Evita Comes To Casper College

Casper College’s Department of Theatre and Dance is bringing New York to the Gertrude Krampert Theatre. Opening on Friday, November 2, 2012, on the McMurry Mainstage, New York performer, Lindsie VanWinkle, A.E.A., will star in the Tony Award winning musical/rock opera, Evita.  With music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Tim Rice, the plot concentrates on the life of Argentine political leader, Eva Perón, the second wife of Argentine president, Juan Perón. The story follows Evita’s early life, her scrappy rise to power, the charity work she did and her eventual death.

Playing the role of Evita is Lindsie VanWinkle, A.E.A., who most recently played the role of Tessie in Irving Berlin’s White Christmas. Other past roles included her Off-Broadway debut as Mary Magdalene in The Magdalene (directed by Rich Burk and music by James Olm, both of the Casper College Department of Theatre and Dance) and Mrs. Pinkerton in Pinkalicious! The Musical. Lindsie enjoys traveling the countryside and performing in regional theatres. Her long list of projects includes Buddy’s Tavern, Flipside: The Patti Page Story, Hello, Dolly!, My Fair Lady, Les Miserables, The Pajama Game, Little Me, Fiddler on the Roof, and Little by Little.

Among the 35 cast members are four lead characters. Playing the role of Che Guevara, the Argentine Marxist revolutionary, is recent Kelly Walsh High School (KWHS) graduate Matthew Stairs. Stairs made a huge impression with his performance in KWHS's production last February of Les Miserables.

Casper College sophomore musical theatre major Will Ford assumes the role of Juan Perón. Originally from Colorado, Ford has been with the theatre program since 2010 and played Etches in the summer 2011 production of Titanic: The Musical and several other leading roles in Casper College departmental productions.

Matthew Gnojek, a freshman musical theatre major, will portray Agustín Magaldi, a tango and milango dancer who brought Eva Peron to Buenos Aires. Gnojek is returning to college after a hiatus of several years, during which time he performed professionally in dinner theatre productions in the Denver area.

Natrona County High School graduate Adrienne Ashley is Peron's mistress. Ashley was last seen as the stripper Miss Mazeppa in last summer's Casper College production of Gypsy.

Evita is directed by Dr. William Conte with choreography by Jodi Youmans-Jones, musical direction by James Olm, costumes by Douglas Garland, set design by Kyle Melton and lighting design by Jeffrey Toombs. This production is supported in part by a grant from the Wyoming Cultural Trust Fund, a program of the Wyoming Department of State Parks and Cultural Resources.

Performances are Friday and Saturday, November 2 and 3, Wednesday through Friday, November 8-10, and November 14-17 at 7:30 p.m.   There will also be a matinee at 2 p.m. on Sunday, November 18.

Tickets are $12 for adults and $10 for children (ages 5 through 18). There is a $2 discount per ticket for groups of 20 or more. Tickets area already on sale and are available at the Krampert Theatre Box Office (Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.) or can be purchased at the door. To purchase by phone, call 307-2680-2500 or 800-442-2963, ext. 2500 during box office hours. VISA, MasterCard and Discover are accepted. Tickets can be mailed for an additional $1 per order.