It has been over a decade since the Wapiti Players have put on a production at the Dillon Elks’ Lodge. However, in April 2024, the Wapiti Players will return. Plans are being made to bring back this popular event. Show dates are set for April 5 & 6 and April 12 & 13, cocktail hour at 6:30 pm and show at 7:30 pm.
This year’s production is billed as 1959 Pink Thunderbird, two one-act comedies, Laundry and Bourbon and Lone Star, by James McClure. These two comedies beg to be presented together. Each show pursues the same timeline – the 1970s in Maynard, Texas – and let the audience get to know three quirky housewives and an errant husband, his younger brother and a local Junior Chamber of Commerce member.
Laundry and Bourbon takes place on the front porch of Elizabeth and her husband, Roy’s home on a hot, summer afternoon. Elizabeth and her friend Hattie are whiling away the time folding laundry, watching television, sipping bourbon and Coke, and gossiping about the secrets of small-town life. Soon they are joined by the self-righteous Amy Lee who can’t resist blurting out gossip about Elizabeth’s husband, Roy.
Lone Star takes place in the same small town as Laundry and Bourbon but rather than a porch, the show is set in the cluttered backyard of Angel’s Bar. Roy, once a local high-school hero, is back after his service in Viet Nam and trying to reestablish his position in the community. He is joined by his younger brother, Ray. Soon Roy sets about consuming a case of beer while regaling Ray with tales of his military and amorous exploits. Gradually, the audience learns what Roy cherishes above all: his Country, his wife and his 1959 Pink Thunderbird. With the arrival of Cletis, the fatuous, newlywed son of the local hardware store owner, the underpinnings of Roy’s world begin to collapse.
The shows are being directed by Virginia Cook with stage manager, Darla Cherney.
Auditions will be held on February 6 and 7 at 7:00 pm at the Dillon Elks’ Club. Auditions are open to everyone. Anyone wishing to be a part of this production should come to one of the audition dates.
