The Iowa City Community Theatre will perform a staged concert version of "South Pacific" at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Aug. 6 and 7, 2010, at the Englert Theatre in downtown Iowa City.

By Diana Nollen, SourceMedia Group

IOWA CITY – The Iowa City Community Theatre is banking on a couple of enchanted evenings to boost its bottom line.

The all-volunteer troupe, established in 1956, navigated some rough financial waters this past winter and spring, but is working its way back to more solid footing.

“We’re doing well. We’re surviving for the moment,” says the troupe’s board president, Kehry Lane, 33, of Iowa City. “We were around $23,000 in debt and really struggling to get shows produced and survive the (past) season.”

The group is hoping to raise more funds to kickstart its 55^th season through staged readings of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “South Pacific.” Performances begin at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Aug. 6 and 7, 2010, at the Englert Theatre, 221 E. Washington St., Iowa City.

The musical, which won 10 Tony awards in 1950 and seven in 2008, features such memorable  melodies as “I’m Gonna Wash that Man Right Outta my Hair,” “Some Enchanted Evening,” “Bali Ha’i,” “Younger than Springtime” and “I’m in Love with a Wonderful Guy.”

The songs will be performed choral-style, accompanied by a 30-piece orchestra. Dialogue will connect the selections.

(Archive photo from the late Mary Beth Schuppert) The Iowa City Community Theatre's roots go back to 1956. This photo from the 1957 production of "Our Town" features (from left) Bea Gardner, Doris Foster, Tom Koehler Jr. and Michael McCarney. The troupe is launching its 55th season this month.

The cast reflects the theater’s longstanding relationship with the University of Iowa. Vocal music professor and international opera performer Stephen Swanson will sing the lead role of Emile de Becque, with Kate Thompson from the UI Department of Performing Arts as Nellie Forbush and law student Brian Jones as Lt. Joe Cable. Professor emeritus Ed Kottick will direct the orchestra.

Other performers represent a cross-section of the community, including a professional actress, band director, education consultants, ACT retirees, civil engineers and museum archivists.

General admission tickets are $20 for adults and $12 students, through the Englert Box Office, (319) 688-2653, Ext. 1, or www.englert.org

Fundraising efforts over the winter and spring have helped the all-volunteer troupe see into the future.

“We believe in the mission of community theater, that it’s essential to the artistic makeup of the community,” Lane says. “We were able to get several thousand dollars in donations. We were able to cover our immediate costs and have a little left over to fund our ‘South Pacific’ fundraiser and get us started (on the next season).”

Producing shows can cost the troupe anywhere from a couple thousand dollars to $12,000 or $15,000 for a full-scale musical at the Englert, Lane says.

“We feel comfortable where we’re at, at the moment,” he says, “but every dollar counts. We have to fight for our survival and can’t let our guard down.”

Forging ahead with a new slate of shows, the troupe’s season begins with two shows on the outdoor Festival Stage in Iowa City’s Lower City Park. The first is “9 Parts of Desire,” a play about the women of Iraq, produced in collaboration with Dreamwell Theatre. Run dates are Aug. 19 to 28. That will be followed by Tom Stoppard’s tragicomedy, “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead,” from Sept. 3 to 12.

The season then moves indoors, with the following shows: Neil Simon’s dramatic comedy, “Jake’s Women,” Oct. 1 to 10, and the musical “Celebration,” Nov. 12 to 21, both at the Johnson County Fairgrounds stage; Agatha Christie’s mystery, “Ten Little Indians,” Feb. 11 to 13 at the Englert; Larry Shue’s comedy, “The Nerd,” March 4 to 13 at the fairgrounds; and the recent Broadway hit musical, “The Drowsy Chaperone,” April 22 to May 1 at the fairgrounds.

“The major things we need in the short-term are monetary donations – or just patronizing us at the box office,” Lane says. “Volunteers are really valued and are needed at all times. Anyone with skills they’re willing to contribute or anyone wanting to get involved in theater for the first time – we’d love to have their support.”

Looking over the long term, Lane says the troupe really needs its own stage.

“Traditionally, we’ve rented a space, but five to 10 years down the road, we need to start a capital campaign to acquire a space of our own, owned by us or cooperatively owned by another arts group,” he says.

“A permanent space is what we need for long-term survival.”

For more information on the Iowa City Community Theatre, go to www.iowacitycommunitytheatre.com