A Look Down the Road

The Tater Patch Players are trying something new!  The next show, February’s Almost, Maine, is an opportunity for some of your favorite actors to shine as directors.  Nine Tater Patch actors are spreading their directorial wings and rehearsals have already begun.  Almost, Maine is composed of eight very short plays, plus a series of scenes that tie the overall story together.  As part of their increased involvement, the nine directors are also going to help publicize the show.  All of them are going to write short articles about their parts of Almost, Maine, and Tater Patch’s publicist, Pat Jewell will put these together in articles for each week’s paper.  This way, you’ll get a glimpse of not only the whole play, but the viewpoint of each of the nine directors, their cast, and how they look at the overall production.

The Tater Patch Play Selection committee chose this play as one that they hope will really delight the audience.  It’s a romantic  play, but not at all “sweet”.  The events of the nine “playlets”  take place at the same time, one night, in the cold village of Almost, under an amazing display of the Northern Lights.  There are couples meeting, renewing old romances, ending old romances, discovering each other and discovering others around them.  There is sadness, laughter and a great deal of amazement.  Everyone in the audience will see themselves or someone they care for in at least one of these scenes.  And maybe they will learn a little about themselves or the one they love, or used to love, or want to love.  It’s an evening of discovery and the Tater Patch Board decided that it would be an opportunity to discover the directors in its acting family as well.

The Tater Patch Board of Directors is committed to growing the troupe, even before they find a permanent home.  Members of the Board work tirelessly to find new plays, help the production team develop its skills and resources, and find a way to bring more live theater to the community.  The outgoing Board has decided to make one performance of each show for this year more accessible to community members.  In recognition of the financial times we live in, for the designated show, members of the audiences are invited to pay whatever they feel they can afford, in order to see the shows.  In additions they are asked to bring a canned food item that will go to the Food Pantry.  The Board calls this “Pay What You Can” and hopes that this effort will make live theater more accessible to all members of our community.  There will be members of the troupe at the Pay What You Can performance to talk to audience members about the opportunity  for them to be a part of Tater Patch Players — as an actor, a stage hand, an usher, a publicist, a scenery builder — the openings to be a part of the theater world are endless.

The Tater Patch Players will have their annual meeting, at which members elect the new Board, on January 14 at 7 PM at their rehearsal space.  This is located at 953 East Church Street in Jasper.  The meetings are open to the public, although only members can vote.  The slate of Board candidates, many of whom are continuing from previous years, and some new faces to the Board, have all promised to keep on growing and nurturing Tater Patch.  The effort to find a permanent location continues, as does the drive to bring as many members of our community the best of live theater, wherever it is performed.