Center Street Community Theatre, the community theatre branch of Wagon Wheel Center for the Arts, announced the cast for its production of “Over the River and Through the Woods” by Joe DiPietro. Performances are scheduled for Sept. 30, Oct. 1, 2, 7, 8 and 9 at Wagon Wheel Center for the Arts. Shows start at 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and at 2 p.m. Sundays. Tickets are available for $12. The show, directed by Jennifer K. Shepherd, will have some parts double-cast in an effort to involve more community members. The cast will share performances on each weekend. First performed in 1998, “Over the River and Through the Woods” is a delightful sentimental comedy, according to CSCT leadership. Nick (played by Eric Totheroh and Jason Dugger) is a single Italian-American guy who has dinner with his four grandparents every Sunday. Because his parents and sister have all moved away, Nick is the only relative living close to the grandparents. When Nick tells them he has been offered a dream job which will take him away from them, too, the news doesn’t sit well. Frank (Gerald Cox), Aida (Melissa Jordan), Nunzio (Curt Clevenger) and Emma (Lin Metzger) begin a series of schemes to keep Nick around. So they introduce him to Emma’s canasta partner’s granddaughter, Caitlin O’Hare (Staci Stiles Schaum and Rebecca Crim), hoping to start a relationship between them. Themes of family, the American dream, loving and letting go, and relationships make this show hilarious yet touching, according to Shepherd. “There won’t be a dry eye in the theatre at the end,” she said. According to Shepherd, volunteer opportunities have expanded this year. The community theatre is open to volunteers to help not only back stage and technically, but also by having community theatre members ushering and helping with concessions. If you are interested in helping in any way, Center Street Community Theatre may be contacted via email or Facebook message. The organization also encourages community members to share their posts on Facebook. Those interested in finding more about the upcoming production or auditions can visit the group's Facebook page at www.facebook.com/CScommunitytheatre, or email them at CScommunitytheatre@wagonwheeltheatre.com. The Center Street Community Theatre is a non-sectarian organization dedicated to stimulating and maintaining local interest and participation in the theatre arts. For more information, visit www.facebook.com/CScommunitytheatre.
