Depot Theater

A Day in Hollywood - A Night in the Ukraine
1986-02-20 - 1986-03-02
This musical comedy was essentially two independent one-act plays, with a book and lyrics by Dick Vosburgh and music by Frank Lazarus. Additionally, songs by other composers were incorporated into the score. The first act – A Day in Hollywood, is a revue of classic Hollywood songs of the 1930s performed by singers and dancers representing ushers from Grauman’s Chinese Theatre, (the lobby even had concrete slabs with the cast & crews feet & handprints!). The second act – A Night in the Ukraine, is loosely based on Anton Chekhov’s one-act play The Bear, and was presented in the style of a Marx Brothers movie.
PERFORMANCE DATES: February 20 – March 2, 1986
CAST: A DAY IN HOLLYWOOD: Ushers – Brian Richardson, Roberta Scott, Mischel Raney, Greg Smith, Karen Warshaw, Jill Austen, Tania Hopkins, Jana Ross, A NIGHT IN THE UKRAINE: Samovar (Groucho) A Moscow Lawyer – Greg Smith, Carlo (Chico) The Italian Footman – Brian Richardson, Gino (Harpo) The Gardner – Karen Warshaw, Mrs. Pavlenko – Roberta Scott, Nina (Her daughter) – Mischel Raney, Constantine (A Coachman) – Ken Dean, Olga (The Cook) – Jana Ross, Sascha (A Maid) – Jill Austen, Masha (A Maid) – Tania Hopkins
ORCHESTRA/BAND: Music Director – Kent Ross, Piano – Sara McFarland, Percussion – Dean Freeman
CREW: Director/Choreographer – Don Steele, Stage Manager – Doug Austen, Properties Master/Light Design – Lyn Yost, Costume Design – Jana Ross, Jill Austen, Tania Hopkins, Set Design – McFarland Inc, Hair/Make up – Johnny Martinez
MENU: Catering provided by Faye Trent, Brona Love, Barbara Wilburn, Kathy Hensley.

A Long Branch Christmas '85
1985-12-01
A celebration of the season.
PERFORMANCE DATES: December 1985
CAST and CREW: Doug Austen, Jill Austen, Heather Birney, Amy Brax, Gordon Day, Ken Dean, Tod Demuth, Theresa Eades, Dean Freeman, connie Hudnett, Stephanie McMullough, Sara McFarland, Barry Metcalf, Ray Mettling

The House of Blue Leaves
1985-10-24 - 1985-11-03
This play is set in Sunnyside, Queens in 1965, on the day Pope Paul VI visited New York City. This dark comedy featured a zookeeper who dreams of making it big in Hollywood as a songwriter, his wife Bananas, their son – a GI headed for Vietnam, a trio of nuns, Artie’s friend – Billy Einhorn, Artie’s girlfriend – Bunny Flingus, and Billy’s girlfriend & Hollywood starlet – Corinna Stroller. Artie, a songwriter with little talent, performs unsuccessfully at the El Dorado Bar & Grill and returns to his cramped apartment in Queens. While protesting that he is “too old to be a young talent” – he calls his friend Billy and finagles an invitation to Hollywood where he thought he could be more successful.
Elated by his good fortune, Artie invites his girlfriend Bunny and his wife Bananas to join him in his curbside seats for the Pope’s motorcade. Unbeknownst to all, while they are away, their AWOL son returns to the apartment with plans to assassinate the Pope. The plot is interrupted when Artie returns to the apartment with starlet – Corinna. Artie attempts an impromptu audition with Corinna but is interrupted by the entrance of three nuns unable to see the motorcade and wanting to see it on TV. Corinna announces that she has two tickets to the Pope’s Mass at Yankee Stadium. In the pandemonium that ensures, Ronnie’s bomb goes off. In the aftermath, Billy arrives from Hollywood to mourn the explosion. Artie takes advantage of the sad circumstances with a desperate move to realize his own dreams. However, life unfolds with unexpected results for each character and Artie ultimately finds himself confined to his apartment with Bananas and one final decision to make.
PERFORMANCE DATES: October 24 -November 3, 1985
CAST: Artie Shaughnessy – Kent Ross, Ronnie Shaughnessy – Brian Richardson, Bunny Flingus – Roberta Scott, Bananas Shaughnessy – Karen Warshaw, Corrinna Stroller – Callie Lyons, Billy Einhorn -Greg Smith, Head Nun – Jana Ross, Little Nun – Tania Hopkins, Third Nun – Jill Austen, Policeman – Ken Dean, The White Man – Lyn Yost
CREW: Director – Don Steele, Stage Manager – Doug Austen, Assistant Stage Manager/Properties Master – Lyn Yost, SOund Design – Dean Freeman, Costume Design – Jana Ross, Hair/Make up – Johnny Martinez
MENU: Catering provided by Faye Trent and Brona Love.

Dames at Sea
1985-02-22 - 1985-03-02
Dames at Sea, an Off Broadway hit that brought stardom to Bernadette Peters, the play was a campy show based on the nostalgia of Hollywood musicals of the 1930’s. The story focuses on big-time New York City, into which sweet little Ruby from faraway Hometown, U.S.A. has come to make it big on Broadway. Who should she chance to meet but another boy from Hometown, U.S.A.: Dick, a sailor, who also has ambitions as a songwriter. Ruby begins in the chorus, and by the end of the day, in true Hollywood fashion, Dick saves her doomed Broadway show with a smash tune, as Ruby becomes a star on the deck of a battleship.
PERFORMANCE DATES: February 22 – March 2, 1985
CAST: Hennessey – Greg SMith, Mona Kent – Karen Warshaw, Joan – Mischel Raney, Ruby – Candi Pyle, Dick – Brian Richardson, Lucky – Don Pfister, The Captain – Greg Smith, Dancers – Jana Ross, Jill AUsten, Theresa Eades, Cyndi Hudnett
ORCHESTRA/BAND: Music Director – Kent Ross, Piano – Sara McFarland, Percussion – Dean Freeman
CREW: Director – Don Steele, Stage Manager – Doug Austen, Assistant Stage Manager – Lyn Yost, Properties Master/Light Design – Amy Brax, Costume Design – Jana Ross, Hazel Imel, cast of Dames at Sea, Set Design – Darleen Clifton Smith, Slide Operator – Gretta McFarland, Hair/Make up – Johnny Martinez
MENU: Catering provided by Faye Trent, Darleen Clifton Smith, Brona Love, Millie White, ELizabeth Rindt, Twyla Taylor

A Long Branch Christmas '84
1984-12-06 - 1984-12-09
A celebration of the season in song and dance.
PERFORMANCE DATES: December 6-9, 1984
CAST: Jill Austen, Doug Austen, Kim Blattner, Stacy Bamgardner, Amy Brax, Teresa Buchanan, Deborah Eades, Tania Hopkins, Doug Kramer, Callie Lyons, Sara McFarland, Candi Pyle, Mischel Raney, Brian Richardson, Jana Ross, Kent Ross, Roberta Scott, Greg Smith, Julie Stapleton, Brenton Surgenor, Lyn Yost
CREW: Director – Don Steele, Stage Manager – Doug Austen, Dance Captain – Jana Ross

Count Dracula
1984-10-27 - 1984-11-03
In this performance at the Dodge City Old House Saloon Boot Hill Museum, Count Dracula by playwright Ted Tiller was reworked from Bram Stoker’s classic story of the suave vampire, updating the setting to 1930’s England, and adding comedic elements.
PERFORMANCE DATES: October 27-November 3, 1984
CAST: Sybil Seward – Amy Brax, Hennessey – Doug Austen, Dr. Arthur Seward – Ray Mettling, Renfield – Kent Ross, Wesley – Lyn Yost, Jonathan Harker – Brian Richardson, Mina – Sara McFarland, Count Dracula – Greg Smith, Henrich Van Helsing – Tod Demuth
ORCHESTRA/BAND: Sara McFarland, Gretta McFarland, Pat McFarland, Wiley McFarland
CREW: Director – Don Steele, Assistant to the Director – Doug Austen, Stage Manager – Julie Kirby, Costume Design – Jana Ross, Hair/Make up – Connie Hudnett, Sound Design -Sara McFarland, Gretta McFarland, Pat McFarland, Wiley McFarland
MENU: Catering parovided by Faye Trent, Brona Love, Crystal Reynolds, Jana Ross, Jill Austen.

Sundance/The Drunkards Wife
1984-03-08 - 1984-03-11
Did you know, the Dodge City Depot Theater Company started out as the Boot Hill Museum Repertory Company back in March of 1984? The first dinner theater production consisted of two one act plays one presented in the Old House Saloon Boot Hill Museum. Sundance was a good example of a new form of play referred to as “serio-comedy” which used comedy to deal with serious themes while retaining all the depth of a dramatic piece. The Drunkard’s Wife was a pure melodrama that the audience could get involved in and react to the actors as they spoke directly to the audience.
PERFORMANCE DATES: March 8-11, 1984
CAST: SUNDANCE: Hickock – Dean Freeman, Jesse – Greg Smith, Barkeep – Ken Dean, The Kid – Ray Mettling, Sundahce – Tod Demuth, THE DRUNKARD’S WIFE: Mrs. Fernway (An Elderly Widow Woman) – Connie Hudnett, Millie Bottoms (Her long-suffering Daughter) – Theresa Eades, Sir Eustace Makepeace (A Base, Cold-Hearted Villain) – Tod Demuth, Willie Bottoms (A Drunken Husband) – Kent Ross, Dancers – Stephanie McCullough, Starla Trease, Tonia Hopkins, Shannon Teufel
CREW: Director – Don Steele, Stage Manager – Doug Austen, Choreographer – Jana Ross and Jill Austen

The Long Branch Variety Show '83
1983-08-01
A Long Branch Variety Show celebrating the ‘Wild West’ and Dodge City.
PERFORMANCE DATES: 1983
CAST and CREW: Connie Hudnett, Greg Smith, Ray Mettling, Amy Brax, Ken Dean, Tod Demuth, Walt Hudnett, Doug Kramer, Sara McFarland, Don Pfister, Candi Pyle, Mischel Raney, Brian Richardson, Jana Ross, Christie Walder, Stage Manager – Doug Austen
MUSICIANS: Doc. the piano player, Kent Ross, Tod Demuth, Dean Freeman, Shane Johnson
DANCERS: Jerri Anglin, Jill Austen, Missy Brown, Theresa Eades, Michelle Gabel, Tonia Hopkins, Staphanie McCullough, Starla Trease, Kelly McElhinney, Gwen Melson, Jana Ross, Katrina Salem, Janet Stukenholtz, Tanza Taylor, Shannon Taufel
GUNFIGHTERS: Jess Cunningham, Tod Demuth, Darrell Dodge, Dean Freeman, Walt Hudnett, Shane Johnson, Chad Kirk, Randy Traylor, Mark Mahieu, Ray Mettling, Don Pfister, Brian Richardson, Troy Robinson, Greg Smith, John Stella
