< return to 2009 archives

Variety Club and Equity team for successful run of “Tom Sawyer”

Councillor Tom Murray with his onstage daughter Kaitlyn Trower

The St.Louis chapter of the Variety club presented “Tom Sawyer” Oct. 16-18 at the Touhill Center at the University of Missouri-St.Louis. The show was a rousing success with over 3000 attending. A special project of the national children’s charity, “Tom Sawyer” featured nine Equity actors in a partnership that other Variety chapters are interested in developing in their cities. In keeping with Variety’s mission, over a dozen children involved in the show had a wide array of disabilities, including muscular dystrophy, cerebral palsy, Down’s syndrome and visual impairment. All of them were integrated into all facets of the production: choreography, music, acting and backstage. Equity members involved included Councillor Tom Murray, James Anthony, John Contini, Neal Fredericksen, Gary Glasgow, John Meurer, Erin Kelley, Rich Pisarkiewicz and Zoe Vonder Haar. The show was directed by Equity member Lara Teeter.