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Part way through the famous ‘Bring out your dead’ scene during a sneak preview of Monty Python’s Spamalot, actor Kevin McManus was in the process of wheeling a cart of (not quite) dead bodies on stage when a wheel abruptly broke and the prop wouldn’t go any further.

Hometown logoWithout breaking stride, he continued on with the scene as if nothing had happened and every actor on stage did the same. “That’s the ability of this group to recover when something happens,” says director Daniel Wyman. “The audience could never tell and the show really wasn’t affected by it.”

yelm theater
First-time director Daniel Wyman grew up in the theater community in Yelm, developing acting and voice skills along with an understanding of what goes on behind the scenes. Photo credit: Bill Wyman.

A willingness to adapt and collaborate is at the core of Yelm’s Standing Room Only Theater group, along with an emphasis on trying new roles and breaking out of your comfort zone. Spamalot is a case in point, containing multiple music and dance numbers, complex – and very funny – dialogue, costume changes, and complicated props.

“It’s important to have a big, beloved show at least once a year,” says co-producer Dave Champagne, who also plays King Arthur. “Monty Python spans an audience that goes way outside of musical theater. The Holy Grail is a cult classic, and the troupe is world renowned. It’s about making theater accessible to a broader base of people.”

The show runs throughout November, with performances at 7:30 on Friday and Saturday nights and Sunday matinees at 2:00 p.m. at Yelm’s Triad Theater.

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King Arthur (Dave Champagne) gets a blessing for the Holy Hand Grenade from the archbishop (Joel Derefield). Photo credit: Bill Wyman.

Spamalot has been a stretch for several of the group’s members, with Wyman taking on the director role for the first time. He first got involved as a child, through what was then called the Drew Harvey Theater’s children’s program, run by director Nancy Hillman. “I learned about the behind the scenes things like sound, lights, and stage managing,” he says.  Later he started doing more acting, starring in The Producers alongside Champagne and more recently The Importance of Being Earnest. “Nancy is where I’ve learned everything that I know,” he says. “It’s from watching her and working with her.”

Vocal Director Ian Montgomery has been singing and performing with the Olympia Choral Society and SPSCC for years, but had never tried to teach anyone what he knew. “It’s so far out of my comfort zone, it’s not even funny,” he says. “I’ve had to teach a few people how to breathe. I’ve really enjoyed watching the growth that people go through and how things finally click. They start giving a performance and suddenly it’s like, ‘Oh! That’s how that’s supposed to go. That’s been really fun.”

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Co-producers Dave Champagne (King Arthur) and Dawn Young (Lady of the Lake) have participated in many shows regionally as both singers and actors. Photo credit: Bill Wyman.

Choreographer Fred Loertscher has had a similar experience. The former Washington State University cheerleader has directed professional half-time shows for the NFL, NBA, and college bowl games, and says he’s been surprised by what he discovered in Yelm. “People are really willing,” he says. “They’ll tell me, ‘I don’t dance,’ and I’ll say, ‘Don’t worry, you’ll get this.’ They jumped in and did fine.”

For actress and singer Dawn Young, the show is a chance to co-produce as well as perform as The Lady of the Lake, (aka ‘some watery tart throwing swords at you’ for fans of the film). “I grew up on Monty Python,” she says. “Daniel and Dave had seen Spamalot in Seattle and their enthusiasm and excitement had me on board.” She agreed to co-produce and organize auditions that reached out to the community outside of Yelm. “We’re getting back on board with the Olympia actors network,” says Young. “Part of my role is helping us to reconnect with the greater theater community of Puget Sound.”

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Tim the Enchanter (David Fairley) warns of danger to come in Standing Room Only Theater’s production of Spamalot!, which runs through the end of November.

Young emphasizes that the process of theater is hugely collaborative. “We house all of these different artistic expressions under one roof rather than having everyone working alone in their own studios.” Costume designer Renee Cottriel agrees. “People think it’s just actors,” she says. “It’s not. For anyone who’s interested in things like Cosplay, there are things to do here that make it a really fun and exciting way to exercise your hobby.”

For now, everyone wears a lot of hats. “We get the jobs done, but we need people who do carpentry and things like that in our group,” says Cottriel. “It would be really great to have more community involvement from people who have other skills.” She’s been creating costumes since her daughter, now full grown, participated in Drew Harvey’s children’s program. Success for her is a specific moment. “The first time the actors put on the clothes and you can’t get them to take them back off, you know that you’ve made them happy and you’ve helped them step that little bit further into their character,” she says.

Everyone involved with the group believes that community theater has an important role to play. “It’s a way to be a part of a creative process,” says Champagne. “People come to the end of a production and they see what they can create when they work with other people. It’s about having a creative outlet, being self-expressed, and working together.”

Having started at a young age himself, Wyman sees the value for children and teens. Most Standing Room Only Theater shows include younger performers and some productions are created specifically for them. “It really allows teenagers to work with adults, take on responsibilities, and be treated like adults,” he says. “I remember it doing a tremendous amount for my confidence and self-esteem.”

yelm theater
Standing Room Only functions as an incubator for young talent. Astroleah Kadow, Sarah Burke, and Dahlia Young are all high school students. Photo credit: Bill Wyman.

In the coming year, the company intends to continue evolving, says Champagne. “We’re bringing in additional directors and upping the quality of our sets. It’s a larger commitment.” Wyman would like to see the levels of sponsorships and community support increase. “The budget for Spamalot is one of the largest we’ve ever had,” he says. “We needed every bit of it to create the quality that you see.”

Those efforts have paid off, according to Loertscher. “They really reached out with this play,” he says. “It’s been awesome to see them stretch beyond what they’ve already done and it’s going to be an exciting few years to see what they do next.”

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