Some theater rehearsals are formal occasions, with the actors concentrating on the seriousness of their craft. The rehearsals for this annual mystery dinner theater are nothing like that.
At St. Peter’s Episcopal Church Monday, Aug. 24, cast and crew sat around a table laughing and exchanging interpretations of each other’s characters.
“We don’t take anything too seriously,” Dodie White, play director, said.
On Sept. 12, the group will star in a performance that also includes dinner and audience participation at Hillsborough Community College’s John R. Trinkle Center, on the Plant City campus.
The show is “A Fatal Night at the County Fair,” and the plot follows what its names suggests. An unknown murderer stalks a local fair and picks off the characters one-by-one.
The performers play their characters without knowing the murderer’s identity, and the audience has the chance to guess the culprit at the end of the event.
“The play sets it up so that (the murderer) could be anyone,” cast member Lauren McNair said.
The performance is hosted to raise money for the Friends of the Library organization, a group that supports the advancement of community libraries, including Plant City’s Bruton Memorial Library. The performers are all volunteers, and all proceeds benefit the organization.
“It’s a hoot,” State Rep. Dan Raulerson, who is also a cast member, said. “We all laugh and screw up, but it’s all for a great cause.”
Raulerson is just one of the community figures in the theater.
Karen Kerr, president of South Florida Baptist Hospital, will be acting in the play, and McNair is a former Florida Strawberry Festival queen.
Paul Hetrick, a local artist best known for his artwork at the Florida Strawberry Festival, is painting the fair-themed backdrops.
“We sit down and name everyone we can think of that would be great in the show,” White said. “We can read the character and decided who fits best.”
Some of the people in the cast attribute the success of the dinner theater to the community.
“It’s Plant City at its best — most of us know the people in the audience,” cast member Tom Thoeni said. “These people know our inside jokes and have seen what we’ve done before.”
The show took a break for a few yxears, and White and Gail Lyons credit the late Dr. Hal Brewer for starting the theater back up.
“When Hal passed away, we took a break for a while,” Lyons said. “I wanted to bring it back for him because he always loved it.”
Since its inception 16 years ago, the theater has grown in popularity. This year, White expects to sell at least 500 tickets.
“We used to perform cramped in the Bruton Memorial Library,” White said.
IF YOU GO
WHEN: Doors open at 6 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 12
WHERE: John R. Trinkle Center on Hillsborough Community College Plant City campus, 1206 Park Road.
TICKETS: $45; Dodie White, (813) 927-0595
ON THE MENU
The show’s fair theme goes well with the main dish that will be served that night — barbecue.
CAST
Marlene Carvel: Karen Kerr
Fred Zuffle: Paul Davis
Lily Hilow: Judy Barta
Carl Hawker: David Davenport
Petunia Swinton: Susan Baggett
Joleen Jewell: Terrie Cameron
Silas Martin: Dan Raulerson
Shelly Sheen: Kim McElveen
Bo Brummer: Jeremy Davis
Jenny Brown: Lauren McNair
Joe Jones: Brian West
Donnell Stump: Tom Thoeni
Detective Barbie Fife: Maggie Carlisle