TREASURED LOFTE TREASURER RESIGNS TO SPEND MORE TIME WITH FAMILY

The Lofte Board lost a “ treasure” of a treasurer with the resignation of Margie Pinkerton after twelve years of faithful service through all of the exciting, yet difficul times, of realizing the dream of a new Lofte home. Several factors led to Margie’s resignation. She has worked full-time for many years as the Business Manager of the Nebraska School Activities Association. With the re-location of her office to west Lincoln necessitating a one hour one-way commute, she noted, “With the new theatre gearing up to operate year-round, the time required to do a good job of being treasurer would be increasing as well. It didn’t seem fair to either of the jobs to stretch my time requirements.” She and husband Bob also have thirteen grandchildren( fourteen in September) , vying for quality time with grandpa and grandma. “It seemed like the logical time to turn over the reins to a younger, fresher person.”
Fortunately, Margie has not retired from theater itself. She has many wonderful memories of plays in which she was cast from her first big part on stage in Steel Magnolias to her most recent role as a WW II nurse in Five Nickels. She recalled fond memories of Dale Crosby sending away for “geriatric underwear” for her role in Social Security. One of her most humorous recollections was watching Mike Spohr walk on stage during a costume fitting for Cinderella, wearing a pantaloon which was supposed to have a codpiece …a costume faux pas ala’ Janet Jackson. Thanks goodness it wasn’t a performance!
Director Kevin Colbert has always been able to count on Margie’s getting the most out of the characters she portrayed. As proof of her outstanding acting abilities,she won two “Best Actresses in a Leading Role” awards in productions that the Lofte sent to competitions held by the Nebraska Association of Community Theaters. In l993 she won for her role as grandmother in “Women and Wallace,” and in l999 for her role as Mama in “Porch/Patio.”
Margie’s favorite moments on stage involved two challenging monologues: the story of “the night I danced with George Raft” told to her son in Broadway Bound and the poignant Oklahoma vignette in Five Nickels.
One little known fact about Margie’s personal life is that she was born in Tripoli, Lebanon, as the daughter of missionaries Carl L. and Jean Nelson. The second of six children, she also lived at one time in Syria. She and Bob met at Hastings College and married prior to their senior year. They will celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary on August 12. They are the parents of three children – Susan, Robyn and Tim.
Margie is a lady of many talents. No only is she a consummate actress, but she also has designed and built many costumes, particularly the signature gown for Hello, Dolly. She also served as Stage manager in that production as well as Guys and Dolls.
Margie’s hope for the Lofte is that there will always be people who come to auditions and that the Lofte will always welcome them. She says,” Each of us ‘players’ begins with no experience, but that we grow stronger with each role and with each audience. I hope there are always people who will ‘take a chance’ on the talent that lies within them.”
The Lofte’s hope is that we will see much more of Margie in future productions. Thank you so much, Margie, for the joy of your performances and your behind-the –scenes work.

Margie Pinkerton enthralled audience with her one-woman scene (Oklahoma) during Five Nickels in 2006.  She took her audience on a journey that brought both laughter and tears to many.

CONSTRUCTION SLOWS SOME CROWDS TRYING TO REACH LOFTE

Theatre patrons planning to attend The Octette Bridge Club may need to plan for a few extra minutes to reach the Lofte this summer. Highway 50 from the south and Highway 1 from the west are both under construction. If patrons typically travel from Elmwood, Eagle, or Lincoln via Highway 1, they will find the intersection of Highways 1 and 50 closed. They will want to take country roads around or take Highway 50 instead. Patrons who typically travel Highway 50 from the south will be able to reach Highway 1 and turn east, but many have experienced delays because of one-lane traffic. Just allow 10-15 extra minutes and you'll be just fine!