Eagle Point Jul 62ps

View of Eagle Point, looking towards Pleasant View. The Clark Lake Players first performed at the Pleasant View Pavilion, then moved to Eagle Point. Belcher photo, July 1962

What the Clark Lake Players brought to the community is an important part of our history.  First performing at the Pleasant View Pavilion, and later at Eagle Point, they drew audiences from far and wide.

Fifty-one years ago the Clark Lake Players celebrated their tenth anniversary season.  They ended the summer with one of Broadway’s most loved shows–South Pacific.  So for three weeks–on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday–“Some Enchanted Evening” not only charmed audiences  in the theatre, but enchanted those in boats or cottages nearby on either side of the Point as the music drifted out over the water.  That was possible because the playhouse was not air conditioned.  Shutters were wide open to allow ventilation–and the side benefit for anyone within earshot was to hear the great songs during those three weeks.

The set for South Pacific set it apart from other plays.  One 50-pound bag after another was hauled up the back fire escape to create a “genuine” beach on the stage.   At the time, those in charge of the production wondered whether that old building would handle the extra stress.

South Pacific #11 Best Special Effects

South Pacific won Best Special Effects in Raft-O-Rama 2014. It had a working shower to “wash that man right out of my hair!”

But it did, and there were no incidents–only memories made more indelible by the imaginative lighting for scenes like Bali Ha’I.

This 51-year old event connects with summer 2014 at Clark Lake.  The theme of the Raft-O-Rama was “Broadway Plays.”  And one entry was all about South Pacific.  It included many characters found in the show and had a working shower that allowed for the “washing of that man right out of my hair.”

Below find the complete program for South Pacific from August, 1963.  See any familiar names?  How about dinner at the Regent Cafe or Bill Cones, shopping at Jacobson’s or Furmans!  (Click or tap to enlarge; repeat, to reduce).

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