Depot Theater's latest production offers comedy, tragedy, suspense

Depot Theater's latest production offers comedy, tragedy, suspense
By Cherise Forno
Dodge City Daily Globe
    Call it a change of plays.
    The Depot Theater Company's production "Three on a Bench" opens tonight, featuring five one-act plays.
     "I chose this because I thought it would be a nice change," said director Adam Keda. "One-act plays are unique because you really get to the characters and plot."
    Keda also said the company has not had a production comprised of one-act plays since 1984, and he felt it was time to revisit an American classic.
     The plays range from 10 minutes to 45 minutes and offer something for everyone.
    "There's a little comedy, a little tragedy, a little thriller," Keda said. "They each resolve, leaving the audience satisfied at the end."
    In the play "Three on a Bench," a lonely widow does a little people-watching in a park. A man sitting on the bench chats with his wife about domestic matters and their daughter in "I Bring You Flowers."
    The mood then changes as suspense fills the stage with "Wildwood Park." "Wash and Dry," which is set in a coin-operated laundry, gives the audience a little comic relief. And "One Tennis Shoe," which tells the story of a husband who fears his wife is becoming a bag lady, closes out the evening.
    Interim creative director Connie Penick, who also has a role in the show, said the blend of new and veteran actors created a very strong cast for the unique production. 
    Newcomers Madison Reynolds, Randi Shetley and Alicia Oker-Thompson will be appearing for the first time in a Depot Theater Company production. Veterans include Sarah Schaeffer, Eric Norton, Penick, Chris Pyle, Cindy Thomson and Lee Griffith.
    Penick said the audience can expect to see five complete shows in one.
     "They're in for a real treat," she said. "You're going to cry.  You're going to laugh. You're going to possibly be unnerved."

Reach Cherise Forno at (620) 408-9931 or e-mail her at cherise.forno@dodgeglobe.com.


If you go...
     • What: Fall production of "Three on a Bench," featuring five one-act plays.
     • Where: Depot Theater
     • When: Oct. 10, 11, 16-19 and 23-25. Doors to the lobby open at 5:30 p.m., and seating begins at 6:15 p.m. For the Oct. 19 matinee performance, doors open at noon, and seating begins at 12:45 p.m.
Cost: $37 for dinner and the show.
     • Contact: The box office at (620) 225-1001, or visit the office at 201 E. Wyatt Earp Blvd. from 8:30 a.m. to noon and from 1 to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.