Full Text of HR0273 102nd General Assembly
HR0273 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | HOUSE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of | 3 | | Representatives wish to congratulate the DeKalb Stage Coach | 4 | | Players on the occasion of the organization's 75th anniversary | 5 | | in 2021; and
| 6 | | WHEREAS, The Stage Coach Players first performed in 1947 | 7 | | at the Masonic Temple in DeKalb; the group moved into the | 8 | | Ellwood family's barn loft at Ilehamwood Farm for their next | 9 | | show, Arsenic and Old Lace, in the summer of 1947 and performed | 10 | | in that space until the fall of 1949 when the Ellwoods needed | 11 | | to use the barn; in addition, May Ellwood sold the box office, | 12 | | the actual stagecoach she had been letting them use, to the | 13 | | Harold Warp Pioneer Village Museum in Minden, Nebraska; and
| 14 | | WHEREAS, From 1950 through 1952, the Stage Coach Players | 15 | | performed at a variety of locations, including DeKalb High | 16 | | School and the all-purpose rooms of DeKalb grade schools; for | 17 | | the play The Trial of Mary Dugan, director Ann Eddy Gray | 18 | | negotiated the use of a court room at the DeKalb County Court | 19 | | House; and | 20 | | WHEREAS, In 1953, the Stage Coach Players moved into a | 21 | | permanent modular metal building acquired from the DeKalb | 22 | | County Board that had been part of the DeKalb County Farm; and |
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| 1 | | WHEREAS, The first play in the new building was George | 2 | | Bernard Shaw's Androcles and the Lion, directed fittingly by | 3 | | Ann Eddy Gray, the director of the first production in the | 4 | | Masonic Temple; and | 5 | | WHEREAS, In 1961, the theater used by the Stage Coach | 6 | | Players was damaged by water after a well was dug; and | 7 | | WHEREAS, Though it was not officially an open-air theater, | 8 | | the space did not have heat or air conditioning, so it was only | 9 | | available for use when the weather was not freezing, limiting | 10 | | performance time in Northern Illinois; and | 11 | | WHEREAS, The Stage Coach Players acquired their current | 12 | | space at 126 S. Fifth St. in DeKalb in 2001; and | 13 | | WHEREAS, Prior to being the theater for the Stage Coach | 14 | | Players, the building served as the Moose Hall and, for the 30 | 15 | | years prior to their acquisition, the Church of Christ; and | 16 | | WHEREAS, Over the last few decades, the Stage Coach | 17 | | Players community theater organization has also offered | 18 | | workshops for theater training, which have included | 19 | | behind-the-scenes technical training, artistic training, and | 20 | | workshops for both children and adults; and |
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| 1 | | WHEREAS, The Stage Coach Players organization has | 2 | | collaborated with other entertainment ventures over the | 3 | | decades, including partnering with The Egyptian Theatre for | 4 | | large productions, most recently Disney's The Little Mermaid | 5 | | in 2019; and | 6 | | WHEREAS, Every October, the Stage Coach Players | 7 | | organization participates in Sycamore's Pumpkin Parade, and | 8 | | each December during the Stage Coach Players Christmas | 9 | | production, it collects toys to donate to the United States | 10 | | Marines' Toys for Tots program; and | 11 | | WHEREAS, The Stage Coach Players organization has been | 12 | | incredibly active in the community during the COVID-19 | 13 | | pandemic; and | 14 | | WHEREAS, Along with many virtual entertainment pieces and | 15 | | interactive virtual games, the Stage Coach Players | 16 | | organization has been collecting food and personal care items | 17 | | for local food banks and giving away fabric for mask making | 18 | | and, when available, completed masks; and | 19 | | WHEREAS, Starting in November 2020, the Stage Coach | 20 | | Players partnered with the Salvation Army to create food boxes | 21 | | for Thanksgiving, distributing and collecting wish-list items |
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| 1 | | from the Salvation Army's Angel Tree program, and, once again, | 2 | | partnering with the United States Marines to collect toys for | 3 | | the Toys for Tots program; and | 4 | | WHEREAS, In March 2021, the Stage Coach Players partnered | 5 | | with Safe Passage, DeKalb County's only Domestic Violence and | 6 | | Sexual Assault Crisis Center, bringing them donated items such | 7 | | as toiletries, personal care items, diapers, and new clothing; | 8 | | and
| 9 | | WHEREAS, In April 2021, the Stage Coach Players partnered | 10 | | with Humans For Hope to help bring food and clothing to the | 11 | | homeless in the Chicagoland area; and
| 12 | | WHEREAS, In May 2021, the Stage Coach Players partnered | 13 | | with the Paralysis Recovery Foundation to collect gently used | 14 | | shoes for developing countries; and
| 15 | | WHEREAS, The Stage Coach Players organization will finally | 16 | | open its doors and invite patrons to come into the theater to | 17 | | see a live production onstage, Come Back to the 5 & Dime, Jimmy | 18 | | Dean, Jimmy Dean, for the first time since the COVID-19 | 19 | | pandemic began and will once again partner with The Egyptian | 20 | | Theatre with their production of the family holiday classic, | 21 | | Elf The Musical; therefore, be it
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| 1 | | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | 2 | | HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | 3 | | we congratulate the Stage Coach Players organization on the | 4 | | occasion of their 75th anniversary, offer thanks for the | 5 | | organization's years of service, and wish the organization | 6 | | continued success in the future; and be it further
| 7 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 8 | | presented to the Stage Coach Players as a symbol of our esteem | 9 | | and respect.
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