * Double-Booked in Cabin #4 * Sugar (2nd revival) * Godspell (4th revival =) = our last high school musical! * The Outsiders (special project for 7th-grade reading program--our last "official" school show!)
Summer 2004 * The Music Man (1st revival) Possibly LCTG's crowning achievement, also performing The Music Man at the Star Plaza Theatre in Merrillville, thanks to the definitive Harold Hill, Charlie Blum!! *
TURNING POINT IN LCTG HISTORY = official resignation from all things Lake Central! December '04!
Founded the "new" LCTG = L'arc en Ciel Theatre Group!!! New not-for-profit status theatre company! Began performing shows at Great Oaks After 4 Club in Cedar Lake, thanks to Tom McAdams!
January, '05...ON BORROWED TIME (1st show at Great Oaks)
February, '05...DOUBLE-BOOKED IN CABIN #4 (revival before we took it on tour!)
May, '05...THE ODD COUPLE * ALowe also guest-directed PIPPIN at Andrean High School!
June, '05...GODSPELL (5th revival)...our "signature musical" * ALowe also directed NUNSENSE at IU Northwest
July, '05...2nd revival of THE MUSIC MAN, again at the Star Plaza Theatre, this time as a personal favor to Charlie.
August, '05...1st revival GUYS AND DOLLS!!! 5 out of 6 sold-out shows!
November, '05...revival ARSENIC AND OLD LACE (Steve Kaminsky's first foray into "screwball" roles, a role he fits all too well!)
December, '05...one night only "Improveneezer Scrooge", a "script-enario" w/improv based on audience participation, featuring Jim Spivak, John Fetsch, and Angie Lowe herself....OMG! We had just taken "Improveneezer Scrooge" on tour at the Milk Pail in Dundee, IL!
December, '05...LCTG 1st Christmas reunion!!! (3rd reunion since '93 and '01 summer reunions!)
January, '06...GOD'S FAVORITE revival
Ok, so somewhere in '06, we did a show called KNOWS ALL, TELLS ALLl...performed at Great Oaks before taking it on tour. (Boss built the best porch set ever, and he & Keith P transported it to several tour spots for us! Couldn't have done it without them or that set and that awesome sliding glass door, which, by the way, was also a central character!!! OUCH!)
May & June, '06...THE FOREIGNER, NIETF Best Director Paul W. Lowe and Best Play Awards, plus Best Supporting Actor for J.J. Boylan!!!
July, '06...(still) A(NOTHER) FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM revival (yes, 2nd revival of that hilarious musical! I can hardly wait to do it again!)
August, '06...GREASE at the Star Plaza ...
September, '06...Same Time Next Year as a fund-raiser (featured Grant Fitch...our "foreigner"...and his company from the Dunes production)
October, '06...WAIT UNTIL DARK (2nd revival...another LCTG favorite!)
December, '06...Grant Fitch's A Christmas Carol (his one-man show)
December, '06... 2nd LCTG Christmas reunion! (4th LCTG reunion!)
January, '07...THE CRAZY TIME (Boss directed)
February, '07...JERRY FINNEGAN'S SISTER (ALowe directed)
March, '07...A BENCH IN THE SUN (ALowe directed and took Bench on tour in both April & May for 10 paid shows!)
April & May, '07...Boss & Keith P 7 company rebuilt the "temporary" stage!!!
June, '07...MIXED NUTS (just what it sounds like....another blast!)
July, '07...LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS revival (Bruce Jung reprises his role as Mr. Mushnik!)
Oct, '07...THE NERD revival (Steve Kaminsky's 2nd major role (first "double" role?)...more fun to come!)
Dec '07 presented Grant Fitch again as Scrooge et. al. (Captivating, especially with out set, lighting, sound!)
January '08... THE SUGAR BEAN SISTERS (Nine NIETF nominations.. Winner Best Lighting and Best Set Design!!)
March '08... DON'T DRINK THE WATER! 2nd revival, 1st time with community theatre adults! Too much fun!!! (Everybody was perfect, and Steve Kaminsky does it again...twice!)
May '08 SO THESE TWO COUPLES GO TO ITALY (touring show)
July '08....FIDDLER ON THE ROOF revival (Michael T. Lewis reprises his '74 role with LCTG as Tevye!)
Oct/Nov '08....THE GIRLS OF THE GARDEN CLUB (a hoot! Another show with 15 women onstage!)
Dec '08....A CHRISTMAS STORY (Another tour de force for Steve Kaminsky and a great group of kids!)
Something here??? A tour show perhaps?
Mar/April '09...We had way too much fun with kids in A Christmas Story, so we did YOU'RE A GOOD MAN, CHARLIE BROWN (2nd revival), this time with all 7 to 13 year-olds!
Whew! That ALMOST catches us up! So many shows, so little time????
Here's what ALowe can remember in order???? I'll have to check dates on programs on my pc to put the other shows in their rightful place!
July '09 JOSEPH & THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT 2nd revival
July/Aug '09 IF THE SHOE FITS (tour show with Angie as Esperanza, the Spanish maid...Ay, caramba! So much fun with Linda, Steve, and Jim!)
Sept '09...one show only IF THE SHOE FITS at Great Oaks...a sellout!
Oct/Nov '09...YOU CAN'T TAKE IT WITH YOU revival (What a set! What a fun show! Everybody was perfect, as usual, and Steve Kaminsky does it again!)
January 2010! Wow! We did 8 one-act plays, all very cute and funny. Crazy and a Half, Off the Deep End, and an evening of Magic and Music!!! All a slight change of pace for LCTG, but we all had a good time!
Now starting auditions for Guys'n Dolls Junior, for kids ages 8 to 14. Kids are the future of theatre...and everything else!
Be back SOON again to catch this puppy up! I'm lucky to remember this much!!!! I haven't tried to list the murder mysteries we've done...Haven't Gotta Club murder mystery makers!
xoxox ALowe and Boss
We are truly blessed!