She Gets Her Acts Together

Bonnie Haleen’s heart directed her toward the theater, but her head said no and she listened - for 20 years, at least.

“Some part of my brain said I had to be responsible,” she says. “I had to take care of the world.”

Then in 1981 she saw “Mame.” The theater was small, only 198 seats. The performers were volunteers, but good. Bonnie was 32 and in awe.

“I thought ‘The next musical, I’m doing,”’ she says. “I figured if I’m ever going to do it, it had better be now.”

The theater was so right for Bonnie that she’s stuck with it ever since. She’s won awards and grown so frustrated she swears she’ll never direct again.

But Bonnie needs the theater, and Coeur d’Alene’s Lake City Playhouse needs her.

“When you don’t do what you know you like, you’re missing something spiritual,” she says in her quiet, firm way.

The theater that captivated her was in Placerville, Calif., her home until 1996. Like the Lake City Playhouse, Theatre El Dorado ebbed and flowed depending on the people involved.

Bonnie signed on during a healthy period, singing and dancing in “My Fair Lady” and “Anything Goes.”

“I was feeding my soul,” she says.

And nurturing a need. The more she did with the theater, the more she wanted to do. Watching the director of “Anything Goes” inspired her to think of working in a different capacity.

To prepare herself to direct, Bonnie learned the jobs of the theater - lights, costumes, sound, props, publicity. She assisted several directors, collecting techniques she liked from each and refining them to suit her.

When she felt ready, Bonnie chose to direct “The Unsinkable Molly Brown,” a complex show with 11 sets, 18 scene changes, 30 performers and 80 costumes.

“It was the most traumatic thing that happened in my life,” she says.

During the show, her marriage and health crumbled. Seasoned directors offered no guidance. Her musicians couldn’t handle the difficult score.

It took Bonnie months to appreciate the lessons.

“I said I won’t ever do another show without paid musicians,” she says.

After a hiatus from the theater, Bonnie was asked to direct “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown.”

The board’s new president knew it was a good show for Bonnie. Bonnie resisted for six months. Then she heard the irresistible music and signed on.

The show had seven characters, one set and no costume changes. Bonnie’s personal life no longer was a distraction. Her natural organizational skills snapped into place. Her musicians were professionals.

“I saw what I could do when I could pay attention,” she says. “It was an excellent experience.”

The production won four awards for community theater in the region around Sacramento, and Bonnie was asked to replay the show for the county fair.

Her next directing attempt, “Nunsense,” was so successful that she left the community theater to produce it on her own in a Sacramento theater.

Reviewers praised her, but audiences apparently didn’t want to risk their money on an unknown company.

Bonnie left California for Coeur d’Alene in 1996, ready for a change. She found the Lake City Playhouse struggling to recover after a fire. The general manager had quit. No corps of volunteers existed.

“I felt grateful for the experience I’d had in Placerville,” Bonnie says. “You don’t appreciate what you had until you go somewhere that has nothing.”

The Playhouse had nowhere to go but up. Bonnie was one of several people prepared to pull it together. Sandy Gookin was another. Sandy was hired as general manager and promptly donated her salary back to the theater.

She invited the community to help the Playhouse, and people responded, timidly at first, then more enthusiastically as they realized the invitation was genuine.

“We’re building our reputation back up,” Sandy says. “We’re community theater. We should be getting all the community involved.”

Bonnie recognized the energy at the Playhouse and helped direct a show last fall. Then she proposed producing “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown” under her direction - with professional musicians. The show opens April 24.

“Bonnie’s experience shows,” says Sandy, who plays the part of Lucy in “Charlie Brown.” “She knows what she wants and she’s one of the nicest people you’ll ever meet.”

“This is just what I wanted,” Bonnie says, flipping through a photo album of her theater work. “Each one I do is a good spiritual workout.”

IF YOU GO “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown” will run weekends, April 24 through May 3, and Thursday through Saturday, May 7-9 at the Lake City Playhouse. Show time is 8 p.m. except on Sundays, when it’s 2 p.m. Tickets are $8 to $12. Call 667-1323 for reservations.