River Valley Players
We are very fortunate to have the acting talents of this amateur performing group here in Rock Rapids. The River Valley Players performs in dinner theaters, musicals, and during Heritage Days. It seems like these shows only get bigger and better with each year. These shows would not be what they are without the wonderful casts that get selected each year. In the musical productions there are up to forty cast member. In the dinner theater productions there are fewer cast members, normally approximately ten. These shows are fun to watch and even more fun to be a part of. Everyone is encouraged to audition and help make magic for others on stage. Check out this link to learn more about this great group!
Board Members
President- Tom Gaspar, Vice President- Doyle Shubert, Secretary- Mary Fields, Treasurer- Julie Eads, Gary Van Whye, Rochelle Ebel, Anne Langeholdt, Terry Van Berkum, Jim Kennedy
First
Steering Committee in 1973
C.
Henle, R.
Tobin, K. Barker, T. Gaspar, M. Kriz, D. Johnson, J. Gable, P.
Traeger, B. Vinson, C. Oppendahl, P. McClurg, D. Curtis, D.
Spitler, S. Petersen, E. Tolvstad, P. Foltz, B. Reckert, M.
Reck
Blast From the Past
River
Valley Players was founded in 1973; but the first business meeting
was not held until November 1974. The first musical produced
was "Fantastics," and the first dinner theater was "Last of the Red
Hot Lovers." In 1978, the name "River Valley Players was
chosen. The River Valley Players became a member of the Iowa
Community Theater Association in 1979. In 1983, RVP began
making offers to buy a new theater, but discovered it would be too
costly to remodel. In
1986, RVP and other volunteers began remodeling the Intermission
Theater.
The RVP left the old theater in 1989. The RVP started to offer their $100 scholorship to graduating high school seniors in 1990. In 1994, the 20th anniversary of RVP was celebrated, and the drama scholarship was raised to $250. In 1998, RVP donated $15,000 to the construction of a new auditorium in the school. The first production in the new auditorium was "State Fair" in 1999. RVP performed at RAGBRAII when it came through in 1999. In 2001, RVP donated over $4,500 in equipment to the Forster Auditorium.
Sponsorship
RVP offers three different levels of sponsorship which are available to be contributed to during August and September of each year. The first level is Saints which involves contributions of $150 or more and includes four tickets to every production. The second level is Patrons which involves contributions of $85 or more and includes two tickets. The third level is Donors which involves contributions of $25 or more. Each sponsor receives early ticket ordering privileges, and also their name on all programs.
Past Dinner Theaters
'74-
Last of the Red Hot Lovers
'75-
Tender Trap
'76-
Barefoot in the Park
'77-
Death of a
Salesman
'78-
The Doctor in
Spite of Himself
'79-
Butterflies
are Free
'80-
Subject to
Change
'81-
Never to
Late
'82-
Saving
Grace
'83-
Love, Sex, and
the IRS
'84-
Come Blow Your
Horn
'85-
No Sex Please,
We're British
'86-
Meanwhile Back
on the Couch
'87-
Chapter
2
'88-
How the Other
Half Loves
'89-
Social
Security
'90-
*No
Production*
'91-
Plaza
Suite
'92-
Natiae Needs a
Nightie
'93-
Squabbles
'94- Last of
the Red Hot Lovers
'95- Run For
Your Wife
'96- Never To
Late
'97-
Busybody
'98- Arsenic
and Old Lace
'99- The Good
Doctor
'01-
Rumours
'02- Blithe
Spirit
'03- Barefoot
in the Park
'04- Caught in
the Net
'05- Don't
Drink the Water
'06- The
Nerd
'07- Odd
Couple
Past
Musical Productions
'74-
Fantastics
'75-
Fiddler on the
Roof
'76-
Music Man
'77- Brigadoon
'78- Once Upon a
Mattress
'79-
Hello
Dolly
'80- Anything Goes
'81- Mame
'82- Guys and Dolls
'83-
South
Pacific
'84- Pippin
'85- My Fair Lady
'86- 110 in the
Shade
'87-
Finians
Rainbow
'88- Li'l Abner
'89- Oklahoma
'90- Music Man
'91- Annie
'92- Into the Woods
'93- Sound of Music
'94- Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
'95- Big River
'96- Nunsense
'97- Carousel
'98- Oliver
'99- State Fair
'01- Guys and Dolls
'02- My Fair Lady
'03- Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
'04- Brigadoon
'05- Music Man
'06- Seussical
'07- Damn Yankees
'08- Children of Eden
