Lake County >> Are you a man (or do you know a man) who can sing, dance, tell jokes, build a bookshelf or make pancakes? Are you (or he) also brave enough to strut your stuff in beachwear and answer a silly question in front of a crowd? Then the Lake County Theatre Company is looking for you.
Its annual Mr. Lake County Pageant is coming up on July 16, and the first meeting for potential contestants is scheduled for April 11 at 6 p.m. at Kelseyville Pizza.
The pageant is a fundraiser for LCTC’s building fund. This is Lake County’s only nonprofit community theater group, and has been entertaining audiences for 30 years, all without a permanent place to call home. The funds raised from the Mr. Lake County Pageant will go directly into the Joshua Phillips-Blair Memorial Theatre Fund, the future dream home of LCTC.
William McAuley, one of last year’s contestants (and winner of the talent competition for his comedy routine) said that participating in Mr. Lake County “was a great experience to act in a play, become someone you’re not … but in a weird way, it’s more satisfying to go up on stage and just be yourself and still have people cheering for you. The pageant is incredibly fun and, literally any adult man can be a part of it.”
In addition to the talent competition, there is also a beachwear competition, formal wear competition and interview competition. The winners of each category, and the overall winner, are determined by audience vote.
Audiences the past two years have thoroughly enjoyed themselves and are always incredibly supportive of the contestants.
Ed Borg, last year’s formal wear winner, said, “Being in the Mr. Lake County contest was not like being in a contest at all. It was more like hanging out with a really fun bunch of guys doing goofy stuff for a good cause. Nobody cared who won, the point was to have a good time and make sure the audience had fun. I was a bit worried about the talent competition, because of not having any, but with the help and support of my fellow contestants I got through it [I twirled a cane and recited poetry].
“This isn’t a contest for competitive guys who need to win; this is a contest for guys who want to have a blast and help the theatre company.”
If you, or someone you know, may be interested in running, attend the meeting April 11 to find out more. For more information, call 349-0277.
