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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3Representatives wish to congratulate the DeKalb Stage Coach
4Players on the occasion of the organization's 75th anniversary
5in 2021; and
 
6    WHEREAS, The Stage Coach Players first performed in 1947
7at the Masonic Temple in DeKalb; the group moved into the
8Ellwood family's barn loft at Ilehamwood Farm for their next
9show, Arsenic and Old Lace, in the summer of 1947 and performed
10in that space until the fall of 1949 when the Ellwoods needed
11to use the barn; in addition, May Ellwood sold the box office,
12the actual stagecoach she had been letting them use, to the
13Harold Warp Pioneer Village Museum in Minden, Nebraska; and
 
14    WHEREAS, From 1950 through 1952, the Stage Coach Players
15performed at a variety of locations, including DeKalb High
16School and the all-purpose rooms of DeKalb grade schools; for
17the play The Trial of Mary Dugan, director Ann Eddy Gray
18negotiated the use of a court room at the DeKalb County Court
19House; and
 
20    WHEREAS, In 1953, the Stage Coach Players moved into a
21permanent modular metal building acquired from the DeKalb
22County Board that had been part of the DeKalb County Farm; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, The first play in the new building was George
2Bernard Shaw's Androcles and the Lion, directed fittingly by
3Ann Eddy Gray, the director of the first production in the
4Masonic Temple; and
 
5    WHEREAS, In 1961, the theater used by the Stage Coach
6Players was damaged by water after a well was dug; and
 
7    WHEREAS, Though it was not officially an open-air theater,
8the space did not have heat or air conditioning, so it was only
9available for use when the weather was not freezing, limiting
10performance time in Northern Illinois; and
 
11    WHEREAS, The Stage Coach Players acquired their current
12space at 126 S. Fifth St. in DeKalb in 2001; and
 
13    WHEREAS, Prior to being the theater for the Stage Coach
14Players, the building served as the Moose Hall and, for the 30
15years prior to their acquisition, the Church of Christ; and
 
16    WHEREAS, Over the last few decades, the Stage Coach
17Players community theater organization has also offered
18workshops for theater training, which have included
19behind-the-scenes technical training, artistic training, and
20workshops for both children and adults; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, The Stage Coach Players organization has
2collaborated with other entertainment ventures over the
3decades, including partnering with The Egyptian Theatre for
4large productions, most recently Disney's The Little Mermaid
5in 2019; and
 
6    WHEREAS, Every October, the Stage Coach Players
7organization participates in Sycamore's Pumpkin Parade, and
8each December during the Stage Coach Players Christmas
9production, it collects toys to donate to the United States
10Marines' Toys for Tots program; and
 
11    WHEREAS, The Stage Coach Players organization has been
12incredibly active in the community during the COVID-19
13pandemic; and
 
14    WHEREAS, Along with many virtual entertainment pieces and
15interactive virtual games, the Stage Coach Players
16organization has been collecting food and personal care items
17for local food banks and giving away fabric for mask making
18and, when available, completed masks; and
 
19    WHEREAS, Starting in November 2020, the Stage Coach
20Players partnered with the Salvation Army to create food boxes
21for Thanksgiving, distributing and collecting wish-list items

 

 

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1from the Salvation Army's Angel Tree program, and, once again,
2partnering with the United States Marines to collect toys for
3the Toys for Tots program; and
 
4    WHEREAS, In March 2021, the Stage Coach Players partnered
5with Safe Passage, DeKalb County's only Domestic Violence and
6Sexual Assault Crisis Center, bringing them donated items such
7as toiletries, personal care items, diapers, and new clothing;
8and
 
9    WHEREAS, In April 2021, the Stage Coach Players partnered
10with Humans For Hope to help bring food and clothing to the
11homeless in the Chicagoland area; and
 
12    WHEREAS, In May 2021, the Stage Coach Players partnered
13with the Paralysis Recovery Foundation to collect gently used
14shoes for developing countries; and
 
15    WHEREAS, The Stage Coach Players organization will finally
16open its doors and invite patrons to come into the theater to
17see a live production onstage, Come Back to the 5 & Dime, Jimmy
18Dean, Jimmy Dean, for the first time since the COVID-19
19pandemic began and will once again partner with The Egyptian
20Theatre with their production of the family holiday classic,
21Elf The Musical; therefore, be it
 

 

 

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1    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
2HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
3we congratulate the Stage Coach Players organization on the
4occasion of their 75th anniversary, offer thanks for the
5organization's years of service, and wish the organization
6continued success in the future; and be it further
 
7    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
8presented to the Stage Coach Players as a symbol of our esteem
9and respect.