Veteran stage performer to lead IVCC’s spring musical cast

Illinois Valley Community College’s Spring musical will feature a special guest performing the title role.

Peoria-area dancer, choreographer and director Tamra Challacombe will star as Dolly Levi in “Hello, Dolly!” Challacombe has operated dance studios, worked for the Peoria Ballet and appeared onstage in productions at Peoria-area community theaters. She also appeared on stage at Zellmer’s Dinner Theatre in Farmington, where she became friends with Don Grant Zellmer, IVCC’s director/choreographer.

She is no stranger to “Hello, Dolly!” having performed in the role of Minnie Fay, a hat shop assistant, IVCC said in a news release.

“Minnie Fay was my first featured role ever and I have had the opportunity to play her twice,” Challacombe said in the news release. “Now, I’m very excited to play Dolly!”

“In a way, she is already a ‘Dolly,’” Zellmer said in the news release. “I’m so very happy to be able to work with Tamra again – all these years after we first performed together. She is the consummate professional triple-threat, warm and wonderful, and no one is a stranger for very long. I think everyone involved is going to not only enjoy working with a guest artist, but learn a lot and have a ball doing it!”

Challacombe heads a cast of IVCC students and community members that features other familiar faces and much new talent. They include Greg Tullis as Horace Vandergelder; Jake Jakielski as Cornelius Hackl; Gennaro Piccolo as Barnaby Tucker; Rebecca Eltrevoog as Irene Molloy and Ali Rimmele as Minnie Fay.

Rounding out the cast are: Kelly Johnson as Ernestina; Seth Edwards as Ermengarde; Xavier Barham as Ambrose Kemper, and Doug Bartlet as Rudolph Reisenweber.

Forming the company are Tyler Bienemann, McKenzie Bruce, Azlyn Buchman, Ethan Darrow, Lucas Fraga, Eva Horwath, Matt Masters, Katie Monaghan, Ellie Radtke, Jacob Roller, Reid Rynke, Michael Shaw, Alex Stafford and Nikki Walsh.

The play will be performed April 3-13. Performances are 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday. Online ticket sales begin Monday, March 3, and a link to the online box office will be available at the IVCC Theatre website at ivcc.edu/theatre.