January 16, 2002
Crock-Pot Theater heats up Playhouse
Audience part of the action at OTP fund-raiser
By Carol South
Herald contributing writer
Giving a new meaning to the concept of audience participation, Saturday night's Crock-Pot Theater at the Old Town Playhouse had attendees cooking, serving, cleaning up and entertaining themselves.
Not to mention being responsible for the good-natured heckling of the acts, which kept both performers and listeners laughing all evening.
The fundraising event garnered nearly $600 for the Playhouse, which is earmarked to refurbish theater seats and for the general operating fund. Crock-Pot Theater has been an on-again, off-again event at the Old Town Playhouse since the mid 1990s. After a two-year break, this year's show drew an enthusiastic audience of 120 people.
"We had so many people who are real active in the Playhouse, some who just come to plays here and some who just moved here," said Mary Gillett, executive director of the Old Town Playhouse. "We set up for 80 so we're real happy with the turnout."
Volunteers brought mounds of food - more than enough for everyone - most of it in crock-pots. The cooks showed that their creativity extended to the kitchen as soups ranged from Cheddar Ale and Parmesan Potato-Corn Chowder to Mushroom Artichoke and Peanut Pumpkin Curry.
The show's format was spontaneous, with each act volunteering to perform when they felt moved to do so. Emcee Mike Carney introduced each act and kept everything moving along, constantly encouraging more people to step onto the stage.
"The idea is to give people an opportunity to do something in a place where they're going to feel comfortable," said Carney, who also shared a story about his childhood. "The audience was cooperative and respectful, which is typical of these evenings. You gotta have that because people are doing things that are kind of personal."
Nancy Vogl gathered her nerve and jumped up on stage to share a poignant story from her years as a single parent. Although she had never done anything like that before, she held the audience spellbound with her tale, which she will include in a book she is co-authoring titled "Chicken Soup for the Single Parent's Soul."
An agent and coach for professional speakers, Vogl told the audience she had never spoken before an audience of 'normal' people - that is, not highly-paid, famous professional speakers.
"This was great, lots of fun," said Vogl, a lifetime resident of East Lansing until just a few months ago. "The hardest part of moving here was not knowing anyone so I thought this would be a great way to get to know people."
Besides a number of stories, entertainment for the evening featured a variety of songs, poetry and skits. A ten-year old boy told a riddle, a teen read an original poem while a woman, decrying the uncertainty of spoken punctuation, read from Shakespeare including specific noises for each punctuation mark.
Bill and Brian Dungjen, better known as the Dungjen Brothers, anchored the musical entertainment, playing two rousing sets that included folk songs, sing-a-longs and some cowboy tunes.
Singers Kelly and Jeff Curtis accompanied the Dungjen Brothers on their second set, including some a cappella numbers. Kelly Curtis is a fan of Crock-Pot Theater both from the perspective of a performer and an audience member. She and her husband bring their children, Elise, 15, and Ty, 8, every time.
"It is always fun to have a new audience," she said. "But what I most love about Crock-Pot Theater is a mother's aspect: how often do you get to have an inexpensive family outing that is so much fun."
Elise Curtis agreed unequivocally.
"I have a lot of fun because the songs they sing are songs I have been hearing since I was born," she said. "I've been a part of the Playhouse all my life."