OCEAN PINES – The Ocean Pines Players address life, the universe and everything in the acclaimed one-act comedy The Whole Shebang, which is the main course in a full evening of theatrical fun and follies.
When reviewing the original production, the critic at Variety wrote, “Playwright Rich Orloff’s charming, whimsical comedy about the creation of the universe delivers impish fun along with a provocative message.”
The Players have mined every bit of that fun in this production, which runs for two weekends only, July 22-24 and July 29-31, at the Life Center at St. Peter’s Lutheran Church at 103rd Street and Coastal Highway in Ocean City.
The theatrical “appetizer” for each production will be a Reader’s Theater performance of the short play “I’m Herbert” by Robert Anderson. As the name implies, in Reader’s Theater, the actors bring the story to life through a fully dramatized reading of the script, without any staging or elaborate props and costumes. “I’m Herbert” – a heartfelt comedy about two crotchety old people who have been together a long time – lends itself perfectly to this treatment.
Next will come the “soup” course: a brief, interactive and completely unscripted examination of how the director accomplishes one key part of bringing a play from the page to the stage — casting the actors. Working with the actors from “The Whole Shebang,” as well as any audience members who are game to play, director Jerry Gietka walks the audience through the process he uses to cast the show, which can include anything from individual monologs or reading random book passages aloud to group improvisation games and more.
Showtimes are as follows: July 22-23 and July 29-30, (Friday and Saturday), doors open at 6 p.m. and showtime is at 7 p.m. Sunday, July 24 and 31, doors open 3 p.m.; showtime at 7 p.m.
Tickets are $15, payable at the door and includes both plays and the audience interaction, live pre-show entertainment, free snacks, punch, and wine before the show and coffee and dessert at intermission. Seating is limited so the Players advise making reservations, by phone at 410-208-6787 or by email at [email protected].
The Ocean Pines Players is an all-volunteer local 501(c)3 non-profit organization, whose mission includes enriching the local community through the performing arts. All profits from performances go directly back to the community through youth scholarships, historical and performing arts education, and the community outreach and support programs operated by their host venue, St. Peter’s Lutheran Church.