MMC Production Sings Happy Tune With ‘Opal’

By Andrew Atwal
andrew.atwal@yankton.net

This year, the fall musical at Mount Marty College (MMC) will take on a whole new meaning for director Andrew Henrickson.

Not only will he be directing the musical, but he will also be conducting the orchestra for the first time in his 16 years at MMC.

“It’s a challenging just figuring out how I can direct the orchestra and see the play because the orchestra is performing back stage,” Henrickson said. “But that’s the way it is and that’s what I chose to do.”

This years musical is “Opal”, which is a story about a young girl in Europe.

The story is only about 20 years old, which is relatively new for a musical. The play was originally written by Robert Lindsey-Nassif.

The girl loses her parents and finds herself orphaned in a community where she would eventually become a slave. However, despite the challenges she faces, her outlook on life continues to be positive and upbeat.

“Her goal in life is to make the Earth glad,” Henrickson said. “She is a lover of nature, and all living things and when she meets people in need, she always helps out. The play is a really about a young girl’s journey and quest for happiness, not just happiness for herself, but happiness for everyone she comes in contact with.”

He said that this year the musical is earlier than it has been in years past.

“It’s been a shorter process this year. Usually the show goes up in November during family weekend, but this year that weekend is at the end of October,” Henrickson said.

Rehearsals for “Opal” began in the middle of September and features a cast of 16 students, many of whom are freshmen to Mount Marty College.

“So far, rehearsals are going well and now we’re getting right down to it and we have a great group of students to work with,” Henrickson said.

The orchestra for the musical features three people, including a two-piano score, to be performed by Yankton residents James and Marilyn Nyberg.

“They’ve taken on this project head on,” he said. “It’s great having them up here at Mount Marty participating with the students in the play. They’re really big music lovers and we are fortunate to have players of their accomplishment playing the show.”

Henrickson said he is learning a lot about music and how to wave the hand properly when he directs the orchestra.

“It’s a lot more work, but it gives me such an appreciation for musicians and music directors,” he said. “I’ve done dozens of musicals in my career and now I appreciate the music directors even more.”

Challenges that Henrickson faces with the play includes the difficulty in finding a rehearsal time that works for many of the actors in the show.

“Fifteen years ago, it wasn’t really a problem here, but now we have sports and evening classes which complicated things,” he said. “Our students here have always been heavily involved and in a lot of activities, so we try to use the time that we have to rehearse wisely.”

Another challenge is that Marian Auditorium is now being used more often, so Henrickson and his cast must value the time they have in the space.

“It’s great having the facility being used, but it challenges us to get things done,” he said.

Henrickson said that he was drawn to this play because of the story and themes it presents.

“When the script was first given to me, I didn’t have the music,” he said. “I lived with this story for about a month and fell in love with the story without even hearing the music.”

Once he got the music, he loved the musical even more.

“The play is really perfect for family weekend and it speaks of the values we have here at MMC,” Henrickson added. “We know we do our show during family weekend, so we want something families can relate to. This play has it all — poignant things, sad things and a little bit of comedy. It’s a very poignant and beautiful story.”

The play will run from Oct. 25-27, and this year the Saturday show will be at 4 p.m., which had never been done before.

“This is a big weekend for the college, with family weekend and a campus visit day weekend with the admissions department,” Henrickson said. “Having an afternoon play should fit in better with the big-picture schedule. Once the play is over, students in the show will also have more time to spend with their families.”

Tickets can be purchased at the door or in advance by calling the box office at 668-1234 Monday-Friday between noon and 5 p.m.

“We are really grateful for the community and business support of Mount Marty theater,” Henrickson said. “There are about 80 companies that are joining us for our advertisements for tickets program. They get an advertisement in the playbill in exchange for tickets to the shows here.”

He said people should come to see the show to support the students at Mount Marty and to check out the new talent on campus.

“A lot of the actors we have in ‘Opal’ have only been on campus a few months,” Henrickson said. “People should come see the show and the renovations at Marian Auditorium. I will stand with this beautiful story that is based on actual events of a young girls life.”

Cast List

OPAL — Danieka Novak (Wagner)

MAMMA — Julia Schrier (Sioux Falls)

SADIE MC KIBBEN — Alyssa Duncan (Sioux City)

THOUGHT GIRL/ANGEL MOTHER — Tessa Carda (Armour)

GIRL WITH NO SEEING — Brooke Fisher (Sioux Falls)

NECKTIES/ANGEL FATHER — Gage Blaschke (Sioux Falls)

THE WOMEN/CHORUS:

NARRATORS — Haley Lind and Molly Henrickson (Marathon, Iowa; Yankton)

GOSSIP SISTERS — Samantha Tobey and Jessica Sahagun (Norfolk, Neb.; Bloomfield, Neb.)

SCHOOL TEACHER — Shannon Brasel (Yankton)

SELENA’S MOTHER — Kelsey Thury (Mitchell)

THE MEN:

DOCK WORKER — Dylan Babel (Humphrey, Neb.)

NARRATOR — Ryan Oye (Luverne, Minn.)

GENERAL STORE OWNER — John Hodson (Martin)

ELSIE’S HUSBAND — Adam Fitzpatrick (Yankton)

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“Opal” is under the direction of Andy Henrickson, Mount Marty College associate professor of speech and theatre. Scenic design, lighting design and technical direction is by Stephen English, Instructor of theatre; vocal direction by Kenneth Tice, director of choral activities; costume design by Keryl Brady, Omaha, Neb.; and choreography by Kathryn Reimler.

Follow Andrew Atwal on Twitter at twitter.com/andrewatwal

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