IVCC to host outdoor musical revue at Hegeler Carus Mansion

“Steppin’ Out” runs May 14-16 and May 21-23

Farmers are hoping for more rain — Starved Rock Country is on the cusp of drought — but Don Grant Zellmer has his fingers tightly-crossed for clear skies the next two weekends.

Zellmer is IVCC’s director and choreographer of musical theatre and he’s had to repeatedly break the news to students that the show can’t go on — not while the novel coronavirus is lurking. An indoor show is off the table.

But what about an outdoor show? Zellmer thought it over, decided to gamble on clear skies and had everyone rehearse for “Steppin’ Out! Broadway Under The Stars!” IVCC’s first outdoor musical revue runs at 7:30 p.m. Fridays through Sundays the weekends of May 14-16 and 21-23.

“After over a year of producing online productions,” Zellmer said, “our performers were ready to get back in front of an audience. Performing a show outside, at this point in time, seems to be the only option until mitigation changes, and we’re delighted to have partnered with the Hegeler Carus Mansion to make this happen. Our cast and crew is fully vaccinated and ready to go.”

The pandemic struck IVCC hard. In 2019, the theatre department set attendance records and drew ever-larger casts. Hopes were high that 2020 would build on that success, but Zellmer said the pandemic led to “heartbreaking” cancellations.

Zellmer first responded with live-stream performances featuring local performers and guest performers including Broadway veteran Frank Vlastnik. These ventures were successful, but Zellmer and his performers yearned to perform live again. The Hegeler Carus Mansion had successfully held outdoor concerts using social distancing and Zellmer proposed staging a music revue before the concert series begins.

“Everybody said, ‘Go for it,’ ” Zellmer said, “so we will be back performing with our family performers -- just not inside, we’re doing it outside.”

It was a catchy brainstorm. The hope now is there will be no storms.

The fast-moving musical revue features the music of Broadway from classics to contemporary, and a cast made up of students, alumni, and community members. They include Mary Rose Prosinski, Ashley Hurst, Reid Tomasson, Grace McCormick, Alexis Trammel, Megan Cullinan, Karen Lesman, Emily Pytel, PJ Olsen, Mark Fulkerson, Isaac Alvarado, Jake Jakieleski, Kelly Johnson, Bob Philip, and Melanie Maskel.

“It was so indescribably good to be back in the studio and rehearsing again,” Pytel said. “As a theatre person, I’ve missed this creative outlet so much over the past year. Another performer said after the first rehearsal, ‘Tonight make my heart happy.’ And I couldn’t agree more.”

Tickets are currently on sale, and audiences are urged to order them online at https://www.showtix4u.com/event-details/51887. Admission is $15 per person, a portion of which goes to the Hegeler Carus Mansion. Audience members should bring their own lawn chairs, as well as light refreshments. Gates open one hour prior to showtime at 6:30 p.m. Guests need to follow the guidelines posted on the ticket site regarding mitigation.