DANVILLE - The 50-year story of Danville Light Opera has as many characters, scene changes and plot twists as the organization's most ambitious production.

This weekend's production of "Annie Get Your Gun" will continue the DLO tradition of presenting quality musical performances that began in 1955.

A small group of music and theater lovers met in the fall of that year to discuss showcasing the many talented performers in the area and bringing art to the community. DLO was incorporated soon after as a not-for-profit organization.

Since then, hundreds of talented local residents have appeared in shows ranging from the light operas or operettas to Broadway musicals. As many people have volunteered their time backstage to build sets, gather props and make costumes, work the lights and the sound systems and take care of the many other details that go into a successful production.

DLO's stage has varied from the Schlarman High School gym to Danville Area Community College's Bremer Conference Center to the Masonic Temple to Danville High School's auditorium. This lack of a permanent home has not deterred the group from producing entertainment complete with elaborate sets, full costumes and accomplished musical accompaniment.

Early days

Diana Root Dean directed the first DLO production, "The Merry Widow," in the spring of 1956.

"I was born and bred in Danville," Dean said, "but I've lived and worked all over the country and abroad.

"I still have family in Danville and Hoopeston," Dean added, "so I visit for holidays. But I haven't been to a Danville Light Opera performance since 'The Merry Widow.'"

An Indianapolis resident for 23 years, she will return to Danville for both of this weekend's performances of "Annie Get Your Gun."

Dean was living at home with her parents, completing her master's thesis, when "someone heard I was back in town and asked if I'd like to direct a show. I'd worked on grand opera productions during my undergraduate years at DePauw and was in charge of the theater department at Baldwin-Wallace while I was working on my master's.

"I thought it would be fun to get involved in something local as long as I was home."

Dean recalls that Myrtle Young and Jack Baldwin were the leads in "The Merry Widow" and that her dad, James Root, appeared in the chorus.

"My father had one solo line to sing, and he'd rehearse it constantly around the house. I'm just glad that he got to see me direct that show," she said.

All about Annie

Ginny Summers Konieczki debuted the role of Annie Oakley for DLO in 1961. She also starred in "Oklahoma," "Of Thee I Sing," Calamity Jane" and "Hello Dolly" with DLO before moving from Danville. She will travel from Mississippi for the performances this weekend

Reflecting on her appearance in the original "Annie Get Your Gun," Konieczki said: "I must have been out of my mind to take that part. I had a set of twins on April 7, 1961. It had to have been a fall show."

She remembers vividly when her gun was supposed to go off but didn't.

"The gunshot was supposed to come from offstage, but there was dead silence," she said. "I sat down on the stage and said, 'We'll just try that again.' It worked the second time."

Tobi Peck of Danville starred as Oakley in DLO's 1977 version of "Annie Get Your Gun."

"This was my first major lead with DLO," she said. "I graduated from Illinois State University in 1976. I remember that Mike Starkey was one of the sweetest leading men a girl could have."

Peck continued to appear with DLO, Sunshine Theatre and Red Mask Players. She most recently starred in Red Mask's "Web of Murder" earlier this year.

Legend factory

Dean credits the legendary Patsy Legg for the generation of Danville performers that include Bobby Short, the Van Dyke brothers, Gene Hackman and Donald O'Conner. They began a tradition that other local teachers and their students have continued.

"The discipline and vocal training that was instilled in these people in high school formed the base that led to their success," she said. "It's the kind of base that you need to do a light opera group.

"Once you have learned what it's like to contribute to excellent music, you realize how important each part is to the whole," she said. "A group like Danville Light Opera, that has gone on for 50 years, gives so much to the life of the community."

Both Konieczki and Peck will appear onstage during this weekend's show for a special performance of the Irving Berlin classic "There's No Business Like Show Business".

Along with Dean, they will join past participants in DLO shows, including those who worked both onstage and offstage, at a dessert reception in the Danville High School cafeteria after each show.