Highlands Little Theatre

P.O. Box 691 Sebring Florida USA 33871 Tel: 863-382-2525

Carol Gose - An Important Pioneer
By: Roy Riedy

Carol Gose's HLT credentials are formidable. She has been connected with the Little Theatre since its first show, Pure As The Driven Show, and 37 others during her two decades plus association with the theatrical group. She attended the first First Nighter Gala in November,1982, which signaled the beginning of the first full season at HLT's permanent home, The Lakeside Playhouse. She has been mentioned in 83 news articles, and in 33 HLT Newsletter. She has directed or co-directed 4 musicals, been involved in 4 Zenon Ceremonies and received a Zenon at the Fifth Annual Zenon Awards Ceremonies for her choreography in the musical Hello Dolly. In a way, Carol's contribution to the growth of HLT is not reflected in Zenons received, for it must be remembered that the bulk of Ms. Gose's work at HLT was done before the Zenon Awards were introduced in 1986.

Carol was involved in 11 of the 16 plays presented in the first five years of HLT's existence. More often than not her name was associated with the design and decoration of the set, the stage crew, make-up, choreography, and the play's program. In the fifth season she acted as the secretary of the organization and began to appear on stage. In Dirty Work at the Crossroads in November, 1978, she did the soft shoe with Mike Leach in what was called an "Oleo act" that took place between the main acts of the show. In May of 1979, Carol appeared as Fruma Sarah in HLT's first musical, Fiddler on the Roof, which was presented in the then brand new auditorium at SFCC. Her second role was in the last play of HLT's first five years, Plaza Suite in which she appeared as Norma Hubley in Act Three of Neil Simon's triptych of plays.

Ms. Gose was even busier in the second five years of HLT early history, for she was associated with 18 of the 21 plays produced during that period. She designed the program covers for 15 of these 18 plays and many of their posters. Carol appeared in HLT's second musical South Pacific as one of the nurses in the chorus. In September, 1980, she worked with the wardrobe of the comedy, My Three Angels, the first Dinner Theatre put on by HLT at the Sebring Civic Center. In November, she co-directed, with Janelou Buck, the musical Irene, the third musical that was done by HLT. In February, 1981 she appeared in HLT's fourth musical, My Fair Lady, as Lady Boxington, and in May produced the second Dinner Show, Subject to Change again at the Civic Center. The fifth musical, The Sound of Music, was also held at the SFCC auditorium, Carol, now a member of the Board of Directors, was responsible for the set design, complete with Tyrolean Alps.

In February, 1982, the melodrama, No Mother to Guide Her, the third Dinner Show, was held in what was then called The City Pier which foreshadowed things to come for two shows later, the "Pier" had become the Lakeside Playhouse and the permanent home of HLT. Carol did the set design for the melodrama. Cole Porter's Anything Goes, HLT's sixth musical and fourth dinner show was held at the Sebring Civic Center, the show was choreographed by Ms. Gose. In August, 1982, Marian Dunham directed Teahouse of the August Moon, the fifth dinner show and the first show to officially be performed in the permanent home of the wandering players. Like the Israelites, HLT had reached their Promised Land. Once again Carol designed and executed the backdrops for the show.

The musical Camelot inaugurated the HLT's Ninth Season in November, 1982. The show was the seventh musical to be given by the Little Theatre and the first to be presented at the Lakeside Playhouse, the Gourmet Division was in place and Dinner Theatre had arrived in Sebring. Auntie Mame followed Camelot which was followed by Guys and Dolls, directed by Carol. After the Lakeside Playhouse became HLT's home Carol devoted more time to the Gourmet Division in which she worked as a waitress and in the beverage division. The last play of the Ninth Season was the comedy Heaven Can Wait in which Carol appeared as Julia Farnsworth. In June, 1984, Carol directed Cole Porter's Can Can, HLT's 11th musical and the 29th show with which she had been associated.

The drama, The Lion in Winter, ushered in the beginning of HLT's third five year period, during the run of this show, Carol worked as a waitress in the Gourmet Division. In February, 1985 Ms. Gose directed her fourth and last play at HLT, the musical Pajama Game, not only did she direct the show but she designed the set, worked on its construction, and did the choreography, and still found time to work at the salad bar during its three week run. Her show was followed by the well known comedy The Man Who Came To Dinner, for which Carol acted as a House Manager and also worked at the salad bar. The musical Brigadoon followed and Carol again worked as a waitress in the Gourmet Division. The last play of this season was Once Upon a Mattress to which Carol contributed the Set Art and Choreography.

At the Third Annual Zenon Awards Ceremonies in September, 1988, Ms. Gose was nominated for the highly prized Significant Achievement Award. Her last contribution to the Third Five Year Period of HLT history was in August, 1989 when she designed the program cover for the reprise of the popular comedy, Mister Roberts.

Carol was involved in three plays during the Fourth Five Year period of HLT (1989-1994).

She was the choreographer for the musical Hello Dolly in June, 1990 and at the Fifth Annual Zenon Awards Ceremonies in October was awarded her first Zenon for Outstanding Achievement in Choreography for her stunning work in Hello Dolly. In the summer of 1992 she did the Set Design for the courtroom drama Inherit the Wind and received a nomination at the Seventh Zenon Ceremonies for Best Set Design. Her last effort for Highlands Little Theatre before moving from Sebring was the choreography she did for the pioneering and classic musical Show Boat in August, 1993, directed by Jet Hansen.

Carol's involvement and devotion to and for HLT's history and growth is best told by the statistics she accumulated during her association with the organization. She was twice an officer of HLT, was associated with four Zenon Ceremonies, received a Zenon for her choreography, worked in some capacity with thirty-eight of the theatre's dramatic presentations, was cited in thirty-three HLT Newsletters and eighty-three local news articles for a total of one hundred and fifty-nine citations, an outstanding number for an outstanding member.

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