Night of January 16th 2012
Union Street Players, Pella’s award-winning community theatre, opened our 25th Anniversary season with Ayn Rand’s classic courtroom drama Night of January 16th on March 29, 2012.
About the show:
(Set in the mid-1930s) Bjorn Faulkner has swindled millions of dollars from investors, investing cash he did not have in order to control the gold trade. In the wake of a crash, he is facing bankruptcy despite borrowing money from Mr. John Graham Whitfield, a prominent banker whose daughter, Nancy Lee, married Faulkner shortly after the loan. On the night of January 16th, Faulkner and Karen Andre, his secretary and lover, are in the penthouse at the top of the Faulkner Building in New York when Faulkner falls to his death.
Shortly thereafter Karen Andre is accused of murdering him and is put on trial. But did she kill him? Did he commit suicide rather than face his financial troubles? Or did someone else have a motive for ending his life? Only YOU, the jury selected from our audience, can decide the fate of Karen Andre! Come witness (and maybe be a part of) the trial, shift through the evidence, and render a verdict – is Karen Andre guilty or not guilty?
USP rates this show PG (mild profanity, testimony regarding violence and sexual situations)
Cast & Crew
Director – Anne McCullough Kelly
Producer – Tom Vander Well
Karen Andre – Jana DeZwarte
District Attorney Flint – Doug DeWolf
Defense Attorney Stevens – Denise Gregory
Judge Heath – Marinus Spierenburg
Bailiff/Court Clerk – Vicki Hicks
Stenographer – Nancy Moreland
Dr. Kirkland – Mark Moreland
Mrs. John Hutchins – Cyndi Atkins
Homer Van Fleet – Dayrel Gates
Elmer Sweeney – Mark Schaefer
Jane Chandler – Cammie Nelson
Magda Svenson – Deb Linn
Nancy Lee Faulkner – Ashly Kocher
John Graham Whitfield – Arvin Van Zante
Siegurd Jungquist – Karl Deakyne
Lawrence “Guts” Regan – Tom Vander Well
Roberta Van Rensselaer – Wendy Vander Well
Night of January 16th closed Sunday, April 1, 2012. The courtroom drama provided a lot of fun for audience members, especially those who had the experience of sitting on stage in the jury box and rendering their verdict each night.
While there were jury members who were adamant about the guilt of Karen Andre, the verdict at all four performances was “not guilty.” Nevertheless, the twisted tale of scandal and murder provided cast, crew and audiences alike with lively conversation about the case. Many theories and unanswered questions emerged through the run of the show.
Once again, USP was pleased to mix a host of stage veterans with an exciting group of actors making their debuts on the stage of the Joan Kuyper Farver Auditorium including Karl Deakyne, Vicki Hicks, Ashly Kocher, and Mark Schaefer. Cammie Nelson and Denise Gregory, who starred as Defense Attorney Stevens, were fresh from their USP debuts in A Tinkerman Christmas Eve.
Attendance for “Night of January 16th” was:
Thu Mar 29: 28
Fri Mar 30: 98
Sat Mar 31: 78
Sun Apr 1: 31
Total: 235