Karla Beck and Sarah Shelander

The Little Theater in St. James has seen many well-known musicals each summer. Some the audiences have enjoyed are ‘The Music Man,’ ‘South Pacific,’ ‘Hello, Dolly!’ and ‘Oklahoma.’ Lesser-known productions have also been performed by the St. James Community Theater such as ‘Bells are Ringing’ and ‘Seven Brides for Seven Brothers.’ Local talent has put on licensed musicals and local talent, like Broadway in the Park. No matter what, a show has gone on for fifty years.

St. James Community Theater began in 1974 with the production of ‘The Mikado’, a comic opera written by Gilbert and Sullivan. Richard Jokumsen directed the musical with a host of local talent joining him to start this great tradition. What these first actors and volunteers could not imagine is that 50 years later St. James Community Theater would be alive and ready to give the audience a thrill with its 2024 show ‘Annie’.

Over 800 community members have been involved in some way in a summer theater production. Many of these people have served in multiple capacities: acting, sewing costumes, painting, ushering, or serving on the stage crew. What is known is that no show can happen without the help of each person, whether they receive accolades from the audience or they work quietly behind the scenes.

On Saturday, July 27 afternoon, former and current theater participants and the community were invited to a program honoring the St. James Community Theater’s 50th anniversary and all the people who have been a part of it. All actors, directors, set designers, musicians, tech support people, and volunteers were honored during the program.

The program separated the 50 years of St. James Community Theater into five groups. Each group had a slide with each year’s production(s) listed, community and school theater were both listed. Accompanying each group was a performance by a St. James Community Theater member, those who performed were Dick Jokumsen, Jane Oldenberg, and Shannon Bruce. Each group honored one of the groups who help make the productions; actors, directors, stage crew, musicians, and benefactors.

An announcement of the new Arts Hall of Fame was made to the St. James theater community. The community theater board started the Arts Hall of Fame to honor musical people this year after gaining inspiration from the Athletic Hall of Fame honoring athletes. Five areas of arts it will recognize are visual arts, media arts, theater, dance, and music. To be inducted people can be doing any of the five areas as their career or been a contributor to the community. Karla Beck said they are keeping it very broad-based. Inducting the first class into the Arts Hall of Fame seemed only fitting to do during the 50th anniversary celebration.

“Dozens of people have been honored in our community for their athletic contributions in their lives. The St. James Arts and Community Theater Board is starting an Arts Hall of Fame,” said Beck. “We are going to honor these people every June or July, whenever our community theater production is. But we think it is important to have an inaugural class, so the community theater and arts board in communication with the program committee choose two people we would like to recognize.”

The inaugural class of the St. James Arts Hall of Fame was Dick Jokumsen and Sandy Sunde. Both Jokumsen and Sunde have a long history with the St. James Community, they have been with the theater since the beginning. Jokumsen is accredited for starting the community theater and directing the first production ‘The Mikado’ and nine other productions, he also acted in countless other productions through the years. Outside of the theater he taught choir at St. James High School and led the choir at St. James Catholic Church.

“What an honor,” said Jokumsen in his induction speech. “When I came to St. James, I could barely play a seed. The confidence that I have had in this community, is awesome and very much appreciated and all of you are very much appreciated.”

Sunde started in the St. James Community Theater in 1975, through the years she has acted in and directed countless productions for the St. James Community Theater. One of the productions she has directed was this year’s summer production of ‘Annie.’ She was also the director of the high school theater productions when she taught English at St. James High School. Outside of theater, Sunde directed First Lutheran’s adult and children’s choir, she recently returned to directing the children’s choir as it did not have a director.

“I feel so blessed to be here in this place and yes, I am tired, it has been a great summer, but I have been here every day since June 5. It is my home,” said Sunde in her induction speech. “I am so blessed to have gotten to know so many of you through the years and to have you share your talents and your God-given gifts with us. We have learned to depend on each other and be family, so thank you.”