PODCAST · arts
The Muni Story
by The Muni Oral History Project
The Muni is the largest all-volunteer theater in the country and its history is as rich as the musicals that have graced its stage. Join us as we talk with those who have brought "Muni Magic" to life in a variety of ways, and learn what makes this theater so unique.
Episodes
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Kevin Kulavic
Kevin began his Muni experience working on set crew while in high school and has since been involved in over 25 productions since 2005. Kevin has performed in 8 productions, stage managed 7 productions, and has held other titles including Assistant Director, Flight Coordinator and Master Builder....
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Julie Ratz
Julie has been a choreographer and performer in a number of Muni shows. Julie made her Muni debut assisting Grace Nanavati with the choreography for Hans Christian Andersen in 1993. Since then, she has played Tiger Lily in our production of Peter Pan in 2001 and has performed in Chicago in 2006,...
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Sandra Dehner Wheeler
Sandra was one of the Muni's first leading ladies when the organization was revitalized after the fire and returned to the site in 1965. Sandra actually made her Muni debut in the Tent at the Lake production of Carousel in the early sixties. When the Muni was revitalized and returned to the site…
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Sara Baltusevich Goeckner
Sara has been a performer and vocal director for a number of Muni shows. She made her Muni debut as an orphan in Annie in 1998. Some of the roles that she has played include Belle in Disney's Beauty and the Beast in 2005, Cinderella in Into the Woods in 2010 and Nellie Forbush in South Pacific in...
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Dennis Rendleman
Dennis has been a performer in a number of Muni productions over the years. He made his Muni debut playing Che in our first production of Evita in 1985. Some of the other roles he has played include Henry Higgins in My Fair Lady in 1989, King Arthur in Camelot in 1990, Cervantes/Don Quixote in…
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Anna Bussing Maisenbacher
Anna has been a performer, choreographer and director for many Muni productions. Anna made her Muni stage debut as Tootie in Meet Me in St. Louis in 1995. Her first leading role at the Muni was that of Mary Lennox in The Secret Garden in 1997. She was also an orphan in Annie in 1998 and in the...
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Mary Kate Smith
Mary Kate is one of the Muni's leading ladies. She made her Muni debut in Godspell in 1998. She went off and worked professionally in Los Angeles and Chicago for several years doing voice work and other projects. She was in Tony n' Tina's Wedding in Chicago. After returning to Springfield, Mary...
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Tara Cowan Petty
Tara is part of a very talented and musical Muni family. Her mother is Deb Watts Elliott, who often accompanies shows. Tara has been a performer, flute player and sign language interpreter for many Muni shows. Tara made her Muni stage debut in the chorus of Fiddler on the Roof in 1998. The first...
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Mary Midiri-Davis
Mary was involved with a number of Muni shows for over 20 years. Mary's involvement with the Muni began when she did make-up during the 1975 season. She made her Muni stage debut as Penelope Ann in Bye Bye Birdie in 1976. Mary was more of a dancer, so she often was in dancing roles such as in The...
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Anna McFarland
Anna has been a performer, choreographer and co-director for the Muni. Anna made her Muni debut in the cast of Seussical in 2010. She has also performed in The Wizard of Oz in 2011, Crazy for You in 2012, Beauty and the Beast in 2012 and Jekyll & Hyde in 2014. Anna has also been the choreographer...
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Patti Daniels
Patti has been a performer in several Muni shows. Patti made her Muni stage debut as Frau Schmidt in The Sound of Music in 2005. Patti has also performed The Music Man in 2008, The Producers in 2009, Annie in 2010, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat in 2012 and Thoroughly Modern Millie…
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Victor Holstein
Victor is another one of Muni's success stories having gone on to perform professionally in film, television and on stage. Victor made his Muni debut as Harry the Horse in Guys and Dolls in 1997. Victor was also one of the Apostles in Godspell in 1998 and was in 42nd Street in 1999. Victor went…
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Dave Anderson
Dave was involved with a number of Muni productions for about 25 years. His Muni debut was in the chorus of Oklahoma! in 1981. While Dave was in a few shows, such as South Pacific in 1988, his involvement was mainly on the Board of Managers and as producer of several shows. Dave does say his...
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Karla Joell Butcher
Karla Joell has been a performer and vocal director for many Muni shows over the years. She made her Muni debut 1977 in My Fair Lady. She has performed such roles as Mae Peterson in Bye Bye Birdie in 1998, the Fairy Godmother in Cinderella in 2000, Bloody Mary in South Pacific in 2002 and...
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Lynne Snyder
Lynne was a performer in three Muni shows from 1988-1990 while she was a professor in the School of Theatre and Dance at Millikin University in Decatur. Her involvement with the Muni was because of her colleague, Gary Shull. Her Muni debut was as Peggy Sawyer in 42nd Street in 1988. Her other…
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Angela Whitlow Mead
Angela performed in four Muni shows during the 1990s. She made her Muni premiere as that boy who will never grow up, Peter Pan, in our 1994 production. The next summer, in 1995, she played Esther Smith (the Judy Garland role) in Meet Me in St. Louis. She was also in the choruses of The Wizard of…
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Pat Pennington
Pat has been a performer in a number of Muni shows. Pat made her Muni debut as one of the King's wives in The King and I in 1983. The roles she played at Muni include Mrs. Brice in Funny Girl in 1984, Meg Boyd in Damn Yankees in 1985, Mame Dennis in Mame in 1988, The Stepmother in Into the Woods…
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Susan Hawk Collier
Susan has been a director, choreographer and performer for a number of Muni productions. She made her Muni debut in the dancing chorus of Kiss Me, Kate! in 1968. Her performances at Muni were always as a dancer, but one notable role was that of the Dream Laurie in Oklahoma! in 1973. Some of the...
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Lindsey & DJ Rudd
DJ and Lindsey have been involved with a number of Muni shows. Lindsey made her Muni debut as a munchkin in The Wizard of Oz in 2003 and DJ made his Muni debut in The Sound of Music in 2005, which also featured Lindsey playing one of the Von Trapp children. In addition to performing, DJ has been…
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Jim Leach
Jim has been a performer in a number of Muni productions. He made his Muni debut as George Widener in Titanic in 2003. He also was the leader of the Winkies in The Wizard of Oz later that same summer. Jim has also performed such roles as The King in Big River in 2004, Captain Von Trapp in The…
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Lori Ann McCabe
Lori Ann has been a performer in a number of Muni shows over the years. She made her Muni debut in the pit chorus for The Will Rogers Follies in 1996. The following summer, she made her onstage debut as a member of the mission band in Guys and Dolls. Since then, she has played many roles…
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Shirley Thomas
Shirley was a Muni performer and vocal director for a number of shows for about 25 years. Shirley made her Muni debut as Lady Thiang in The King and I in 1971. In 1974, Shirley was the first of the four ladies to perform the iconic role of Dolly Levi on the Muni stage in Hello, Dolly! Other roles...
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Phil Funkenbusch
Phil has directed and performed in several Muni shows. Phil made his Muni debut as Oscar Lindquist in Sweet Charity in 1978. Soon after that show, Phil moved to New York and worked in the theatre industry for several years before moving back to central Illinois in the mid-1990s. Phil made his…
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T. David Parker
T. David has been a set builder/designer on many Muni productions for a number of years. His involvement with Muni began when two of his sons were cast in the children's chorus of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat in 2002. He assisted in building the set for that show. He was very...
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Grace Luttrell Nanavati
Grace was involved with the Muni as a director, choreographer and performer for 25 years. Grace's involvement with the Muni began in 1973 when Thayne Ernie asked her to be the choreographer for Promises, Promises. Other shows she choreographed have included Applause in 1974, How to Succeed in...
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Daniel Shelton
Daniel was a sound designer/operator for the Muni for eleven seasons. Before moving to sound, Daniel was in two productions. He made his Muni debut in Aida in 2006. He was in Oklahoma! the next summer. He was responsible for some major upgrades to Muni's sound equipment. During those eleven shows...
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Patrick Foster
Patrick has been a performer in a number of Muni productions. Patrick made his Muni debut in 1981 as Will Parker in Oklahoma! Since then, he has been in the choruses of Kismet and Follies in 1982 and has played roles that include Simeon in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat in 1983…
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Jim Dahlquist
Jim has been a performer in several Muni shows. Jim made his Muni debut as Benny Southstreet in Guys and Dolls in 1997. Some of the other roles Jim has played are FDR in Annie in 1998, Smee in Peter Pan in 2013, Grandpa Joe in Willy Wonka in 2017 and The Scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz in 2019. Jim...
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Rick Dunham
Rick has been a performer in a number of Muni shows. Rick is most famous for his Elvis tribute act, Elvis Himselvis. Rick made his Muni debut in the chorus of Good News in 1980. He was also in Show Boat later that summer. Some of the roles that Rick has performed at the Muni include The Pharaoh…
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Randy Dunham
Randy was a performer in a number of Muni productions over the year. Randy made his Muni debut in 1977 in the chorus of Cinderella. As a male dancer, Randy was often in two shows a summer in his early years performing at the Muni. Some of Randy's most notable roles were Rooster Hannigan in Annie…
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Jay Edgecomb
Jay was a lighting designer and operator for the Muni for about 35 years. Jay's involvement for the Muni began when he was a spotlight operator for our production of The Unsinkable Molly Brown in 1968. Jay's father and grandparents were involved in the original Muni during the 1950s. Jay's father...
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Tony Young
Tony is one the Muni's most prolific performers. Tony made his Muni debut in 1987 as the The Lion in The Wiz. Since then, some of the roles he has played include Lancelot in Camelot in 1990, Jim in Big River in 1994, Coalhouse Walker, Jr. in Ragtime in 2005, Pharaoh in Joseph and the Amazing...
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Ann Collins
Ann has performed in, vocal directed and played violin in the pit for a number of Muni productions. Ann made her Muni debut in 1982 in the chorus of Kismet. She played Widow Corney later that summer in Oliver! She says her favorite role was Miss Hannigan, which she played in the Muni's first...
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Peter Samuel
Peter is another one of Muni's success stories having performed in a number of shows on Broadway. Peter, originally from Rochester, made his Muni stage debut in 1974 in Hello, Dolly! He was also in The Music Man later that summer. He played Roger Sherman in 1776 in 1976 (the production with…
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Mary Von Liski
Mary was a performer in a number of Muni productions. She made her Muni debut in the chorus of The Desert Song in 1977. The next summer, in 1978, she played the role of Agnes in the two-person musical, I Do! I Do! She also played Babe Williams in The Pajama Game in 1979 and Mrs. Nordstrom in A...
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Dave Edwards
Dave was involved in a number of Muni shows from 1975-1998. Dave made his Muni stage debut as Avram, the Bookseller in Fiddler on the Roof in 1974. Some of his Muni roles include Jigger Craigin in Carousel in 1979, The Duke of Milan in Two Gentlemen of Verona in 1984, Jacob in Joseph and the...
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Tim Ward
Tim made his Muni debut in the chorus of Annie in 1985. Tim owes a debt of gratitude to Gene Rubley for getting him involved with the Muni. Tim's star turn occurred the following year, in 1986, when he was cast as Judas in Jesus Christ Superstar. Tim performed a number of roles at the Muni from...
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Johna Viner Keen
Johna has been a performer on the Muni stage since the early 1980s. Johna made her Muni stage debut in 1983 in The Student Prince. Since then, she has played a number of roles including Baroness Elsa Schräder in The Sound of Music in 1986, Lady Thiang in The King and I in 1995, part of the…
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Amanda Neubauer
Amanda has been a performer on the Muni stage since the mid-1980s. She made her Muni stage debut in 1986 in the chorus of Cabaret. Since then, she has performed in a number of shows, most recently being in the chorus of Evita in 2019. Amanda currently serves on the Muni's Board of Managers and is...
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Missy Homa Cartwright
Missy has been a performer in a number of Muni shows. The Muni played a big role in Missy's formative years. Missy made her Muni stage debut in the children's chorus of Oliver! in 1982. Since then, she has performed in a number shows, including playing the roles of Minnie Fay in Hello, Dolly! in...
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Courtney Young
Courtney is one of Muni's success stories, having performed professionally in a number of regional theatre productions, touring companies and Broadway shows. Courtney made her Muni debut as July in our first production of Annie in 1985. She went on to perform in several Muni shows, most notably…
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Kevin Ford
Kevin has been a performer and set builder for a number of Muni productions. Kevin made his Muni stage debut in 2005 in Ragtime. Since then, he has been in several shows. His last time on the Muni stage was as the voice of Audrey II in 2018's Little Shop of Horrors. Kevin also frequently is a set...
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Damien Kaplan
Damien is part of a longtime Muni family, as his father, Steve Kaplan, is Chair of the Muni's Board of Trustees. He has been involved with the Muni in several different capacities. Damien made his Muni stage debut in 1994 in Hello, Dolly! Since then, he has performed in a number of shows. He has...
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Morgan Kaplan
Morgan has been involved at The Muni in various ways, including as a dance instructor for auditions, an on-stage performer, a choreographer and as a director. Morgan has an interesting tale to tell about how she became involved with the organization when she was asked to teach the dance for the...
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Gary Soerensen
Gary no longer lives in the Springfield area, but he was heavily involved with the Muni throughout the later part of the 1970s through the 1980s. Gary was a vocal music teacher with the Rochester High School and later Chatham Glenwood High School. He made his Muni debut as the vocal director for...
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Gil & Ann Opferman
Anyone who's been involved with the Muni at some point during the last 20 years knows Gil & Ann. They have been performers, directors and volunteers with the Muni. Gil even served on the Board of Managers, including a year as president. Gil made his Muni stage debut in 1998 in the chorus of…
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Ed MacMurdo
Ed has been director, assistant director, choreographer and performer for many Muni shows. Ed made his Muni stage debut in Jesus Christ Superstar in 1986. Since then, he played such favorites as Captain Billy Buck Chandler in My One and Only in 1991, Will Rogers in The Will Rogers Follies in…
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Judy Wolfson Burnette
Judy was a Muni performer and stage manager for many years. Judy made her Muni stage debut in 1966 in My Fair Lady. She was asked to audition because they needed someone who could do an authentic cockney accent and teach others to do one. Judy was in many shows over the years. Her largest was…
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Russ Dunlap
Russ doesn't live in the Springfield area anymore, but he was a mainstay on the Muni stage during much of the 1980s. He made his Muni debut as James in Shenandoah in 1979. Later that summer he played Billy Bigelow in Carousel. Russ played such roles as Frank in Show Boat, Lieutenant Cable in…
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Gus Gordon
Gus has been a mainstay on the Muni stage since his debut in 1991. Gus made his Muni stage debut as Rapunzel's Prince in 1991 in Into the Woods, opposite his wife Claire's Rapunzel. Since then, he has played many favorites such as Harold Hill in The Music Man, Bobby Child in Crazy for You, Max...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
The Muni is the largest all-volunteer theater in the country and its history is as rich as the musicals that have graced its stage. Join us as we talk with those who have brought "Muni Magic" to life in a variety of ways, and learn what makes this theater so unique.
HOSTED BY
The Muni Oral History Project
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How many episodes does The Muni Story have?
The Muni Story currently has 78 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is The Muni Story about?
The Muni is the largest all-volunteer theater in the country and its history is as rich as the musicals that have graced its stage. Join us as we talk with those who have brought "Muni Magic" to life in a variety of ways, and learn what makes this theater so unique.
How often does The Muni Story release new episodes?
The Muni Story has 78 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
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Who hosts The Muni Story?
The Muni Story is created and hosted by The Muni Oral History Project.
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