A nautical adventure is set to take the stage in Cassville this week, as the Cassville Arts Council is performing its third play, “Sirens.”
Trent Oliphant, Council Board member alongside Mary Richmiller and Lee Allphin, said the play is one he saw his daughter perform in when helping her move back to the Cassville area.
Written by Levi Taylor, the musical begins with a shipwreck, and the ship is surrounded by mythical creatures — sirens. In Greek mythology a siren is a half bird and half woman who lured sailors to destruction by the sweetness of her song.
The play follows the story of Charlotte, who feels responsible for her best friend Abbie’s husband being on the ship and lost in the wreck. It continues with the pair setting sail to search for Abbie’s husband, encountering along the way a ship of pirates led by Cpt. Iron Boot.
The Arts Council was established in 2019 and performed “Pirates of Penzance” that year, taking two years off due to COVID-19 restrictions and returning to the stage last year with “Jacob and the Technicolor Dreamcoat.”
A 501c3, the mission of the Council is to promote the arts, performing right now and hopefully visual in the future, in the Cassville area.
“I have quite a bit of experience with theatre,” Oliphant said. “I’ve been doing community theatre for more than 30 years performing and producing, and I was the executive director of another theatre in Utah where we did six to eight shows per year.”
Each of the Council’s shows has about 15-20 participants, and many returning performers.
“Three of our people have been involved in all three plays, and we have many returning from last year,” Oliphant said. “We have three people this time performing in their first production.” The majority of the performers are high school and college age, and for Oliphant, it’s also a family affair. Of his 10 children, seven are participating in the play, with six acting and one assisting in set design.
There is also a mother-daughter acting duo, with the mother’s son running sound, and another brother-sister team.
Spending three to four nights per week for the last eight weeks rehearsing, Oliphant said community theatre offers a sense of camaraderie between the participants.
“The thing I notice most about community theatre is that besides being a way to allow performers to express themselves, which there are not a lot of opportunities to do once out of high school, there is a camaraderie and building relationships working with other people toward something we are all excited about doing.”
Beyond the stage performances, Oliphant said he has taken a lead in costume and set design, but with plenty of help.
“I had a person helping me with costumes who had surgery this year and was unable to help,” he said. “I have my own kids helping quite a bit, and fortunately the ones for this show are a bit easier to craft with just a few pieces we have to buy here and there. We’ve been building some set pieces, and Kellen Jack is helping with painting the scenery.
“My daughter has also been building paper mache rocks and barrels. The idea is to just give a feel for where you are, because what’s most important is the story itself.”
The story is one Oliphant fell in love with after seeing his daughter perform in it, and he said regarding the theatre’s goals, it’s exactly what he looks for.
“The timing just happened to work we were able to see Jennifer in that play, and I’m glad we did,” he said. “It’s a really good show. The characters are strong and it’s well-written. I try to look for shows like that with a good story. I like the fun and silly ones, too, but that’s not our goal — we want a compelling story.”
While the play may be more drama than comedy, Oliphant said there have been no shortage of laughs in rehearsals.
“We have a lot of fun and laugh so much, especially because it’s mostly kids involved,” he said. “We’d love to have more adults participate because I have some shows I’d like to do, but we need to build that participation up first.”
Oliphant said the Council’s turnout for “Pirates of Penzance” was strong, a bit more than last year’s “Jacob and the Technicolor Dreamcoat” show, and he hopes this year’s is even larger.
“We are really excited to put on this show and hope a lot of people are able to come see it,” he said.
Oliphant said another helper, Charlea Estes-Jones, is assisting the Council with promotional designs and programs.
Show times at the Crowder Cassville Community Building are Thursday through Saturday at 7 p.m. nightly, plus a 3:30 matinee on Sunday.
Tickets are $15 each at the door, and light concessions and drinks will be available. Sunshine Coffeehouse will also be on hand.
The show last about an hourand-a-half to two hours, and there is an intermission.
Proceeds from the event benefit the Cassville Arts Council and are used for the costs of each production and future Council investments in local arts.
For more information on the Council, people may visit its Facebook page at www.facebook. com/cassvilleartscouncil.
