State Street Theater Co. presents… Mary Poppins
The cast of Mary Poppins, presented by the State Street Theater Company in New Ulm. SSTC will present the play at 7 p.m. from July 26-28 and 2 p.m. on July 29.
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- George Banks, played by Kent Menzel, and Winifred Banks, played by Janet Holm, rehearse during an opening scene of SSTC’s Mary Poppins.
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- Mary Poppins, played by Nina Kirchoefer, and Bert, played by Michael Koester, rehearse a song and dance from SSTC’s rendition of Mary Poppins.
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- The cast of Mary Poppins, presented by the State Street Theater Company in New Ulm. SSTC will present the play at 7 p.m. from July 26-28 and 2 p.m. on July 29.
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- Nina Kirchoefer, playing the lead role of Mary Poppins, poses with her umbrella during a recent rehearsal of SSTC’s Mary Poppins. This will be her debut with SSTC, and she is a music teacher at Sleepy Eye Public.
Theater fans that answered yes to that question are in luck. The State Street Theater Company (SSTC) will proudly be bringing the story of Mary Poppins to its stage at 7 p.m. from July 26-28 and at 2 p.m. on July 29.
It’s one of the most popular Disney movies of all time, is based on the books by P.L Travers, and Anita Shikoski, director of the play, wants to share this magical musical with as many viewers as possible.
Mary Poppins will be the first play Shikoski has directed for SSTC. She teaches English at New Ulm Cathedral High School and has directed plays and musicals there for 30 years.
Shikoski won’t give away all of her secrets about the play, but one should expect to be entertained by this special production.
Nina Kirchoefer, playing the lead role of Mary Poppins, poses with her umbrella during a recent rehearsal of SSTC’s Mary Poppins. This will be her debut with SSTC, and she is a music teacher at Sleepy Eye Public.
“We are presenting the Broadway musical based on the stories of P.L. Travers and the Walt Disney film,” Shikoski said. “Our production features the original music and lyrics by the Sherman brothers and the book by Julian Fellowes (famous for the PBS production of Downton Abbey). I don’t want to give away all our secrets, but we’ve tried to make this production extra special with the incorporation of unique special effects that capture the magic of Mary Poppins.”
Christina Miller Koester, the play’s producer, said that community theater brings people of all ages and backgrounds together, which makes for a great experience for both those involved and the audience. She also said that the special effects for the play will make this performance stand out.
“This performance is unique in the amount of special effects that are taking place behind the scenes,” Miller Koester said. “We needed a much more eclectic crew this year than we have in any production I’ve been a part of. We needed to make some of the characters fly on stage and had to find a way to make certain things work, like Mary’s carpet bag.”
There are 39 cast members for SSTC’s Mary Poppins, ranging in age from 10 to 66 years old. Mary Poppins will be played by Nina Kirchoefer of Sleepy Eye. This will be Kirchoefer’s debut on the SSTC stage.
Miller Koester said that she was thrilled to produce this play because it has been one of her favorite Disney movies growing up. She said she was glad to find a family-friendly play like Mary Poppins for all ages to enjoy.
Mary Poppins, played by Nina Kirchoefer, and Bert, played by Michael Koester, rehearse a song and dance from SSTC’s rendition of Mary Poppins.
“We try to find shows that would work well for a large age range and often ones that are great family-friendly shows,” Miller Koester said. “It has been fun to help put together the stage version, as there are some new songs added and a few songs from the movie that are missing.”
Shikoski said that she expects this show for all ages to entertain and “wow” the public.
“This is a show for all ages — children and adults will be entertained,” Shikoski said. “My guess is that the audience will be toe-tapping and wanting to sing along with such classics as “Spoonful of Sugar,” “Let’s Go Fly a Kite” and “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.” In addition, there are a number of lively and highly entertaining dance numbers. Our choreographer, Gary Sassenberg, worked tirelessly with our ensemble, and we think our audience will be “wowed” by the dancing. This is a must-see show!”
This is an opportunity to see everyone’s favorite and practically perfect nanny make an appearance on the SSTC stage. So grab your umbrellas, get your tickets and fly on over to see Mary Poppins while you have the chance!
Mary Poppins: Nina Kirchoefer
George Banks, played by Kent Menzel, and Winifred Banks, played by Janet Holm, rehearse during an opening scene of SSTC’s Mary Poppins.
Bert: Michael Koester
Jane Banks: Grace Gleisner
Michael Banks: Jared Gleisner
George Banks: Kent Menzel
Winifred Banks: Janet Holm
Mrs. Brill: Carli Petersen
Robertson Ay: Seth Rausch
Katie Nanna: Zoe Macklanburg
Bank Chairman: Adrian Smith
Von Hussler: Paul Henning
Northbrook: Silas Dose
Miss Smythe: Robin Larson
Miss Andrew: Madeline Cacciatore
Miss Lark: Kathy Jo Lux
Bird Woman: Leah Wendland
Mrs. Corry: Bonnie Lantz
Annie: Hannah Larson
Fannie: Magdala Diersen
Valentine: Courtney Ryberg
Ballerina: Kirsten Malcolm
Teddy Bear: Katie Schwartz
Punch: Stephanie Dose
Toy Block: Zoe Scharf
Toy Soldier: Lucas Youngerberg
Jack in a Box: Josiah Smith
Raggedy Ann: Anna Knowles
Neleus: Eli Hastings
Queen Victoria: Alyssa Nissen
Park Statue: Alyssa DeBill
Park Keeper: Neil Kirchoefer
Constable: Michael Bovee
Admiral Boom: Tom Kaehler
Ensemble: Sophie Berger, Isabelle Miller, Elle Osborne, Aidan Hendrickson, Jayce Seifert, Naomi Friese
Director: Anita Shikoski
Producer: Christina Miller Koester
Vocal Director: Kathy Wurster
Rehearsal Accompanist: Marijo Sweeney
Choreographer: Gary Sassenberg
Orchestra Director: Mark Wamma
Set Director: Michael Koester
Costume Director: Sara Covich
Stage Manager: Jessie Sobania
Special Effects: John Blomberg
Set: Tom Kaehler
Jon Hammerschmidt
Terry Knowles
Wayne Plagge
Tech: Alex Wyffels
Nate Brueske
Maida Jasperson
Stage Crew: David Henning
Sarah Seifert
Terry Knowles
Kenny Deutz
Jon Hammerschmidt
Orchestra: Laure Stelljes
Marijo Sweeney
Hope Sieh
Nate Beran
Carrie Quast
Lark Carlson Brown
Cindy Gawrych
Andrew Westberg
AJ Hoffman
Noah Wilson
Concessions: Curt & Ann Miller
Hair & Make-up: Jessie Sobania
Jennifer Deutz
Sarah Seifert
If you go…
Tickets
– $10 in advance/$15 at the door
– $5 Children’s Matinee, Sunday show only (age 10 & under, at the door)
– $10 Senior Sunday Tickets, $10 at the door
– Tickets are available at the New Ulm Area Chamber of Commerce, the Best Western, at the door, or online.
Theater After Hours at the Retz
– Theater After Hours is a special event taking place at the Retz in New Ulm following the July 26 opening-night performance of Mary Poppins.
– A $25 ticket includes admission to the Thursday night showing, admission to the after party at the Retz, a free drink and appetizers and a meet & greet with the cast.
– Catering provided by the Best Western of New Ulm.
– *This is a 21+ event.
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