West Valley Light Opera's "Annie Get Your Gun" opens this Saturday. From left to right are Evanne Riskas as Jessie; Lisa Normington as Nellie; Mandy Kemp as Minnie; Leslie Robertson as Annie Oakley; and Daniel Moyer as Jake.
By Diane Hoda
Phoebe Ann Moses (1860-1926), a plain, poor Quaker farm girl from Darke County, Ohio, helped feed her family by bartering game she shot with her father's gun--the same single-barrel muzzle-loader that would propel her into stardom as a sharpshooter, equestrian and performer.
Moses chose her stage name after the town of Oakley, Ohio, where she first met her husband of 50 years, Frank Butler.
On June 29, the West Valley Light Opera Association will present Annie Oakley's story in Annie Get Your Gun by Irving Berlin, the final production of its 31st season.
The opera, a nonprofit organization whose membership has grown from 21 to more than 1,000 subscribers, first performed in 1964 at West Valley College in Campbell. From the second season on, the group performed at the Saratoga Civic Theater.
The opera's mission is to promote cultural awareness for the whole family. It also serves as a training ground for those with potential in the theater arts, says Marge Hand, who has performed in 31 productions and whose husband, Edward Hand, has been the president of the opera's board since 1980.
"My drama teacher instilled in me a love for the theater--his passion became mine," says Bill Quinlan, the play director for the upcoming musical production.
Quinlan has been in the business for 25 years, having acted in 125 plays and directed 30. He directed plays in New York and performed as John Dickinson in the opera's 1776.
"The cast are all well-suited to their roles," says Quinlan. "For instance, Robertson, who plays Annie Oakley, spent the last six years as musical director. Locally, she has played Evita Peron in Evita at Cabrillo College.
Dave Johnson, who plays Frank Butler, has offered his talent to the Bay Area as both a performer and a choreographer for more than 10 years. Last year he appeared with Pacific Rep in I Can Do That and A Chorus Line.
The musical theater group attends five rehearsals a week for six weeks at schools and empty stores. What's more, cast, production crew and others volunteer for various duties such as ticket booth sales, set design, backstage help and public relations.
"The groups in Saratoga aren't subsidized by the city because Saratoga, being a 'bedroom community,' doesn't receive revenues from industry," says Hand. Therefore, the group must pay for equipment storage, musical scores, scripts, costume materials, sets, and the theater rental. The West Valley Light Opera shares the Saratoga Civic Theater with the Saratoga Drama Group and the City Council, which holds its meetings there.
"We're just staying afloat," says Hand. Yet the opera still manages to serve the community by putting on charity benefits and by sponsoring other activities. Beginning in 1984, during the production of Showboat, a singer from DeAnza College interpreted the play so the hearing-impaired might enjoy the show.
"Signs were flying from one audience member to the other. It was so uplifting," says Hand.
The opera also provides an infrared system, so the hearing-challenged, particularly the elderly, can use headsets with volume controls to enhance their musical enjoyment, says Hand.
On July 20, the West Valley Light Opera will present a benefit performance for the Scottish Rite Program for Children With Language Disorders. It also gives theater-arts scholarships to promising seniors from Saratoga High School.
Annie Get Your Gun will open at 8 p.m. June 29, and show thereafter every weekend until Aug. 3, with one Thursday performance on Aug. 1, at the Saratoga Civic Theater, 13777 Fruitvale Ave. Call 268-3777 for more information.
This article appeared in the Saratoga News, June 26, 1996.
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