low-budget production, making in rife with slapstick humor.
Dani Skelton, who plays aging diva Constance, said the dinner theatre is always going to be funny and light.
“I seriously doubt they are going to do the theater that’s going to, you know, make you cry or something. That’s just not good for your digestion,” she quipped.
This is her second year involved in the festival -- last year she was in the melodrama. Skelton said that it was the opportunity for everyone to be involved that drew her interest and showed her the festival is something special. Her granddaughter is in the children’s theatre workshop.
“Getting the kids who might not get the opportunity during school to do this kind of thing. Letting them, you know, get on stage and see what it’s like,” she said. “They have all sorts of performance things for kids. And that’s what drew me in the most.”
The musical “A Warrior’s Choice,” brings something fresh to the stage in what director Quincy Morris calls “Mean Girls” meets “Karate Kid.” It tells the story of a teen girl who is a martial arts champion, who moves to a new town where her mother wants her to be normal. She is bullied by another teen girl, who in turn, is bullied by her older sister, another martial arts champion.
Morris said the show came about because they were looking to do “Freaky Friday,” but it just wasn’t possible.
“We were just like, ‘Whoa, man, it’s going to be cool, but super expensive.’ So we were like, what else could we do? And my sister was like, ‘Well, we could write something of our own, you know, that would still be modern and fun for ourselves,’” he said. Sheree’ wrote the book, music and lyrics.
Morris said he’s drawn to more modern musicals, plus his roughly 20 years of experience in martial arts helped. What he’s most looking forward to is the audience experiencing the kung fu moves he’s choreographed for the actors. This year will be the first year that the martial art is featured at an Olympic-level event with the Youth Games in October.
“It’s exciting for me to share that culture on stage and then to know how far it has come, and it’s progressing,” he said. “For the most part, people are used to seeing, like, karate or, like I said, taekwondo or judo or like a discipline that might normally be an after-school program or something like this. Kung fu will be a little bit different, and I’m excited to see how people respond.”
The festival runs from July 23 to 26. “Drop Dead!” runs on July 24 at 6:30 p.m. (dinner by Chef Kyle Anderson - $25), July 25 at 1:30 p.m. (dessert - $15) and July 26 at 4 p.m. (no food - $10). “A Warrior’s Choice” runs on July 23 at 7 p.m., July 25 at 7 p.m. and July 26 at 2 p.m. All tickets are $15. Both productions will be staged at the C.B. Wright Auditorium.
“Adventures in Toyland” runs on July 24 at 3 p.m. and July 25 at 5 p.m. Tickets are $10, and the shows will be at the Stroud Arts Building. Storyteller: Marilyn will be at the C.B. Wright Auditorium at 10 a.m. on July 25.