Question: When is a Melodrama Not a Melodrama?

by Johnny McDonald

Answer: When the Triangle Club drops the curtain on its October production and the "hissing" quiets down. Then it’s time to count up the proceeds that go toward school scholarships. This year, it’s $4,500.

Club president Danette Heinlein said that figure was remarkable in view of customer cancellations for the Sunday performance because of the fire.

Deserving high-school and middle-school students will benefit at graduation ceremonies on June 9.

The awards, however, will not be announced until the day of graduation.

The women’s club has been conducting this fund-raiser since 1950, with annual funding reaching as high as $8,000. Heinlein, who is serving a second term at the helm, said she has been involved with the club for seven years.

"We generally average $4,000 each year; however, we obtained $8,000 two years ago because of additional memorial funds," she said.

Recalling that Sunday matinee, Heinlein said two cast members and several in the audience would lose homes to the fire.

"The devastating results of the fire seemed inevitable, but they felt the show must go on," she said.

Play director and sometimes-playwright Bobbi Green has come up through the ranks. She is the oldest member and obviously knows where all the scripts, backdrops and costumes can be found or obtained.

"I started as a performer in 1963, became a director off and on until 1970, when I became director full time," Green said.

It’s a rewarding experience for the 45 club members who have seen this as help toward education needs and eventual careers. The club has served the community for 50 years, and long ago, members decided this was better than making quilts or conducting bake sales.

Green mentioned one apropos melodrama called "Fire in the Mountains." It was written after a fire destroyed part of the Town Hall several years ago. Even more significant might have been the reaction of the ensemble as they witnessed distant flames while attending a staff and cast party.

There are no professionals in the cast; it is strictly family members and other "drafted" Julian residents.

"It has become quite a tradition with some (visitors) coming from Yuma and Los Angeles each year," Green said. "And they come in by bus."

The melodramas are performed Friday and Saturday nights with matinees on Saturday and Sunday during the October weekends of Apple Days.

The club also provides resources for students to visit Valley Forge each year, conducts the Community Christmas program and takes part in the Fourth of July celebration.

The search for performers for the next production begins in September, with a new script already in the works from Iola Barbee.