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‘Play On’ brings loads of laughs to Geyer stage

By Rachel Basinger rbasinger@heraldstandard.Com 4 min read
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Rachel Basinger

Seated from left are Will Dixon and Kaylee Hansberry. From left in back are William S. White, Ally Riddle, Justin Williams and Levi Sipes.

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Rachel Basinger

Holly Reagan (left) and Diana Lucia play Louise and Aggie, the backstage crew who you may not see very much during the show, but their offstage comments are hilarious as they add their wit and sarcasm to the production.

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Rachel Basinger

Real life couple Will Dixon and Kaylee Hansberry get to be romantic on the stage as their “on stage performers” realize they really are attracted to each other.

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Rachel Basinger

Above, Justin Williams (far left) who plays Gerry the director, scrutinizes the costumes of the actors for the upcoming performance while rehearsing a scene.

Audiences can expect to get some big laughs from the next play by Actors and Artists of Fayette County when it hits the stage at the Geyer Performing Arts Center in Scottdale May 10-13.

“Play On,” written by Rick Abbot, is a play about a theater troupe who is working to put on their own play.

“Anyone who has ever been a part of a staged production will really appreciate ‘Play On!’ because it’s a great example of everything that can go wrong, and then some, when you are staging a live performance,” said director Marilyn Forbes.

“This play within a play features everything from skipped lines to early entrances,” she added. “And, this show is hilarious as it depicts actors’ worst nightmares when they are trying to put on a show at a small community theater.”

Forbes said she selected the show herself and took it to the board for approval.

“I loved the script, and since my family has been doing theater for many years, I could personally identify with many of the mishaps, miscues and misgivings of a show that seems doomed from the start,” she said.

This is the very first time that “Play On!” will be performed at the Geyer.

The cast will include: Justin Williams as the play’s director Jerry; Holly Reagan who plays Louise, the lighting and music tech director; Diana Lucia who plays Aggie, the stage manager; Ally Riddle who plays Smitty; Will Dixon who plays Billy; William S. White who plays Henry; Kaylee Hansberry who plays Violet; and Levi Sipes who plays Saul.

“The cast is a nice mixture of familiar faces along with a few newer ones, and audiences will enjoy seeing some of our musical stars in a different light as they put away the music to enjoy a little comedy,” said Forbes.

Reagan, a Connellsville resident, said she has performed in both plays and musicals at the theater and enjoys plays because of the smaller cast, making it a more intimate experience.

“The plays I’ve been in up to this point have been murder mysteries, so being part of a comedy has been a fun change,” she said.

Playing the part of the lighting and music tech director, most of the lines for Reagan’s character are delivered off stage.

“It’s definitely different,” she said. “I’ve never had a role that was played off stage before, but to me, it’s less pressure because I don’t have to remember where I’m supposed to be on stage for the different scenes.”

Uniontown resident Williams, who is taking on the role of the director in the play, said he has been part of the shows at the Geyer for about 12 years now.

“I wanted to audition for this show because I’ve worked with Marilyn (Forbes) before and I knew what the play was about and I thought it would be another fun experience,” he said.

Williams added that because the show is about a play, it will be very entertaining to those who have performed before.

“One of the challenges though is that there are so many jokes, that timing is key,” he said. “It’s so important that we give the audience time to digest certain jokes.”

Forbes said that practices have been going remarkably well.

“I have 10 very strong performers who have worked very well off each other from day one,” she said. “This show is actually a dream for any performer to be a part of because if they make a mistake during the real run of the show, no one will ever know.”

The show depicts a play in its final days before staging so the audience will see three different “nights” of rehearsal.

“After hearing lines and scenes repeated, the audience will actually be able to follow along with the scenes and be able to pick out the mistakes and misadventures as they unfold,” Forbes said.

Shows are scheduled for 7:30 p.m. May 10, 11 and 12 and 2:30 p.m., May 13. Tickets are $12 and can be purchased online at geyerpac.com, by calling the theater at 724-887-0887 or by visiting the box office at 111 Pittsburgh St., Scottdale.

Forbes said she wants individuals to know who might be considering bring their child to the show that she would consider it as definitely having a PG-13 rating.

The next big summer musical at the Geyer will be “Hunchback of Notre Dame” that will be staged June 14-17.

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