Midsummer Melodrama
Each season the members of the Shawnee Theatre put on a melodrama, complete with a hearty hero, a heart-throbbing heroine and a heartless villain. This summer's choice, The Curse of the Doom Mine, has been specially tailored for the Bloomfield area audience by playwright Adam Pockross and the Shawnee's Artistic Director Matt Graber.
Shawnee veteran Kevin Guthridge directs, designs the sound, and plays the part of the show's host. "It's traditional that this sort of show has a host to connect with the audience," Guthridge explains. "We're pretending that we're a regular traveling troupe that puts this show on across the country. But since Matt had a hand in the writing, there are plenty of local references that our audience will get a real kick out of."
Boos, Cheers And Tears
"I'll be encouraging the audience to boo the villain, cheer the hero and sympathize with the plight of the heroine. As usual, we'll be renting out some nicely realistic tomatoes for the patrons to toss at the bad guys."