Better Off Dead, a zany new farce written by Village
Theatre Project Company member and playwright Shawn
Sturnick, is sure to please audiences and leave them wanting
more. David Gelman, played by
Shelley Bolman, is a playwright who is mistakenly reported
dead in a freak accident. This incites a ticket-buying frenzy
- everyone wants to see ‘the play the dead guy wrote.’
Now, the playwright is famous and his awful play is a great box-office
success... as long as he stays dead. The playwright's dead, except
he isn't. The play's a hit, except it's awful. And the producer's
going to make a bundle if everyone can just play along...
Director and Company Member Troy
Siebels is most enthusiastic about the World Premiere. “This
is a brand new script that we developed as a company last July
at our Ashby Retreat, and already other theatres have expressed
interest in staging a production,” he said. “We’re
blessed to be able to work with a talented playwright and cast,
consisting entirely of members of our own company of artists.”
The cast for Better Off Dead will include Village Theatre
Company members Shelley Bolman,
Christopher Chew, Laura
D. DeGiacomo, Cheryl
McMahon, Dale Place
and Jennifer Valentine.
Troy Siebels will direct,
with costumes designed by Gail
Buckley, scenery by Jenna McFarland, lighting by Jeff Adelberg
and sound by Nathan Leigh.
Company Member and Ashby resident Chris
Chew plays a variety of roles, ranging from a truck driver,
to the Mayor of New York. “When I first read the script,
I realized it would be a hit for us,” explained Chew.
“The show itself is definitely a crowd pleaser, and a great
way for us to start – to show people that they can see professional
theatre without driving all the way into Boston and paying twice
the ticket price plus parking.”
The production will be performed in the group’s 200-seat
‘black box’ theatre, constructed on the stage of the
Groton-Dunstable Performing Arts Center. “The auditorium
is much bigger than we need or want,” explains Siebels,
“so we’ve created our own venue within it. In a more
intimate performance space, everything about the experience is
better – the audience is more engaged; the laughs are funnier;
the characters really come to life.”
