Режиссер Стэн Раб завершает работу в театре ACTORS после 44 лет службы с премьерой мюзикла «Come From Away»

After more than four decades of helping shape Ames Community Theater (ACTORS), Stan Rabe is stepping away from directing. His final production, “Come From Away,” opens Sept. 10 — timed with the 25th anniversary of 9/11 — and tells a story he believes the community needs now more than ever. The musical runs through Sept. 20. Rabe has been part of ACTORS since 1980, when he wandered in to help sew costumes for “Oliver.” “I learned how to sew when I was in college,” he said. “Scott Smith was the director of ‘Oliver.’ He said, ‘Oh good, another man — you’re in the chorus.’ I didn’t even audition.” Ames Community Theater provides a lifetime of community That first show hooked Rabe and his involvement grew quickly. He acted, directed and served on the board. People are also reading… He helped usher ACTORS through lean years and major transformations, including a $580,000 addition and renovation in 2021. He remembers how the renovation during the COVID-19 pandemic changed everything. “It has taken us from being kind of a dump to being a place where people walk in and they app,reciate,” he said. “It’s made us legitimate.” The changes didn’t just improve the space — they strengthened the organization. While theaters across the country were going dark because of COVID-19, Stephens Auditorium and ACTORS teamed up and later earned an Outstanding Marketing Collaboration award from Iowa tourism organizations. What kept Rabe coming back wasn’t the building. It was the people. “The friends that I made back then — I still have those friends today,” he said. “We are a community of people of all ages.” He loves watching younger performers grow into leaders. He feels comfortable handing the reins to the next generation. “We have a future,” he said. “Very much a future.” Ames director's life beyond the stage Rabe’s path to theater wasn’t traditional. He studied special education at the University of Northern Colorado, where a skiing accident pushed him into a sewing class. “Somebody said I had to take something less dangerous,” he said. “So I took fashion sewing for non-majors.” One of his college sewing projects was a wildly colorful leisure suit that is now part of the theater’s wardrobe collection, tucked among decades of costumes. After college, Rabe spent decades at IBM, traveling the world as an internal audit education trainer and visiting six continents. He still hopes to make it to Antarctica. Rube's time on the East Coast deepened his love of theater. He woke up at 4 a.m., drove to Newark, took the PATH train into New York City, bought half-price tickets at the World Trade Center and saw two shows in a single day. Witnessing the devastation of 9/11 Rabe was living in Connecticut on Sept. 11, 2001, attending an IBM conference. “A gentleman said, ‘The World Trade Towers fell down,’” he remembers. He had a reservation at the Marriott at the World Trade Center later that month. The hotel called days after the attack to cancel the booking. Rabe traveled to New York two weeks later. “You could see the smoldering,” he said. “There were piles of ash everywhere — like it had been a blizzard.” He also taught a class in New York to four students who escaped one of the towers. “They said, ‘No way we’re staying in this building,’” he said. “They ran down the fire escapes. They escaped within minutes of the tower collapsing.” A final show with a message Directing “Come From Away” has been one of the most challenging projects of Rabe’s career. The Broadway production used a massive stage and a rotating turntable. ACTORS’ intimate space requires precision — and creativity. “It took us three and a half weeks to block the show,” he said. “We had to block the cast and the chairs. Every chair is numbered. Every line on the floor is numbered.” The show moves at a relentless pace. “It’s 90 minutes, and it is nonstop,” he said. “The audience is absolutely mesmerized.” But the heart of the true story is what matters most. When American airspace closed on 9/11, 38 planes from Europe were forced to land in Gander, Newfoundland. A small town suddenly welcomed 7,000 stranded passengers. “It’s all about how you pay it forward,” Rabe said. “The people of Gander welcome them with incredibly open arms.” He believes the message is essential today. “It is so much what we need to see now,” Rabe said. Stan Rabe is stepping back — but not away Rabe said “Come From Away” will likely be his final directing project. But he isn’t leaving ACTORS. “I would love to be in a show,” he said. “If they want me to come in and help, I’ll be glad to.” He paused, looking around the theater he helped build. “It’s a perfect show for this theater,” he said softly. “You’ll leave on such a higher plane than you came in on.” Ronna Faaborg covers business and the arts for the Ames Tribune. Reach her at [email protected].