Press release: Stephanie Wendt's "Clara's Visitor"
Greetings, members, friends and visitors!
Following is a press release I thought you might enjoy.
Northfield Historical Society Hosts a "Beyond" Sell-Out Performance of Stephanie Wendt's Clara's Visitor
Contact: Mark Fagerwick
Executive Director
Northfield Historical SocietyPhone: (507) 645-9268
Email: Fagerwick@northfieldhistory.org
NORTHFIELD, MINN. -- Music and theater lovers filled the First United Church of Christ to capacity last Sunday afternoon to see the extraordinary one-woman play, Clara's Visitor. The play, which was written and performed by Stephanie Wendt, known to many as a host on WCAL radio, took the audience back in time to a day in the life of one of the most famous concert pianists of all time, Clara Wieck Schumann. Co-sponsored by St. Olaf and Carleton Colleges, the event was a benefit for the Northfield Historical Society.
The show sold out the Friday before the performance. Yet, people who showed up on Sunday were not turned away as Historical Society volunteers set up additional chairs in the back of the church to accommodate the crowd. Over 300 people from Northfield, the Cities and southern Minnesota attended the play. Wendt has performed her play throughout the United States and her homeland of Australia. Wherever Clara's Visitor has been presented, the audiences have been taken away with Wendt's performance and Clara's moving story. The audience that gathered in the First United Church of Christ in Northfield last Sunday was no exception.
From the moment that Wendt stepped on stage, she carried the audience through Clara's joys, pains, vulnerabilities and passions as she wove the story together with Clara's words and music as well as that of her husband, composer Robert Schumann, and their friend, Johannes Brahms. Wendt's superb acting and piano playing on the UCC's magnificent Bosendorfer piano brought the audience to their feet as they gave Wendt a well-deserved standing ovation. Afterwards, people stood in line to thank Wendt for her phenomenal performance. Many gathered at the reception to talk over coffee, bars and apricot tea about Wendt's piano playing and fabulous acting.
A few weeks previous, Wendt talked about her excitement in bringing this bit of living history to Northfield. "I'm just thrilled to be associated with this." Wendt said of the fundraising event. "I get pleasure doing it," she added "but it gives me double pleasure that something good will come out of this for the Historical Society."
"One of the goals of the Historical Society," said Historical Society Executive Director Mark Fagerwick, "is to offer the community things of meaningful interest, of relevant entertainment value and of true historical information." "Offering Clara's Visitor," said Fagerwick, "seemed like the perfect way for us to broaden our reach and become more involved in the community."
Fagerwick added that the event could not have come together without the generous sponsorship of St. Olaf and Carleton Colleges, the lovely venue and piano offered by the UCC and the help of many volunteers. Above all, he expressed his gratitude to Wendt for helping the Historical Society and stated that he hopes the performances by Stephanie Wendt will become a yearly tradition in Northfield.
For more information about the Northfield Historical Society and information about future events, visit them at www.northfieldhistory.org or call 507-645-9268. A CD titled Intimacies features Wendt playing the piano music from Clara's Visitor. To purchase, contact Golden Wattle Productions, P.O. Box 24507, Minneapolis, MN 55424-0507.