Contributed by Showstoppers board member Mavis Pattee

Greetings, all. Happy fall to you! I am sure many of you are busy cleaning the garden plots and well into fall yard work. Showstoppers was delighted with the community support shown for the summer show, “Bye, Bye Birdie.” We hope you enjoyed the show. We’ve already begun planning for the winter dinner show at Lakeside, which is traditionally a farce. A farce is a comedy that seeks to entertain an audience through situations that are highly exaggerated, extravagant, ridiculous, absurd and improbable. 

The winter show will be “Hit the Road Jack” by Pat Cook. We believe we have a director, but they wanted just a bit more time to review the play before a full commitment, so I will leave that reveal for the next article. We have some actors committed, but are still looking for a few participants. If you have an interest in being involved in the play in some manner, please contact the Showstoppers president, Mandy Recker, at 320-270-1244. There are several parts available, some of which are relatively small. Good parts to begin with if you are interested in dipping your toes in. We also have needs for people to help with the technical aspects of the production – set construction, promotion, prompting, lights, sound. It’s a great way to spend January – working on a fun project. 

In “Hit the Road Jack,” a father and son have run the Gunderson Driving Academy for years. A history of bad driving records and an unruly set of students and employees have led to their ruin. Officer Monica Palmer warns them that they will be closed down unless they shape up. They desperately try to find a way to keep from being closed. The Gundersons also have to contend with a lovesick student; a bank vice-president who plays the horses; Mac, a sinister character that only Jack can see; and an instructor that quits. Things are hopping when cutie-pie Joyce shows up to work as an instructor, a bank robbery next door throws suspicion on the cash-strapped Gundersons, and the police and news crew arrive to investigate the robbery. It’s a fun play. Keep your calendar open to attend Jan. 27 or 28.