Opal's Baby' to open Post Playhouse this weekend
The Post Playhouse at Fort Robinson opens for its 39th season this weekend with the comedy, “Opal’s Baby.” The first round of shows will be presented Friday and Saturday nights at 8 p.m. and Sunday afternoon at 4. After a dark night on Monday, June 5, the show will be staged again Tuesday through Saturday, June 6-10 at 8 p.m., and Sunday, June 11 at 4 p.m.
Six college students from various parts of the country and an array of acting experience will form the cast. The lead of Opal will be played by Katya Soll, a St. Louis native who attends the University of Evansville in Indiana. She’s held prominent roles in productions such as “Steel Magnolias,” “Twelfth Night” and “Paradise Now.”
In the play, Opal lives in a tumbledown home on the edge of the city dump. Her life changes dramatically when Norman, a shifty visitor who is looking for a tire for his aging truck, mistakenly think Opal is rich. He devises a story that he may be related to Opal, and she kindly takes in him and his whole family.
They scheme to take over her supposed fortune, but Opal proves to be more capable than was anticipated.
The part of Norman is played by Mike Link, who attends Clarke College at Dubuque, Iowa.
Also in the cast are Rosie, played by Jenna Schoppe, a junior at Drake University; Spencer, portrayed by Shane Strawbridge of Howard Payne University in Texas; Verna, played by Jennifer Hanna, a native of Boulder, Colo., who attends Shorter College in Georgia; and Granny, played by Greg Schmerber, an Oregonian who is a student at Webster Conservatory in St. Louis.
The second production of the summer, “The Fantasticks,” will open on June 16.
Reservations may be made by calling 665-1976. Ticket prices are $12 for adults, $10 for those 65 years and better, $8 for youths 12 and under and $10 each for groups of 25 or more.
The playhouse is partially supported by Chadron State, the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission and the Nebraska Arts Council. The summer schedule and more details are available at www.postplayhouse.com.
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Photo information: These college students arrived at Fort Robinson last week to begin rehearsing for “Opal’s Baby,” which opens this weekend at the Post Playhouse. The cast members, in front, from left, are Greg Schmerber, Katya Soll and Jenna Schoppe. In the back are Shane Strawbridge, Mike Link and Jennifer Hanna.
Category: Campus News