Returning to the spotlight on a different stage

My phone showed I had an incoming call from Christy Blue. I thought I knew what she was calling about. It turned out I was partially correct.

Blue, who has directed many Dublin Main Street Player shows, not only wanted me to write a preview of their next production but she also asked if I would play a part.

What she did not know was that I was committed to the part of Master of Ceremonies even before I knew what was going to be required for me to do. After all, I was not going to be in “Elf Jr. The Musical,” which is currently being worked on for the next Dublin Community Theatre play from Nov. 20-22. For one thing, I am too old for that show.

So, if I wanted to keep my feet dabbling in the theater world here in Laurens County, I had to be a part of DMSP’s production of “Polter-Heist.” 

Thankfully my role involves some improv. I have control of my character, what he wears and how he sounds. And thankfully, my wife, Jill, will be assisting me with the information I have to convey to the audience. 

In other words, she will be naturally reacting to me the way she does when I act like a fool at home.

“Polter Heist” is a murder mystery show that will give the audience a chance to guess the murderer and the motive, and perhaps, win some prizes. This theater production, which will begin with supper at 6:30 p.m. on Oct. 30 and 31 at The Ice House, 213 S. Monroe St., costs $45. Tickets can be purchased at Colleen’s China, Emerald City Treasures (on Telfair Street) and at Visit Dublin GA.

This show was a chance for me to return to the spotlight. I just won’t be standing on a stage. The action will be amongst the audience. That is a big difference from when I played  multiple characters in “Annie,” Rev. Hopkins in “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever,” and Liver Lips Louie in “Guys and Dolls” in DCT productions.

Work on “Polter-Heist,” a murder mystery show written by Tony Schwartz and Marylou Ambrose, began in August when we gathered at Blue’s house to read through the script. Since then, the cast has been practicing approximately three times a week in various places. I have had a front-row seat to watching the talent that will be on displayed at the end of next month.

Being involved in a theater production, whether it is DMSP or DCT, is a time commitment. Starring in a show reminds me of when I played trombone in the marching band at Baldwin High School. In the marching band, I had to memorize my part of the music and know where I had to be on the football field during each song. If I daydream or tune out, I may get in the way of someone else in the band.

That is the same way when it comes to being in a show. You have to know your part, know where you are supposed to be, know what you’re saying and doing or else it may throw others off. 

I have been involved in shows where actors missed their cues. During practice that is not such a big deal. It is different when it happens during a live performance. I do recall a time or two when a prop was left out on stage and another actor had to pick it up and walk off with it or carry it around during the next scene.

One of my favorite prop mistakes happened during a show I was watching at Georgia College & State University almost 20 years ago. The two main characters were in jail, talking planning how to escape when the door popped open on its own.

That was not part of the plot. They looked at each other and then at the open door as they waited for their partners in crime to bust them out. They ran on stage and announced they were there to save them, only to look at the open door and wonder why they had not already escaped.

Those things may happen in shows. It is part of theater, and something I am proud to once again be doing for the Dublin Main Street Players.