Variety show 'Made in the USA'

• Play, 'Made in the USA,' begins Sunday

justine wettschreck/Daily Globe Practice time is getting short for participants in the “Made in the USA 7 — From Broadway to Hollywood” variety show, which will be performed at 7 p.m. Sunday in the Fulda High School gym. Accompanied by the high school band, Arlan Swanson belts out “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” while Taylor Kenney, seated on stage, waits for her turn to rehearse.

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FULDA — In the past, themes for the “Made in the USA” show in Fulda have gone from patriotic to celebrating obscure holidays, with heritage, heroes and traveling America in between. Now, entertainers from Fulda are using the seventh annual variety show to give a hooray to Hollywood and regards to Broadway with “From Broadway to Hollywood.”

At the beginning of each school year, a core group of “Made in the USA” participants sit down and start throwing out ideas for a theme, and eventually, according to Mike Peterson, things just come together.

The show first started in 2001, when many Americans were looking for a way to help those affected by the terrorist attacks on 9/11. A group of Fulda citizens organized a music and variety show, with the proceeds to go toward helping with the clean up and rebuilding on the East Coast. In the following years, the funds raised stayed closer to home, helping out the Fulda fire department, ambulance crew and community club, as well as local hospice houses.

“We are always looking for something to donate to,” Peterson said. “This year when audience members arrive, they will be handed a ballot with different choices to check. We’ll count them up and see what gets the most votes.”

In the past, the show has raised from $1,200 to $2,000 annually. The audiences in the past, Peterson said, have been very generous.

Deciding where the proceeds go is not the only audience participation, he added. There is a sing-along, and on the back of each program is a list of movies and theater productions this year’s musical numbers came from. It is the audience’s job to match up the song to its venue. The songs will come from productions such as “Fiddler on the Roof,” “Annie,” Mary Poppins,” and more. The musical numbers include “Big Spender,” “Baby, Its Cold Outside,” “Sisters” and a variety of others.

Many of the music selections will appeal to a middle aged to older generation, but Peterson said he hopes to do something in the future more geared toward a younger audience. The cast of the show includes about 75 people, from sixth-grader Taylor Kenney, who will sing and dance to “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious,” to senior citizens.

“We have people in their 70s who sing in the community choir,” Peterson stated.

The musical numbers will be performed by the community choir, the Fulda Big Band, a high school ensemble, and the high school band. There will be solos, duets, trios, quartets and even a quintet.

“And Sherri Isder is a driving force with her accompaniment,” Peterson explained. “She is a real gem, my right-hand person in the music department, and always has good ideas.”

There is a core group of people who have helped with and participated in the show since it began, but Peterson said they always welcome new faces and anyone who is ready to have some fun onstage. Most of those involved have Fulda ties, but that is not a prerequisite to being in the show.

“It is a fun time, an outlet for people who like to be on stage,” he said. “This gives them a chance to do that and has gotten to be a pretty good tradition.”

The show begins at 7 p.m. Sunday in the Fulda High School gym, with admission a free will donation.

The show first started in 2001, when many Americans were looking for a way to help those affected by the terrorist attacks on 9/11. A group of Fulda citizens organized a music and variety show, with the proceeds to go toward helping with the clean up and rebuilding on the east coast. In the following years, the funds raised stayed closer to home, helping out the Fulda fire department, ambulance crew and community club, as well as local hospice houses.

“We are always looking for something to donate to,” Peterson said. “This year when audience members arrive, they will be handed a ballot with different choices to check. We’ll count them up and see what gets the most votes.”

In the past, the show has raised from $1,200 to $2,000 annually. The audiences in the past, Peterson said, have been very generous.

Deciding where the proceeds go is not the only audience participation, he added. There is a sing-along, and on the back of each program is a list of movies and theater productions this year’s musical numbers came from. It is the audience’s job to match up the song to its venue. The songs will come from productions such as “Fiddler on the Roof,” “Annie,” Mary Poppins,” and more. The musical numbers include “Big Spender,” “Baby, It’s Cold Outside,” “Sisters” and others.

Much of the music will appeal to a middle-aged to older generation, but Peterson said he hopes to do something in the future more geared toward a younger audience. The cast of the show includes about 75 people, from sixth-grader Taylor Kenney, who will sing and dance to “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious,” to senior citizens.

“We have people in their 70s who sing in the community choir,” Peterson said.

The musical numbers will be performed by the community choir, the Fulda Big Band, a high school ensemble, and the high school band. There will be solos, duets, trios, quartets and even a quintet.

“And Sherri Isder is a driving force with her accompaniment,” Peterson explained. “She is a real gem, my right-hand person in the music department, and always has good ideas.”

There is a core group of people who have helped with and participated in the show since it began, but Peterson said they always welcome new faces and anyone who is ready to have some fun onstage. Most of those involved have Fulda ties, but that is not a prerequisite to being in the show.

“It is a fun time, an outlet for people who like to be on stage,” he said. “This gives them a chance to do that and has gotten to be a pretty good tradition.”

The show begins at 7 p.m. Sunday in the Fulda High School gym, with admission a free-will donation.

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