With her hair tightly curled and a lime green bicycle in tow as she took the stage, she refused to let sorrow spoil her debut performance in "See How They Run" at Hale Centre Theatre, not when this rip-roaring comedy was to help a family devastated by a fatal car crash on Christmas Eve.
"It has to be like any other performance," said Cottam, who played Miss Skillon Friday during a benefit performance for her friends and fellow thespians, the Ceran family.
Tragedy befell the Cerans early Sunday as they returned home from a cast party for the Hale Theatre production of "A Christmas Carol." An alleged drunken driver smashed into their vehicle near 5400 South and 700 West in Murray, killing the mother, Cheryl Ceran, and two of her children: 15-year-old Ian and 7-year-old Julianna.
The crash would add only more grief to a family that already had lost five children - a set of twins who were born prematurely and three other children who died at young ages because of tumors on their brain stems.
The Hale Theatre announced this week that it would open its production of "See How They Run" a day early with two Friday performances.
"We had to do something," said executive producer Sally Dietlein. "Some people make shirts. Some people serve food. We put on plays."
The 530-seat theater sold out for both performances in less than two days, prompting officials to schedule a third performance at 12:30 p.m. today.
As of late Friday, only 100-plus seats remained.
Dietlein reported Friday that the theater has generated more than $24,600. Theater officials said the actors, holding out hats, collected $1,700 after the performance.
But playgoers weren't the only ones contributing. The actors, stage crew and theater staff also diverted their wages to the family.
Gary Ceran, who attended a viewing Friday for his wife and children, called the generosity "breathtaking."
"We have been so encircled in the arms of love," he said. "When I see the way it has impacted so many lives and the wonderful selflessness it has brought out in people, it was worth the price we had to pay. It is an honor and privilege to be a part of it."
As the lights dimmed Friday at the Hale Theatre, Dietlein praised playgoers as "the most amazing VIPs we have ever had."
She conveyed a message from Gary Ceran to pray for the alleged drunken driver, Carlos R. Prieto - who now faces charges of automobile homicide, driving under influence of alcohol or drugs, and failing to obtain a driver's license - then ended on a lighter note.
"[Gary] also wants you to laugh, so we are going to give you a dose of that."
Sure enough, the theater erupted in laughter as a case of mistaken identity unfolded on stage involving a maid, a military man, a vicar and a drunken parishioner.
Jeri Bruner, a playgoer from Sandy, said she was touched by Gary Ceran's story, particularly as he urged support for the man responsible for his family's deaths.
It took 15 minutes on the telephone, but she bought tickets.
"This is the epitome of making lemonade out of lemons," she said. "They have had so much grief in their family, and they still find the good."
Ticket-holders echoed those sentiments as they crowded into the theater lobby, each describing Ceran's story as inspiring. West Valley resident David Harline bought 10 tickets, saying simply, "We wanted to be a part of it."
Coins clinked into actors' hats as the audience dispersed Friday; some people fastening red ribbons onto their car antennas as a reminder of the deadly consequences of driving drunk.
Dietlein marveled.
"I am stunned at the goodness of people," she said.
Funeral services are scheduled for 11 a.m. today in Cedar Hills for Cheryl Ceran and her two children. A burial will follow at Valley View Memorial Park, West Valley City.
jstettler@sltrib.com
