The last time Dustin Turner took the stage with the Aiken Community Theatre, he and his wife, Jamie, were performing together in the comedy “Move Over, Mrs. Markham” in January 2020.
“We were in the middle of rehearsals for ‘Annie,’ our season closer, when we had to shutdown for COVID,” said Turner, spokesperson for the theater group, which is planning its 2021-2022 season.
MORE: Concerts, Broadway Shows Heading to Area Stages This Fall
Auditions for “Murder on the Orient Express” are scheduled for 3 p.m. July 25 and 7 p.m. July 26 at the theater at 126 Newberry St. S.W. James Raby will direct the play which opens the season Sept. 10.
Since March 2020, the ghost light has been standing guard on the darkened stage.
The theater group is heading into the 2021-2022 season with caution, he said.
“We picked shows very carefully,” he said.
[adrotate banner=”19″]
Audiences won’t see any shows like “The Hunchback of Notre Dame,” which had a cast of 40-plus crew members, and no fancy sets will be constructed either.
Shows will have a maximum of 10 actors with limited sets.
“We don’t want any large groups,” he said.
This season won’t have any heavy drama with it either.
“People need something to laugh at,” he said.
All of the dates haven’t been finalized yet. Not as many shows are on the schedule this year either. Usually, the youth wing does a main stage show plus a black box production. No youth black box show is scheduled. Also, the season is slimmer by one less main stage play.
[adrotate banner=”54″]
In most years, musical productions open and close the season. The only musical slated for the season is “Goin’ to the Chapel,” which ends the season. It has a doo-wop sound to it with a small group of performers.
Other shows include “The Book of Will,” “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” “Some Place Called Mayor’s Income, Tennessee” and “Murder’s in the Heir.” “A Double Wide Texas Christmas” is scheduled for summer 2022.
A few additional changes include no refreshments. Youth wing members typically serve beverages during intermission as a fundraiser, but that won’t happen at least for the first show.
Turner said the theater’s board of directors is excited to welcome people back into the space. During the pause, some improvements were made to the space. It has new paint and new carpet.
MORE: Arts Groups Ready for Busy Seasons
“It looks like a brand new theater,” he said.
For ticket information, call the box office at (803) 648-1438 or visit aikencommunitytheatre.org.
Charmain Z. Brackett is the Features Editor for The Augusta Press. Reach her at charmain@theaugustapress.com.
[adrotate banner=”56″]
