Highlands Little Theatre - Patrick McConnell

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

Patrick McConnell - Actor, Waiter, Backstage Man, and Drama Student
By: Roy Riedy

Patrick didn't waste any time getting his picture in HLT's programs. His image smiled at readers at his debut performance in Peter Pollard's January, 1992, musical They're Playing Our Song. At that time he was a sophomore at Sebring High School, and subsequently he has been associated with 32 other productions at Highlands Little Theatre.

His next show was two months later, Frank Oberhausen's Funny Girl, in which he played a Workman. It was also the first time his name appeared with the Gourmet Staff at the very end of the list for Waiters. In June, Patrick appeared in Janelou Buck's presentation of Inherit The Wind as a Reuter's Man. In the August program for Marian Dunham's reprise of Teahouse of the August Moon, his name was on the second line of the Waiters list with an attached title of "Assistant Head Waiter." At the Seventh Annual Zenon Awards, Patrick entertained the Ceremony audience by singing "Look Around" from the Will Rogers Follies. It had been a full Eighteenth Season for young Patrick.

The Nineteenth Season was even busier. He was involved with all of the shows of this season. Tena Conyer's Nunsense opened the season in November with Patrick listed on the Gourmet Staff as Assistant Head Waiter and also in January for Walter Zelenenki's Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean. In April he found time to be a member of King Arthur's Court in Frank Oberhausen's reprise of Camelot while still serving as Assistant Head Waiter on the Gourmet Staff. Patrick played the part of Edward in Marian Dunham's The Philadelphia Story in June and also served as Assistant Head Waiter in HLT's dining room. He played Jake in Jet Hansen's musical Show Boat and also did his dining room duties as well in August. All this double casting paid off at the Eighth Annual Zenon Awards Ceremony when Mr. McConnell was awarded his first Board Service Zenon "for outstanding contributions to the theater as assistant head waiter with the Gourmet Division.

The Twentieth Season at HLT was a revival of the Nineteenth. Again Patrick was involved in all five shows including the Zenon Ceremony. He remained Assistant Head Waiter for the Gourmet Staff during Tena Conyer's second look at New Jersey convent life, Nunsense II; he was the Lighting Technician for Peter Pollard's January comedy The Odd Couple (Female Version); in April he played a Radio Operator in Frank Oberhausen's revival of South Pacific; and in June he was Tammie Pollard's Stage Manager for her comedy Lend Me A Tenor. In August, Patrick played the part of John Truitt in Marian Dunham's musical Meet me in St. Louis.

In October Patrick was nominated for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role for his portrayal of John in Meet Me in St. Louis and with Marissa Martinez presented the award for Best Lighting Design after he sang "Somewhere" from West Side Story. Patrick does not lack energy or enthusiasm.

Patrick worked in Anthony's Lounge for three of the four plays presented during HLT's Twenty-first Season. During the fourth play, Gigi, directed by Marian Dunham, he returned backstage as one of Gigi's Lighting Technicians.

During the Twenty-second Season Patrick was involved with every play and the Zenon Ceremony. He played the part of Billy in Peter Pollard's musical, The Goodbye Girl, and also worked in Anthony's Lounge where he worked again during the January production of Roy Riedy's comedy, The Foreigner.

Patrick, now a sophomore at SFCC and majoring in Musical Theater/Music Education, played the part of Motel in Frank Oberhausen's March reprise of Fiddler on the Roof and again found time to also work in Anthony's Lounge. In June, Patrick was Tammie Pollard's Assistant Stage Manager for her production of Play it again, Sam, and in August he played Dr. Neville Craven in Mac Byron and Marian Dunham's musical The Secret Garden, and again finding time to work on the Set Construction Team and also help out at Anthony's Lounge.

At the Season's concluding Zenon Ceremony, Patrick served as one of the Stage Managers, sang "Stars" for the audience; received two Best Performance by an Actor in a supporting Role nominations: one for his role as Motel in Fiddler on the Roof, and the other for playing Dr Crave in The Secret Garden. It was another very full season.

HLT's Twenty-third Season, if possible, was an even more challenging one for Patrick. Again he was involved in all five plays and the Zenon Ceremony. Jet Hansen opened the season in November with a nostalgic bow to the music of the 1950's, Forever Plaid, with Patrick playing Francis, one of the singers in the featured quartet. He followed that demanding role by being Melanie Boulay's Production Assistant in her January presentation of To Kill a Mockingbird. In April he was cast as Albin in Frank Oberhausen's flashy La Cage aux folles, a wide-ranging role; and in June he was Mac Byron's Costume Designer for his production of the comedy George Washington Slept Here. The last play of the season was Tammie Pollard's reprise of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, in which Patrick was seen as one of the Proteans. At the concluding Zenon Ceremony, Patrick received two nominations for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role: one for Francis in Forever Plaid and the other for Albin in La Cage aux folles.

During the Twenty-fourth Season, Patrick participated in four shows. He worked in Anthony's Lounge during Sue McCollum's October Godspell and also in January during Peter Pollard's production of My Favorite Year and Frank Oberhausen's April reprise of Annie. He was a part of Tammie Pollard's Costuming Team for her production of Neil Simon's Rumors in August.

Patrick's name was not seen again in HLT playbills until the second play of the Twenty- ninth Season when it appeared in the program for Steel Magnolias, directed by Peter Pollard., in the Box Office section as one of the workers.

Besides the 33 plays with which Patrick has been associated over the eleven years he has been with HLT, he has also been mentioned in 6 Zenon programs and is the recipient of 1 Board Service Zenon and nominated for 5 others in various categories. His name has been mentioned in 21 HLT Newsletters and 29 local news articles for a total of 89 Citations, and I have a strong feeling that we've only seen the tip of Patrick's formidable iceberg.

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