1949 First 45 productions were performed in barn
with dressing rooms below in horse stalls…silo used as the box office.
Productions were halted-actually "frozen in time" when passing
rainstorms on the tin roof made the actors inaudible.
1953 THE MILKY WAY...Actor Ed Kostelac is bitten by
another cast member, a huge St. Bernard.
1954-1975...Ongoing and always unrehearsed on-stage
appearances by families of skunks, bats and a stray cat or two.
1955 BOY MEETS
GIRL...Adelyn Coughlin rejects the
flirtations of Charles Grodin and instead accepts
a date
with Don Sommer (go figure)...they marry
in 1957.. have since served in
a combined 128 productions at the Lake as well as in the production of three
children and ten grandchildren.
1960 August/September...Dave Disney updates audience
members on game score at beginning of every intermission during heated Pirates
pennant race.
1961 THE SEVEN YEAR ITCH...Four-year-old Sunny makes
first stage appearance…during performance takes "dramatic pause"
and is given line prompted by fellow cast member, Will Disney...she replies, "I
know my line, Daddy!"
1963 DRACULA...Live bat makes surprise guest
appearance from lighting grid...Ladies in audience hold programs over their
heads for remainder of play.
1968 BAREFOOT IN THE PARK...Haberdasher from
Washington, Bob Jones, appears in 100th role of his career at the Lake…has
no speaking lines but receives standing ovations nightly for his hilarious
appearance as harried delivery man.
1970 THE ODD COUPLE... Kosher pickle is accidentally
flung from the stage into the lap of a woman in the audience.
1974
CHARLEY'S AUNT...Curtain time is delayed so that audience and cast members can
stand together and watch Nixon's resignation speech on a black and white
T.V.
in the snack bar.
1984 TOAD OF TOAD HALL...Sunny retaliates for
embarrassing 1961 incident by directing her father as Mr. Badger to sleep
under a pile of leaves throughout opening scene of play.
1985 REVENGE OF THE SPACE PANDAS...respected
attorney Paul Laughlin appears wearing enormous orange pumpkin on his head and
recites David Mamet's line, "Whak
'em out!"
1993 PICNIC...electricity goes out during a crowded
Saturday night performance...audience members hold flashlights and kneeling
apprentices surround the stage holding candles since "the show must go
on!"
1997 A ROSEN BY ANY OTHER NAME...Grapefruit Bell,
the cat, receives "Most Well Behaved Animal" award from the
Pittsburgh Post Gazette (St. Bernard from The MILKY WAY-bitter.)
Artistic
Director Sunny Disney Fitchett (right)
with
cast of
