Highlands Little Theatre - Lois Starr Prettyman

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

Lois Starr Prettyman - The Sounds of Music
By: Roy Riedy

Lois was really sixteen going on seventeen when she played the role of the eldest Von Trapp child, Liesl, in her first show with HLT, Frank Oberhausen's third musical, The Sound of Music, in October, 1981. Four months later in February, 1982, she played Fifi, a French maid, in Jim McCollum's melodrama, No Mother to Guide Her, the second of what was to be 18 plays she would be associated with at Highlands Little Theatre. In April she appeared as Charity, one of the Angels of the enterprising evangelist Reno Sweeney, in Cole Porter's Anything Goes, directed by Janelou Buck. The fourth and final show of the Eighth Season was The Teahouse of the August Moon, directed by Marian Dunham. Lois played the part of Lotus Blossom, a geisha, in the play which has come to be thought of as a milestone in the history of Highlands Little Theatre, for it was the first play to be given in the organization's permanent home, The Lakeside Playhouse.

Auntie Mame, directed by Peter Pollard, was the second production of the Ninth Season and Lois played the part of Pegeen. In the Tenth Season she was seen in Marian Dunham's Dickensian musical Oliver! as Bet (the program noted that she had changed her name from Starr to Prettyman). At the end of the Eleventh Season Peter Pollard directed Once Upon a Mattress, a musical based on the Fairy Tale "The Princess and the Pea," with Lois playing the winsome Lady Larkin.

Barbara Smith brought the musical No, No, Nanette to the Lakeside Playhouse in January, 1986, with Lois in the title role. In June, the program for I Do, I Do recorded that Lois Prettyman was part of the Gourmet Staff. In November, 1986, Lois appeared as Vibrata in Marian Dunham's production of the Sondheim musical A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. At the Third Annual Zenon Awards in September, 1988, Lois and Marisa Smith entertained the Zenon audience by singing the duet from Chess, "I Know Him So Well."

After a brief hiatus, Lois' name reappeared in the January, 1991, program of Peter Pollard's first presentation of Steel Magnolias as part of the production's Set Construction team. In June of that year, Lois was back on stage as Audrey in Tena Conyer's popular production of Little Shop of Horrors, a role that won her a nomination for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role at the Sixth Annual Zenon Awards Ceremony the following October.

In August of 1991, Lois and her husband Joe were the Sound Technicians for Walter Zelenenki's production of George Axelrod's comedy The Seven Year Itch and were rewarded for their work on the show by being nominated for a Production/Technical Zenon also at the Sixth Annual Zenon Awards at the end of the season. It was also at this gathering that Lois again entertained the Zenon audience by singing the duet "I Still Believe" with Lynda Fulcher.

Peter Pollard directed the musical They're Playing Our Song in January of 1992 and Lois was one of the "Voices " that supplemented the two actor show. In April, 1993, Frank Oberhausen reprised the lavish musical Camelot in which Lois and Tracy Pollard shared the role of Nimue.

Lois took another hiatus from HLT to return in August, 1996 to design and perform the accompaniment for Marian Dunham and Mac Byron's musical, The Secret Garden. Lois' efforts were rewarded at the Eleventh Annual Zenon Ceremonies when she was awarded her first Zenon for her music for The Secret Garden. The following season, the Twenty-third, opened with Jet Hansen's production of the retro-musical Forever Plaid for which he enlisted Lois as the Music Director. A cast of four guys sang almost thirty songs from the 50's and 60's that bore the harmonic stamp of Mrs. Prettyman's musical expertise. The season closed with Tammie Pollard's revival of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, and again Lois was called upon to direct the music. Her work was much appreciated and she won her second Zenon at the Twelfth Annual Zenon Awards Ceremony the following October for her musical contributions to Forever Plaid and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.

In addition to being associated with 18 plays and 4 Zenon Ceremonies, Lois has received 2 Zenons for her musical and vocal direction. Her name has appeared in 22 HLT Newsletters and 48 local news articles for a total of 92 Citations over twenty-two years of service at HLT. Thank you Lois for sharing your talents with Highlands Little Theatre, we have all been enriched by your gifts.

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