LAKEPORT — Lake County Theater Company continues rehearsals for “The Cemetery Club,” a comedy by Ivan Menchell. The production is a benefit for the Lakeport Senior Activity Center “Meals-On-Wheels” program, which provides food to home-bound seniors throughout Lake County.
With more than 60,000 meals being provided each year, the expenses are huge and cuts in funding have made it necessary to do fundraisers to supplement the costs. According to show director Marg Brooks, seeing a great show is a fun way to help out.
“There is nothing more satisfying for a director than to have a strong cast a well as a competent crew when putting on a play,” Brooks said.
The cast consists of Cindy Strong (Lucille), Kathleen Escude (Doris) and Cathy O”Connell (Ida). They portray three Jewish widows who have been friends for years. After the respective deaths of their husbands, they get together once a month for tea and to go clean up their husband”s cemetery plots.
According to Brooks, the women”s interaction with each other as they go about their daily lives is the stuff that makes life interesting with many quirky and humorous scenes. Doug Burns (Sam the Butcher) brings a sense of adventure and maybe romance to the story and Michele Chapman (Mildred), surprises everyone when she arrives on the scene. “These five performers make a perfect ensemble for this funny and poignant play,” Brooks said.
Maheanani Phillips is assistant director. Cindy Strong is producer and Wink Winkler provided sets, lights and sound. Wink will be assisted in painting the sets by artist Mike Ernst. Josh Blair is stage manager.
Performances take place at 7 p.m. Sept. 21, 2 and 7 p.m. Sept. 22, 7 p.m. Sept. 28, 2 and 7 p.m. Sept. 29 at the Lakeport Senior Activity Center, located at 527 Konocti Ave. A dinner will be served at 5:30 p.m. on opening night.
Tickets for the dinner show cost $20. General seating tickets will be available for people who only want to see the play. The cost to attend performances is $12.
Tickets are available from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday through Friday at the Lakeport Senior Activity Center, 263-4218, The Salon at High Street Village, 1847 N. High St. in Lakeport, 413-7250; and Main Street Pizza, 145 N. Main St. in Lakeport, 263-0777.
