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[Joy]

So, this past week I've been working my way through my season DVD set of "Christy" again, and upon seeing Tess Harper, I remembered that a while back, I had done a search of her name on Google, and various sites came up mentioning that she used to be a street performer at SDC in its early days.

So, I'm just curious... Do any of the older folks here remember ever seeing her at SDC? What other Citizens if any, have gone on to have careers in Hollywood or made themselves famous in other ways, outside of the region?

Joy

[rubedugans]

From what I know, Tess Harper also worked at Dogpatch.

[History Buff]

From IMBD:

Attended Arkansas State University at Beebe, Arkansas, where she had leading roles in the musical "Little Mary Sunshine" and "Arsenic and Old Lace." During the late 1960s, she did "street" acting in the theme parks, Dogpatch, USA, in Jasper, AR, and Silver Dollar City in Branson, MO. She was discovered while doing theater work in Dallas, TX.

She worked so hard to get rid of her Arkansas hillbilly accent and of course what does she often play... a country lady.

She was involved with Southwest Missouri State University's Tent Theatre, in Springfield, Missouri, in the same summer as Kathleen Turner.

[Zephon]

There are a number of people who still work at SDC, or live in the area, that were part of the SMS theater department in the late 60's and early 70's, and who are well acquainted with Tess, Kathleen Turner, and John Goodman.  I have a good friend who is still very close to Tessie.  I went to college at SMS during that time but was not part of the theater group and didn't know them then, but I did meet both Tess and John (separately) at parties.

[saladdays]

My mom was in tent theater with all of them back in the '70s, although she never really associated too much with them I don't believe.