It was 2001 and performances were scheduled for September 14th, 15th, and 16th. Cast and crew had worked hard to prepare for a showing of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. And then September 11th happened. As many will remember, it took some people days, others weeks to figure out what was appropriate trying to navigate the emotions surrounding that tragedy. The show went on, but as Lynn Cantrell and Sherry Passmore admit, attendance understandably wasn’t great. Now, in it’s 50th year of existence and 23 years after that show, the Carmi League of Arts is putting the finishing touches on this year’s presentation.
Cantrell and Passmore are co-directors on Joseph, coming to the Carmi White County High School Auditorium Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. All told, 59 people are directly involved in the show whether they’re singers, dancers, behind stage, or behind a sound board and ranging in age from 6 – 86. A handful of those performers visited Kiwanis Thursday to preview this weekend’s show.
Some of the individuals in that 2001 show are back for the 2023 performance. They include Debby Hyatt, who will reprise her role as the narrator. Mike Erwin, Don Winkleman, even Passmore and Cantrell (Passmore was an Egyptian Choral member and Cantrell was in the pit on piano) are also back.
Friday and Saturday night performances are at 7:30pm with a Sunday matinee scheduled for 2:30pm. Cost of admission is $10 for adults, $5 for students, and Pre-K (& under) age students get in free.
Concessions will be available and money raised in that manner will help fund some new curtains for the stage. Technical Director Hailey Winkleman elaborates.
One of our big goals this year is to replace our black curtains at the high school so we’ve been in the process of getting a quote and starting to fund raise and working with the school to get that ready. And if you come to our play this weekend and you want to help support that, all of our concessions are going to that cause and we’ll have commemorative 50th anniversary pins and all that will go to the cause as well.
Stay up to date with the Carmi League of Arts through their facebook page or visit http://www.carmileague.com.
