What the heck is a pinhook? Is there really a guy buried under Main Street? Why did Cornell students used to stand six feet apart even before the pandemic? Your questions about the history of our town may or may not be answered in “Treasure: a History of Mount Vernon, Iowa” by local playwrights Joe Jennison and Amy White.
Treasure will be performed in the Uptown Theatre of the historic First Street Community Center at 221 1st Street East, Mount Vernon, on March 3-5 and 10-12. Curtain is at 7:00 PM on Fridays and Saturdays and at 2:00 PM for the Sunday matinees. All tickets are $10 and are available to purchase online at www.mvlct.com and at the door.
“Treasure” was written in celebration of the town’s 175th anniversary and is being produced in partnership with the Mount Vernon Historic Preservation Commission and the Mount Vernon-Lisbon Community Development Group.
White said that the play does a lot to emphasize the stories of many of the people important to the creation of the town, as well as emphasize the impact of people of color and women in that story.
“Our main focus was on making this telling focus on the diverse and interesting stories that compose our town’s history,” White said. “As playwrights, we were very mindful of the stories we were telling and how we’re telling them.”
White said she and Jennison participate in the same writing group, and it was nice to have a partner work on the collaborative effort in telling the history of Mount Vernon in a fun way.
“We both have different writing styles, so at times that could be challenging, but it comes down to just what it’s like when you’re an actor on stage,” White said. “You get used to sharing the space and being generous in doing what is best for the show.”
White took on the responsibility of directing the show to help the vision she and Jennison have live on in the production.
“As we wrote it, we were mindful of the roles we were creating and the practical ways the story can be told,” White said. “The collaborative effort for this production is truly great. It’s become very much like a speech event, where you trust your actors to offer suggestions to make the dramatization and choices they make come alive off the page.”
The production has 12 actors, many of whom play multiple roles.
Trevor Baty notes that some of his roles include a French Canadian fur trapper in the community who helped translate to the Black Hawks, and Charles Page, a newspaper reporter.
“One thing that I love about this production is it shows what it has taken to make this community what it is today,” Baty said.
Baty notes the play touches on items like the founding of Cornell College and the names of many influential people in the community.
“It’s a great show that you’ll learn a lot about this community,” Baty said. “It’s a great show to come and see as a family, as it’s family friendly with some really silly elements in it as well. I’ve also learned a lot about the history of this town, like Martin Luther King making a stop in this community years ago.”
Dennis Rodenberg is joining MVLCT for one of the first times, getting to share the stage with his 12 year-old daughter Marlena.
“I’ve always enjoyed acting, but I’ve never found the time to commit to a production before,” Rodenberg said. “When Marlena wanted to be in this show, it was a great opportunity and a fun chance to be able to put my acting ability to work.”
Rodenberg said that he feels it is a great piece, full of local artists bringing Mount Vernon’s unique history up.
“It’s a great way to learn about the history of Mount Vernon as these actors bring many of the communities and names we know in this community, like the Abbe of Abbe Creek, or the impact Cornell College has had on our community,” Rodenberg said. “It’s a unique way to learn about the history of this town.”
But for him, it is definitely sharing the stage with his daughter who has a passion to act and getting to share that experience that is something he has really, really enjoyed.
Based in part on A Centennial History of Mount Vernon, Iowa 1847-1947 published by the Centennial Committee in 1948, the play emphasizes the characters and stories that make our town special as well as its place in the events of the world.
“You’re going to learn something, you’ll laugh, you’ll have some areas where you’ll feel sad,” White said. “For us, the important part of the story of Mount Vernon was the importance of the people that make up the community being influential in this community, even if that was just supporting the businesses. This is also a celebration of our town’s 175 years of history. Every night’s show will conclude with a sheet cake as we celebrate our town’s 175th birthday.”
Dennis Rodenberg and daughter Marlena act in a scene from “Treasure” during a practice.