Picturesque town brings historic voices to life - Dubois County Free Press, Inc.

Update: The organizers of Voices of Schnellville reported that about 400 people came out to watch the production Saturday evening.

A video of the performance may be made available in the near future. [hr]

Here is our original story.

To honor the history of Schnellville and introduce the upcoming sesquicentennial (150th year) celebration, the Dubois County town has created a production called the Voices of Schnellville.

Inspired by Spoon River Anthology by Edgar Lee Masters, Voices of Schnellville is a play to celebrate the history of the Dubois County town’s history and raise money for the 2015 Schnellville Sesquicentennial celebration.

Many of the residents of Schnellville are in the play and even portray their own ancestors. Here the volunteer actors are waiting during a dress rehearsal. — The play features 41 characters from Schnellville’s past. Portrayed by the residents of Schnellville, several will even portray their own ancestors. Here the volunteer actors are waiting during a dress rehearsal.

Spoon River Anthology is a series of epitaths from the deceased residents of a fictional town in Illinois. In the same twist, the Voices of Schnellville portrays historic personae from Schnellville’s past played by the current residents of the Dubois County town. “In fact, some of our actors will portray their ancestors in the play,” co-organizer Tara Hopf said.

Carol Berg stood by waiting for her turn during a dress rehearsal for the upcoming Voices of Schnellville.

The scripts were written by Rock Emmert, Tara Hopf, Ed Uebelhor, Susan Brier, and Karen Mehringer. “We took a little poetic liberty in some cases,” Tara explained. “But, it is historically accurate, there were just a few things we had to add to tie the story together.”

It’s a fun event that will be acted out by the volunteers dressed in period clothing from the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. The story is tied together through the experiences of the townspeople in the picturesque Dubois County town.

The play took more than a year to produce as the volunteers researched each character through county records, genealogical websites, and interviews with the characters’ descendants.

Ranging from somber to lighthearted, the stories will enlighten the audience to the town’s colorful history and its characters. To add to the atmosphere, the audience is also invited to dress in any period clothing while they attend.

20140915_193738 — During a dress rehearsal, Ella Hopf portrays a Native American child, while Tara Hopf, and Rock Emmert portray a husband and wife from the 1800s.

The play begins from the perspective of a Native American family and moves through immigrants that moved to the area. Civil War soldiers from the town of Worth, the original town located where Schnellville is today, tell their own story of the area.

The founding of the town includes an appearance of Abraham Lincoln played by Ed Uebelhor. Ed Knust, Joseph Schnell’s direct descendant, will play his great-great-great-grandfather, the town founder’s son.

According to Tara, the support from the town has been great. At least 41 residents will play characters in the production and numerous production support positions were also filled with volunteers.

Schnellville2 — Ed Knust will portray Joseph Schnell, Henry Schnell’s son. Henry Schnell is the founder of Schnellville and Knust is his direct descendant.

The production is directed by Susan Brier and will take place Saturday, October 4, 2014, at 7 p.m. outside the rectory of Sacred Heart Church in Schnellville with the cemetery as a backdrop. If there is rain it will be moved or rescheduled, but it will tentatively take place in the Schnellville Volunteer Fire Department. Attendees are asked to bring blankets and lawn chairs for seating.

nuns — Judy Verkamp stood watching the dress rehearsal while Theresa Gutgsell adjusted Diane Verkamp’s habit.

According to Hopf, the play will start around dusk which should provide a really cool atmosphere on a fall evening.

Donations will be used for the Schnellville Sesquicentennial and will be accepted during the evening. Concessions, including hot chocolate for the cool autumn evening, will also be available. The community’s sesquicentennial celebration will take place on Sept. 18-20, 2015.