By Nan Nawrocki
Tater Patch Players
Tater Patch Players is ready to debut their newest show, Beatle Girls! Playwright Todd Olsen has been involved in music and theater across the country and currently lives near Jasper. It was a new experience to have the playwright present at many of the rehearsals.
The cast consists of six women, most of whom play multiple roles.
Kate Penwarn Thompson, originally from Australia, has been active in many theaters around the US and makes her home here in Pickens County. She has the very important role of Nora, who tells the story of the birth and growth of the Beatles Fan Club and of “the lads” from the earliest years until the group was no longer together.
Sheila Crowe plays many roles, from a typist to a fiery American opponent of those “unholy” musicians. Sheila is also the new pastor at Jasper United Methodist Church.
Cindy Parks plays many roles, including Brian Epstein, the man who helped bring the Beatles to the public and ensure their meteoric rise. This is Cindy’s third performance at Tater Patch, but she has also been the costumer for many shows and can often be seen painting scenery on our “volunteer Mondays”.
Audrey Kirsten, who is the manager of the Community Thrift Store, is delighted to be back on the Tater Patch stage again. Audrey plays six different characters.
Betsy Robbe plays a number of characters, from a British postman to Nora’s daughter.
Cindy Ciaccio, who recently appeared in Boca¸ is back on stage as many characters, including Ringo’s mum.
As you can see, this is going to be a delight to watch.
I was a Beatles fan from their beginning days, living in England when they first became a group. This play brings back so many good feelings from those early days of the “British Invasion” but also shows many sides of the story of the Beatles’ rise to fame that I’d never known about. So, no matter your age – an “old fan” like me or someone who’s only heard a single Beatles song- you will enjoy this amazing show.
The play dates will be July 3, 4, 5, 10, 11, 12, 17, 18, 19. Most shows are evening performances, with the curtain going up at 7:30 p.m. However, as usual, the three Sunday performances PLUS the July 4th show are at 2 p.m. We hope you’ll visit your community theater — have a good time, escape the summer heat, have some refreshments with your friends, and enjoy our show.
Tickets are available online at taterpatchplayers.org. They may also be purchased at the box office beginning one hour before the curtain goes up.
For those who cannot purchase a ticket, we also offer the opportunity to see our final dress rehearsal on July 2 at 7:30 p.m. We ask that those attending this rehearsal bring a bag or two of non-perishable food or toiletry items that we will take to the Pickens Food Pantry.
