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| 1 | HOUSE RESOLUTION
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| 2 | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of | ||||||
| 3 | Representatives are pleased to congratulate the members of the | ||||||
| 4 | Grove Players of Downers Grove on the occasion of the | ||||||
| 5 | organization's 75th anniversary; and
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| 6 | WHEREAS, The Grove Players of Downers Grove was founded on | ||||||
| 7 | February 17, 1936 under the moniker of Grove Players Guild as a | ||||||
| 8 | dramatic arts society with the goal of producing one-act plays, | ||||||
| 9 | with payment made to directors at 25 cents per cast member; and
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| 10 | WHEREAS, In 1938, the Grove Players Guild became the | ||||||
| 11 | Downers Grove Little Theatre; throughout the 1940s, the Grove | ||||||
| 12 | Players Guild performed at various clubs, churches, and the | ||||||
| 13 | Masonic Temple; and
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| 14 | WHEREAS, In 1943, due to World War II and the lack of | ||||||
| 15 | eligible young men to cast, the Downers
Grove Little Theatre | ||||||
| 16 | discontinued operations until its reorganization in 1945-46, | ||||||
| 17 | with the group's new optimism and prosperity reflected in the | ||||||
| 18 | $100 now paid to the organization's directors with plays | ||||||
| 19 | sponsored by the Lions and Moose Fraternal organizations of | ||||||
| 20 | Downers Grove; and
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| 21 | WHEREAS, Following the filing of Articles of Incorporation | ||||||
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| 1 | in 1952, the Downers Grove Little Theatre became the Downers | ||||||
| 2 | Grove Civic Theatre; and
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| 3 | WHEREAS, One of the group's most beloved traditions, the | ||||||
| 4 | awarding of a scholarship to a deserving high school student | ||||||
| 5 | excelling in the theatre arts at the Downers Grove North and | ||||||
| 6 | South campuses, was begun during the 1961-62 season; the | ||||||
| 7 | scholarship was later named the Lamb/Budach Award for Carter | ||||||
| 8 | Lamb and Chuck Budach and is still awarded today; and | ||||||
| 9 | WHEREAS, In 1966, the group's first musical, Pajama Game, | ||||||
| 10 | was staged; in 1968, the musical Oliver! was staged with an | ||||||
| 11 | innovation of two turntables for scenery changes and was lauded | ||||||
| 12 | by audience applause; and
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| 13 | WHEREAS, In 1979, the Downers Grove Civic Theater name gave | ||||||
| 14 | birth to Grove Players; in the 1987-88 season, a great | ||||||
| 15 | relationship with the Downers Grove Park District was forged | ||||||
| 16 | when the Lincoln Center became the Grove Players performance | ||||||
| 17 | space and has remained such to this day; and
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| 18 | WHEREAS, The 2000 production of The Wizard of Oz staged at | ||||||
| 19 | the Tivoli Theatre in conjunction with the Village of Downers | ||||||
| 20 | Grove Ice Festival played to packed houses with "Grove Players | ||||||
| 21 | Presents" proudly displayed on the theater marquee; and | ||||||
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| 1 | WHEREAS, The Grove Players has survived, thrived, and | ||||||
| 2 | entertained thousands of people over 7 decades with the sole | ||||||
| 3 | intent of providing good quality, inexpensive entertainment | ||||||
| 4 | for a wide audience demographic, staying afloat in many | ||||||
| 5 | uncertain economic times; therefore, be it
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| 6 | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | ||||||
| 7 | NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we | ||||||
| 8 | congratulate the members of the Grove Players of Downers Grove | ||||||
| 9 | on the occasion of the organization's 75th anniversary and wish | ||||||
| 10 | them continued success and happiness in the future; and be it | ||||||
| 11 | further
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| 12 | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | ||||||
| 13 | presented to the Grove Players of Downers Grove as a symbol of | ||||||
| 14 | our esteem and respect.
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