HR0273 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0273 LRB102 18335 MST 26103 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives wish to congratulate the DeKalb Stage Coach Players on the occasion of the organization's 75th anniversary in 2021; and

WHEREAS, The Stage Coach Players first performed in 1947 at the Masonic Temple in DeKalb; the group moved into the Ellwood family's barn loft at Ilehamwood Farm for their next show, Arsenic and Old Lace, in the summer of 1947 and performed in that space until the fall of 1949 when the Ellwoods needed to use the barn; in addition, May Ellwood sold the box office, the actual stagecoach she had been letting them use, to the Harold Warp Pioneer Village Museum in Minden, Nebraska; and

WHEREAS, From 1950 through 1952, the Stage Coach Players performed at a variety of locations, including DeKalb High School and the all-purpose rooms of DeKalb grade schools; for the play The Trial of Mary Dugan, director Ann Eddy Gray negotiated the use of a court room at the DeKalb County Court House; and

WHEREAS, In 1953, the Stage Coach Players moved into a permanent modular metal building acquired from the DeKalb County Board that had been part of the DeKalb County Farm; and

WHEREAS, The first play in the new building was George Bernard Shaw's Androcles and the Lion, directed fittingly by Ann Eddy Gray, the director of the first production in the Masonic Temple; and

WHEREAS, In 1961, the theater used by the Stage Coach Players was damaged by water after a well was dug; and

WHEREAS, Though it was not officially an open-air theater, the space did not have heat or air conditioning, so it was only available for use when the weather was not freezing, limiting performance time in Northern Illinois; and

WHEREAS, The Stage Coach Players acquired their current space at 126 S. Fifth St. in DeKalb in 2001; and

WHEREAS, Prior to being the theater for the Stage Coach Players, the building served as the Moose Hall and, for the 30 years prior to their acquisition, the Church of Christ; and

WHEREAS, Over the last few decades, the Stage Coach Players community theater organization has also offered workshops for theater training, which have included behind-the-scenes technical training, artistic training, and workshops for both children and adults; and

WHEREAS, The Stage Coach Players organization has collaborated with other entertainment ventures over the decades, including partnering with The Egyptian Theatre for large productions, most recently Disney's The Little Mermaid in 2019; and

WHEREAS, Every October, the Stage Coach Players organization participates in Sycamore's Pumpkin Parade, and each December during the Stage Coach Players Christmas production, it collects toys to donate to the United States Marines' Toys for Tots program; and

WHEREAS, The Stage Coach Players organization has been incredibly active in the community during the COVID-19 pandemic; and

WHEREAS, Along with many virtual entertainment pieces and interactive virtual games, the Stage Coach Players organization has been collecting food and personal care items for local food banks and giving away fabric for mask making and, when available, completed masks; and

WHEREAS, Starting in November 2020, the Stage Coach Players partnered with the Salvation Army to create food boxes for Thanksgiving, distributing and collecting wish-list items from the Salvation Army's Angel Tree program, and, once again, partnering with the United States Marines to collect toys for the Toys for Tots program; and

WHEREAS, In March 2021, the Stage Coach Players partnered with Safe Passage, DeKalb County's only Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Crisis Center, bringing them donated items such as toiletries, personal care items, diapers, and new clothing; and

WHEREAS, In April 2021, the Stage Coach Players partnered with Humans For Hope to help bring food and clothing to the homeless in the Chicagoland area; and

WHEREAS, In May 2021, the Stage Coach Players partnered with the Paralysis Recovery Foundation to collect gently used shoes for developing countries; and

WHEREAS, The Stage Coach Players organization will finally open its doors and invite patrons to come into the theater to see a live production onstage, Come Back to the 5 & Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean, for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic began and will once again partner with The Egyptian Theatre with their production of the family holiday classic, Elf The Musical; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate the Stage Coach Players organization on the occasion of their 75th anniversary, offer thanks for the organization's years of service, and wish the organization continued success in the future; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the Stage Coach Players as a symbol of our esteem and respect.