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The Olney Central College Theater was just a week away from presenting Mamma Mia last spring when the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown not only its performances, but shows across the country.
“I feel so sorry that our audience didn’t get to see all the hard work the Mamma Mia cast put in,” said OCC Theater Director Jon Wright. “That will be the first production we do once everything returns to normal and we are able to do our shows with a normal size cast.”
In the meantime, Wright is excited to bring Smokey Joe’s Café to the Ruth Henry Stage.
“We are obviously very excited to perform a musical,” Wright said of the upcoming production sponsored by First National Bank in Olney. “It has been quite the challenge as we try to follow all of the CDC and Illinois Department of Health guidelines.”
Added safety measures have included frequent COVID-19 testing for all participants.
“The cast and crew have been amazing,” Wright said. “They have been tested weekly if not more with very few complaints. They’re willing to do anything to get back on stage.”
Cast members include Dylan Reed, Keegan Tucker, Derek Mason, Andrew Flynn, Summer Culpepper, Sophia Ranes, Ashlie Zwilling, Jessica McDonald and Warren Weitkamp.
“COVID has definitely changed the way we have to do things,” Weitkamp said. “With the possibility of someone getting sick, out of rehearsal preparation is a must. I’ve really enjoyed the rehearsals. They are intense so they keep me on my toes. It’s awesome working the production team. The harder they push me, the more I want to do my best.”
Weitkamp, who serves as the Richland County High School Choir Director, has enjoyed working with such a talented group.
“This cast is amazing,” he added. “I’m singing and dancing with some of Richland County’s finest performers. I’m so blessed to be alongside current and former students from our choir and theater productions at RCHS. Performing with and seeing how much these students have grown is one of the highest honors an educator can experience.”
Weitkamp said Smokey Joe’s Café is a show area residents don’t want to miss.
“There is so much talent. It’s going to be amazing,” he said. “Not to mention the music is so much fun.”
For Wright, Smokey Joe’s Café was an easy choice for this spring’s production.
“Part of trying to put on a musical in a COVID world meant finding a show with a small cast,” he said. “Smokey Joe’s Café is perfect as it only has nine actors. It is a much smaller cast than most musicals and we are putting it on with a bare-bones crew. We feel this is an important opportunity for our cast as well as audience to feel normal again.”
The longest-running musical revue on Broadway, Smokey Joe’s Café features the music of Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. The show is packed with familiar hits from the 1950s and 1960s including On Broadway, Jail House Rock, Stand By Me and many more.
“Leiber and Stoller wrote a lot of music in the doo-wop era as well as many of Elvis Presley’s songs,” Wright said. “Smokey Joe’s Café is a two-hour show that is nothing but pure joy. I think people need a little joy in their lives and this should hit the spot. They’re just songs that make you smile.”
Tickets are going fast. All performances are sold out except the 7 p.m. Thursday, March 25 show.
Tickets are $12. They can be purchased online at www.iecc.edu/occtheater or from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. weekdays at the OCC Box Office. Tickets are limited with only 50 available each performance. Masks and social distancing are required.
Wright said support from both the OCC administration and the Illinois Eastern Community Colleges District Office has been phenomenal.
“They have helped solve many problems throughout the process and given many solutions every step of the way,” he said. “It is very exciting that in just a few weeks while not in the number we are used to, we will be able to entertain people again.”
Like many performing art venues, Wright said the OCC Theater has faced challenges in the wake of the pandemic.
“We are beginning to recover financially, but we took a pretty big hit last spring,” he added. If you would like to contribute financially to the OCC Theater, please go to its website at www.iecc.edu/occtheater, or email wrightj@iecc.edu.
