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Tribute to Tom Hower (1939-2008)
by
Tom Martin

Those of us in the DCCT who were lucky enough to have worked with Tom Hower will never forget his devotion to the theatre and his unfailing contribution to the Amidon Follies.  Tom was a real "Renaissance Man": a gourmet cook, a skilled archer, a canoeist, and, in his later years, an expert wood carver.  Yet, he will, perhaps, best be remembered for his character roles with the community theatre.

His Luther Billis in South Pacific was hilarious.  To see him attired in a grass skirt and coconut shells is a memory that will always bring a grin to those who were fortunate to see his memorable performance.

Comedy was his forte but he also wasn't afraid to take on serious roles.  The DCCT's entry in the Community Theatre of Michigan's One Act Play Festival, Ile by Eugene O'Neill, featured Tom as the maniacal seafarer Captain Keeney.  He gave an outstanding performance in this O'Neill drama.

One of his last roles was that of Lou Daniels in the Bernard Slade play Tribute.  In this production, Tom's character was the good friend of a dying theatrical agent Scotty Templeton.  At the beginning of the play, Tom comes onstage to address the audience as if they were the friends of Scotty at his "tribute" before his inevitable death from cancer.  He says, "I've been trying to find a way to kick this thing off; so, I looked up the word tribute.  You know, it means to pay homage . . . It also means a gift -- the gift of friendship and the gift of laughter."

Tom was a gift to us for his brief time here with the DCCT and his audiences.  He will be missed.                                                                          

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In Memory of Karyn Wahlstrom, 1952-2008

On June 26 of this year, longtime Dickinson County Community Theater (DCCT) member and local fine-arts patron Karyn Wahlstrom died of heart failure.  We, the cast and crew of Nunsensations!, are honored to present our production of this musical comedy in Karyn’s memory.

An enthusiast of musicals, Karyn was an active member of DCCT casts 30 years ago, getting her feet wet and learning the ropes in choruses, small roles, and crews as far back as Damn Yankees and the original local productions of Oklahoma! and Guys and Dolls.

In 1984, as Nellie Forbush, she starred in the DCCT production of South Pacific.  It was the first of a string of leading and featured roles that she would fill over the following several years.  In 1985, she was Cousin Nettie in Carousel.  The following year, she played Golde in Fiddler on the Roof.  For How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying in 1987, she excelled as the widget business’s chief secretary, Smitty.  Perhaps her best performance was as the wife, Agnes, in 1990’s production of the two-person musical I Do! I Do! 

Although she continued to perform in theatrical choruses throughout this stretch (e.g., in The Sound of Music and Man of La Mancha) and in the early 1990s’ production of Camelot and reproductions of Oklahoma! and Guys and Dolls, her final featured role, fittingly vis-à-vis our current production, was in the spring of 1991.  It was then that she played Sister Mary Hubert in Nunsense, the initial story of Dan Goggin’s comedy franchise.

Besides her participation as an actress, she pitched in tirelessly as a production-crew member for a sizable number of musicals, particularly from the mid-1980s through the early 1990s.  She was a quick study.  During that time she contributed as the least-important flunky, as a full-fledged producer, and as everything in between.  And each more than once.  Whether acting or crewing, and whatever responsibilities were involved, she always brought 100% of herself to the task at hand.

Although her participation waned and eventually ceased by the mid-1990s, her interest never flagged and she remained a showgoer and DCCT patron until her death this summer.  We remember her fondly, miss her sorely, and happily dedicate to the memory of her, in the spirit of her wacky and vibrant 1991 performance as Hubert, this production of Nunsensations!