Christmas at the Palace 2023

Executive Director Kirk Detweiler and Sharon Gale (Mrs. Claus) stopped by to talk about Christmas at the Palace.

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
Joining me right now is Kirk debtWeiler with the Marion Palace Theater, the
executive director. Kirk, how youdoing? Oh wow, you make me
sound so important. Well, youare important. Even if you didn't have
that title, you would still beimportant. You say that to everybody's speless.
I am speech first time. EveryHow are you? Eric? I'm

(00:22):
doing well. And we also haveSharon Gale in here with us, and
we are here to talk about Christmasat the Palace. It is that time
of year again. What I meanit's is this something Kirk that it's just
something that the Palace itself looks forwardto every year. Yeah, we really
do. It's a you know,it's a busy, busy couple of weeks

(00:44):
for us. I mean we rehearsefor like six weeks. But as far
as the Palace staff, the twoweeks coming into the U to the show,
you know, the box office isbuzzing. Everybody's there for rehearsals.
Claire announced last night, if youcount the crew and the orchestra, there
are three hundred people involved in thisshow. Wow, most of them on

(01:07):
stage. We got a lot ofcitizens of Marion and surrounding areas on stage
with different dance groups and different singinggroups and it's just, you know,
time for everybody to come together.And yes, we look forward to it
every year, and it's one ofthose shows if you've never been that you
get to see some people perform thatdon't normally do this at the Palace and

(01:30):
different productions. This is really theonly thing that they try to be a
part of. That's true. Thatis true, especially like in the men's
tapline, the women's tapline. Thereare couples and singles that do that every
year and this is the only timethey are performing, and it's such fun.
It's a great way to start theChristmas season. The kids, there

(01:53):
are so many kids, little kidsin this big kids. The vocals.
May I just say right now thevocals are outstanding, outstanding. Yes,
we haven't even introduced you yet.I well, yeah I did say Sharon,
but yeah, Sharon is missus clauseif you again, if you have
not seen the show. Every year, Sharon gets to down the red dress

(02:19):
in the in the little cat.I don't know if it's at why goodness,
yes, Santa and I have wehave had such a great time.
It has been a gift to bepart of this show and an honor always
to be on the Palace stage.And Santa is Bruce cud And how many
years? I know you said youweren't sure how many years you've done this,
But do you have an idea foryou and Bruce together doing this?

(02:44):
Oh my gosh, I really don't. It has to be ten, I
don't know. Wow, fifteen,I don't know. It seems like every
more than ten. The first timeI did Christmas said the past was ten
years ago, and you were Iwas well entrenched. I was well well
entrenched. Well I'm so old nowI don't even remember. So every time
it is a treat. I loveit. I look forward to seeing everybody.

(03:04):
The audiences are fantastic, the music, the kids. What a better
way to start the season. Andthe show follows a bit of a theme
every year. Santa and Missus Clausare included in pretty much the whole show
until the very end usually, Butalso you have Sassy the Elf, which
is yes, we have Julia Vanderhoffas Sassy. We have Sarah Grody as

(03:30):
Sparkle, and we have a newelf this year. Ben Blankenship is Eddie
the Elf. Okay, he isgoing to add a whole new dimension to
this show. Yeah, I know, Ben I got to perform in his
first Palace show with him, whichwas Nonsense, which wasn't even on the
main stage, and he is sohe just loves what the Palace is doing.

(03:53):
And he's practically trying to be ineverything now because it's so much fun
for him. Yeah, he playedLafou and Beauty and the Beast and now
he's Eddie the Elf and it wasin Next to Normal too. Oh yeah,
Next Normal, that's right. Youplayed the doctor and he's Yeah,
he is so talented, he isso funny, and he's such a great
person. So it's a pleasure tohave him join us now. I wonder,

(04:14):
Sharon, when you every year,it is a lot of work,
obviously to get ready for this.I know Claire practically from the time that
the Summer Musical is over is startingto work on the script and starting to
work on putting together her parts ofit. But for you, knowing that
this is how you've got to endthe year every year, what kind of

(04:36):
preparation do you try to do goinginto this time of year to get ready
for it. I just try tobe as active as possible. I mean,
that's you know, I'm an oldlady, so I have to I
have to get my exercise. That'swhat I do. I sing, and
I walk and I dance. IfI can, I go to Christy's taper
size. There you go. That'show I stick that my line. Dance

(04:58):
class is dance class. Yeah,it's all happening at the Palace Theater.
That's right. And Kirk, youwere a part of Christmas at the Palace
before you were ever a part ofthe staff here. Great and now that
you're here overseeing the Palace, doesit still have that special feeling for you
being a part of this side ofChristmas at the Palace. Well, it's

(05:20):
I think it's even more special.I grew up in the Palace, you
know, starting at age fifteen,and I did a lot of shows throughout
the years. I remember my firstChristmas at the Palace where I was executive
director, which was two years ago, twenty one, and I just I
had to do a speech for thefor the cast and I welled up.

(05:44):
I was just like so proud Iwas. I said, I'm just so
proud that you know, to bea part of this and you guys are
amazing. The other great thing thatI love about Christmas at the Palace.
All the preparation that Claire does isamazing. But she also allows groups or
individuals to come to auditions with ideasof their own to be a part of

(06:04):
the show. So, how manydifferent groups are there or what are some
of the different groups they're actually performingthis year? Well, we got to
a lot of dance groups. Wegot diverse moves. Keanu Revere, that's
her dance studio on Center Street.We've got the Irie Dance Academy. Emily
Irie used to be Edie Cook.Edie retired and sold to the Emily Irie

(06:27):
and her husband and they're doing acouple of numbers with their dance troops.
Who else helped me out here?Well, Olivia, Olivia Brizsell is choreographing
several numbers with kids. She getsthe kids. There's a herding, there's
a quartet from Harding, Okay thatthe Harding ensemble anyway, just amazing,
amazing, And the Guadeloupagos from St. Mary's. Yeah, Evelyn le Seki

(06:53):
puts that together. They were inthe show last year. The the Seki
family is unbelievably talented. If theyhave been with us since the beginning.
They were with us when the kidswere tiny, and I mean I have
watched them grow up. It's sofun. Oh yeah, and they're fabulous.
And now the daughter is in thisdance group, which is and she's
all grown up. So it's beena joy. It's been a joy to

(07:16):
watch everybody grow up on the stage. Ellie and people that come every year,
they recognize people from every year,and some people can probably say they've
been to this show every year andseen kids that went from being just tiny
tots all the way to being adultsmarried with children of their own in the
show. I mean, that's thekind of show it is, isn't it.

(07:36):
Yeah. The first show is fortyone years ago, nineteen eighty two.
Wow. Yula Watts put it togetherjust kind of on a whim.
Claire to always tells the story.I think the year prior there had gone
to Norwalk and just a local theaterthere had done just a you know,
a Christmas ride show, and theygot together and said, well we could

(07:56):
do that, and for many yearsthey did it every other but I think
about the last ten years or so, ten or twelve years, we've done
it every year. And it's verymuch a variety show. There's going to
be set dance and song and dancenumbers, there's going to be instrumental numbers.
There's a Nativity at the end.There's so much that happens in this
show, and you really can feellike I think that you can go and

(08:22):
see anything that you might like ormaybe haven't seen before at all. Right,
beautiful, Yeah, it's beautiful.I'm going to piggyback on what she
said. We ran through Act onelast night and I'm just amazed at the
quality of the vocals. Every singleperson who has a solo is just I
mean, these people could be onBroadway. We've got Morgan Schwartz, Elizabeth

(08:43):
Moore, Tanner Wink, Jenny Collins. Everybody's got a solo. Is just
amazing. It is amazing. Andtalking about growing up Maddie Blankenship, man
forget blank and Ship, don't forgetMaddy Blankenship. But there's a song in
the show about just like that,and it's so moving because that's what we've

(09:05):
all seen, is these kids justgrow up before our eyes and it's just
like that. Is that the songElizabeth sings, Yes, Yes, Yes,
Oh my gosh, it's beautiful.Yeah. So do you feel like
and this is a question for bothof you, do you feel like it's
this is such a marrying tradition.It's not Christmas without or it wouldn't be

(09:26):
Christmas if we didn't have Christmas atthe Palace, That's true. I feel
that way, yes, and talkabout he said he welld up. Every
night when I'm watching these vocals,I mean, tears come to my eyes.
It's so beautiful. So I don'twant anybody to miss this if they
don't have to, because it isspecial this year. There are so many

(09:46):
shows that the Palace does throughout theyear that are amazing local shows. This
is that show. I want tomake sure everybody listening understands that you can
really see the talent that is inMarrying in the surrounding area and just how
special it is to have a placelike the Palace to be able to do
shows like this. So Kirk,let's let everybody know. How can they

(10:09):
get tickets? When can they gettickets? How much are tickets? Well,
let's see. The shows are Decemberone, second and third Friday and
Saturday seven thirty show and the Decemberthird to two o'clock matinee. We actually
also just added a fourth performance.We do this in association with the North
Central Ohio Autism Society. We inviteanybody who we call the sensory friendly.

(10:35):
The music is lower, the lightsare up, so it's that particular performance
is sponsored by the Department of DevelopmentalDisabilities store AD and the Society of Central
Ohio, the Autism Society. Nowour main sponsors are that we got to
mention them because they they've been great. They've been sponsoring us for many years

(10:56):
now for Citizens Bank. And wealso have maryan obgy N, doctor David
and Jude Folk. They have beensponsors for years and years of this show
and we have a new sponsor thisyear. I'm on the board of the
Cancer Coalition of North Central Ohio,so I squeezed us in there as well.
There you go, So we haveyeah those and also a big thank

(11:16):
you to Mike Watts and fran Henderson. They also they are sponsoring the tuxedos
and the Men's tapline. Oh yeah, those are never free, that's for
sure. And we can't forget theOhio Arts Council. We get you know,
the Palace being a nonprofit organization.We get some government grants in the
Ohio Arts Council. It's very generouswith us every year and can't do it

(11:39):
without them. Amazing. Well,I think you guys know how much I
love the Palace. I love everythingthat you guys do. And this is
that show that you don't want tomiss. You better have the best excuse
ever to not go, because there'sno reason not to go and watch this
show at least one night, anda lot of times people will come multiple

(12:00):
nights. Oh yeah, because theyjust love it so much. Now,
can we just talk about our directorClaire Cook absolutely, our choreographer Christi Wink,
orchestra leader Rick Baird, vocal directionby Jamie Rollins. They're all fabulous.
Yes, we have such a crew, I mean it's just a family.
And then stage, Yeah, wegot Barbi Akseix our stage manager,

(12:20):
Ronda Arnold assistant stage manager. Butwe've got to Honey Carr working backstage,
Ryan Schwartz. It is a fan. Ralph Hill is always helping back he's
on stage and backstage. He's awesome. He's such a helper. Everybody is
is It is a family. Imean, when you're a part of this
theater in this town. You area part of a huge family that is

(12:43):
always there and I can speak fromexperience on that, but it's something to
behold, this whole experience. Christmasat the Palace this weekend. You definitely
want to come to it. Getyour tickets ahead of time because sometimes when
you wait the day of the performance, you're going to be waiting in a
long line that's going to be coldright along line, or could be sold

(13:03):
out, or it could be soldout, So don't take that chance.
Go get your tickets today. Butagain this weekend, Christmas, Christmas at
the Palace, it's going to beamazing. You know, guys, I'm
so happy that you guys came in, Kirk Sharon, you represent the Palace
beautifully. Thank you for coming inand speaking with us, Thank you for
having us. We're just happy tobe here. Thank you. Eric