Don’t Drink the Water
Presented by the Waynesburg University Players
By Lauren Bertovich
It’s that time again… summer time! Fun time! It’s the time to relax and enjoy those hot summer days and long summer nights with friends, family and loved ones. It’s also time for the Waynesburg University Players to produce and perform its annual community play. This year they will be performing the classic comedy “Don’t Drink the Water” written by famous American actor, director and writer, Woody Allen.
The comedic play originally debuted on Broadway in 1966. The play takes place behind the Iron Curtain and follows a vacationing family through Europe. The tourists are accused of espionage while unknowingly taking photos of top secret areas. They make it to the U.S. Embassy to enlist the help of the ambassador – only to find out he is absent and has left his incompetent son, Axel Magee, in charge. Magee makes repeated attempts to get the American family home safely but fails… repeatedly. The “what else could go wrong” plot is filled with many comedic turns and twist, gags and punch lines. W.U. Theater Department Director Eddie Powers describes the comedic style as being similar to classic, wholesome, fun entertainment of 1970s sitcoms.
This summer’s cast includes nine very dedicated and talented actors and actresses. The two main characters of the story are husband and wife Walter and Marion Hollander, played by W.U. alumni Jordan Thompson and community member Michelle Schenponik. Other cast members include fellow alumni Christian Wilson, Emily Haywood, Michelle Frye, Zack Zeigler, Kristina Fisher and community members Ellen Weekly and Alaina Camps. Some of the cast has worked with the W.U. Players before and many of them are performing multiple roles for this play. “Having a small cast makes scheduling and rehearsing much easier for everyone involved. It is summer and we try to accommodate everyone’s schedule. A play like this requires 25, 2-3 hour rehearsals, several times a week. Many of the actors and actresses supply his or her costumes and we are able to reuse set items and props from previous shows,” Eddie explains when describing the level of commitment and dedication it takes to produce a play of this genre during summer season.
Eddie Powers exudes great passion during the interview; it’s obvious that he loves the theater and he proudly refers to himself as a great story teller. He emphasizes the importance of theater in our lives, not only for the purpose of entertainment but also to pass down history, cultural ideas, trends, fashion and preserve art in the form of plays and musicals. Eddie values his audience very much – performers come to life when they look out at a crowd that has interest and has come to support their craft. It is the reward to all of the cast members’ hard work and dedication.
“Don’t Drink the Water” will be showing on August 2nd and 3rd at 7:30 pm at the Goodwin Performing Arts Center. The price of tickets is $5 per person and the show is appropriate for everyone 10 years and older. Tickets are available at the ticket window opening night but guests are encouraged to purchase and reserve tickets and seating online at www.waynesburg.ticketleap.com/water. Come out and support the performing arts and your community, we hope to see you there!