Bob and Natalie Welty have helped to entertain generations of Lakewood citizens since they helped found The Group back in 1964. "The Group?" you ask. Let's let them explain. . .

"The original core of The Group arose in 1964. We had hired the Cargill Company out of New York to come in to help us do a fundraising show, "The Red Stockings Follies", for the Lakewood YWCA. Cargill would supply a director, costumes, music and skits, and take local volunteers and whip them into shape in two whirlwind weeks of rehearsals. We had a lot of fun, but some of Cargill's skits were pretty hokey, and we thought we could do just as good a job ourselves. So that fall of 1964 about 20 people met in the living room of Carl and Dorothy Behl, and we formalized the organization into The Group, which is still going strong almost 35 years later."

The Group produced their first show in the spring of 1965 in the Tryout Theater at Lakewood High School. If memory serves Natalie and Bob correctly, The Group missed putting on the "Big Show" only once in the last 34 years. In The Group's early days, they performed for small groups, such as PTAs, as well as mounting their annual production. Now they concentrate their energies on the "Big Show," which has moved to Lakewood Civic Auditorium as its audience grew over the years.

The Group is a completely amateur, completely volunteer organization. They fund their own productions through ticket sales and advertising in the show's programs. Any proceeds after costs are donated to a selected non-profit organization. The beneficiary for the 1998 34th Annual Benefit Musical Comedy Show, entitled, "It's Too, Too Divine," will be H20, the Lakewood High School service organization.

They also try to make small donations, when possible, to other theaters, like the Beck Center for the Cultural Arts, and Clague Theater. Their costs keep escalating, however; so much so that they may have to find a new venue for the annual production next year, although their goal is to keep The Group in Lakewood.

As Natalie notes, putting on the annual show involves "a lot of hard work by a few people. For some members, this is their only theatrical performance in a year. The writers' committee starts working on the script in early summer and we usually produce the show in March. We've hired an outside director for the last few years, but the rest of the production, from costumes to special effects, is done by the members."

Both Natalie and Bob have performed in countless productions, but they each have an off-stage specialty as well. Bob, who has retired from his job in sales at an electrical supply company, is quite proud of the special effects he has created over the years. "Once I even landed a 747 onstage in the Tryout Theater," he noted. "I brought two narrow-beam spots from on high down on two diverging lines to ground level. With the sound effects, it seemed just like the audience was standing at the end of the runway watching this plane land in front of them." The show, "Wholly Moses, or, Up a Crooked River," was a salute to Cleveland back in 1980 when our town needed a boost. The plane marked the arrival of a recent corporate transfer to shores of Lake Erie, and the show demonstrated, through song and dance, the attractions of his new life in northeastern Ohio.

Natalie has been The Group's musical director for years. A professional music educator, she began her teaching career in the Lakewood Public Schools so long ago, she notes with a laugh, that she was obligated to resign when she got married. She did stay home for 15 years, but returned to teaching in the North Olmsted school system, retiring in 1988.  Since then, she has developed and taught a graduated range of music-enrichment classes for children, including the internationally known Kindermusik® and Musikgarten programs. 

Kindermusik® is aimed at younger children, 18 months - 3 years, with a parent present, while Musikgarten is designed for children 3-7 years, with a graduated curriculum.  The final two years, for 6-7 year olds, leads to music-reading ability.   Natalie's involvement in early-childhood music education is lifelong.  Even when she was at home with her own children, she ran a rhythm-band program, which grew into the Kindermusik® and Musikgarten programs. "Music education has changed since then, " she noted.  "What's great now is all the interaction with the parents. Creating a musical environment has become a family experience."

As a music educator concerned with young children, Natalie is a member of a number of professional organizations, including the American Orff Schulwerk Association, which promotes the musical education program developed by composer Carl Orff; and the North Coast Kodaly Association, which promotes  the Kodaly approach to music teaching for young children.  She is also a certified Suzuki Method piano instructor.

The Group - A History - 1964 to present by former Lakewood resident James K. Ward.

The Group - A List of Productions from 1965 to the present

Dan Chabek's Lakewood Lore online article on The Group
 

 
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