BY JESSALYN KIRCHHOFF
The Hays Community Theatre will be presenting a production of The Addams Family next weekend.
The Addams Family is a “comical feast that embraces the wackiness in every family, features an original story and it’s every father’s nightmare: Wednesday Addams, the ultimate princess of darkness, has grown up and fallen in love with a sweet, smart young man from a respectable family– a man her parents have never met.”
Show Director and President of HCT, Travis Grizzell, said the plot of this summer’s musical centers on Wednesday wanting to get married, but the show deals more with Gomez navigating the wants of his wife, Morticia, and his daughter.
“Gomez is played by Jerrett Leiker, Morticia by Codi Fenwick, and Wednesday by Natalie Loftus,” Grizzell said. “All three were chosen by our open auditions process. There were quite a few extremely talented actresses that auditioned for Wednesday, so that was a pretty competitive role.”
Other characters that Grizzell mentions are Fester and Grandma Addams.
“The entire show is a blast, but I think there’s a lot of novelty in Fester and Grandma Addams. Any time those two are on stage, the audience will get some laughs,” he said.
Grizzell explains that HCT typically produces a spring play, a summer musical, a fall children’s show, the Haunted Historic Tours of Hays also in the fall, and then a winter/Christmas show to wrap up the year.
When it comes to the selection of which show the troupe is going to perform, Grizzell describes a number of factors.
“It depends on the shows we’ve done recently, availability of directors, budget, and audience reception,” he said.
The selection process is more complicated than meets the eye, but the auditions, casting, and, as Grizzell recounts, rehearsals are even more complex.
“Auditions for a musical usually take place a couple months prior to rehearsal. The other shows, usually a week or two,” Grizzell said. “A play usually involves four to five weeks of rehearsals with five evenings per week, while musicals are more like eight weeks with the same amount of evenings. Each of our rehearsals are an estimated two to three hours.”
Grizzell goes on to detail how HCT productions provide benefits to the members of the Hays community.
“These productions give people an outlet for their talents and allow them to take ownership in a community organization that enhances the quality of life in Hays and the surrounding area,” he said. “They’re also a great way to meet new people that may have similar interests or engage with community members that reveal skill sets that they’re not necessarily known for.”
Grizzell encourages people to take note of the businesses that are listed in the show program.
“They are literally making our productions possible and giving members of our community an avenue for artistic expression and local entertainment,” he said.
The Hays Community Theatre Summer Musical – The Addams Family, will open on Thursday, July 27 and run through Saturday, July 29. All shows are at 7:00 p.m. in the Beach Schmidt Performing Arts Center.
More information on the Hays Community Theatre presenting The Addams Family, including a link to purchase tickets, can be found on their Facebook webpage.
All ticket proceeds go back into the budget to sustain the venue, projects, and programming. The Hays Community Theatre has no paid staff and operates on a 100% volunteer basis.
Furthermore, if you are interested in ‘meeting’ some of the cast members, check out the Hays Community Theatre Facebook page, which features each of the actors portraying characters in the upcoming production.