May 28, 2010
Barn
doors swing open
Theater group ready to kick off new season in Port Sanilac
By
JASON ALEXANDER
Times Herald
The first time Danielle Armstrong stepped on stage,
it was in a barn.
Five years later, Armstrong, 19, of Avoca, still is drawn to same spot.
The
Barn Theatre in Port Sanilac is kicking off its 31st season Thursday.
Armstrong is anxious to get back
to her old wooden haven.
"I will always hold it dear in my heart," said Armstrong, a Grand
Valley State University theater major. "I've had so many great experiences, I've kept coming back."
Armstrong
started as an actress in Barn Theatre shows in 2005. Last year, she moved behind the scenes to become associate producer,
the same role she is serving this year.
"I found out a lot about myself," Armstrong said.
"I was building sets. I had to learn how to use a drill. I like being onstage, but it was nice to look up there and say,
'I made that.'"
There are plenty of sets to build this year. The theater troupe is putting
on nine shows this season, compared to seven last year.
"We added some of our favorite shows,"
executive producer Stephen Kenny said.
The season kicks off with "Last of the Red Hot Lovers"
Thursday, June 4, 5, 10, 11 and 12.
The show, which contains adult content, tells the
story of
Barney Cashman and his attempts to join the sexual revolution at age 47.
All shows begin at 8 p.m.,
with doors opening at 7:30 p.m.
Another adult-content show, "Norman, Is That You?" hits the
stage June 17, 18 19, 24, 25 and 26. In "Norman," a stubborn father visits his son and finds him living with a male
partner.
Other shows feature a taxi driver who gets away with having two wives in "Run for Your
Wife!" and a play about a 1960s surf competition in "Wipeout!"
On Aug. 5, 6 and 7, other
people get a turn to strut their stuff in Raise the Rafters, the Barn Theatre's talent show.
Participants
must register by July 20 to get in on the action. The winners are selected by the audience.
"It's
a good chance to bring community members up and get them involved," Kenny said. "We did it before, and it was a
big hit."
The 2010 season closes with jam sessions Sept. 10 and 11 with the Black River Bluegrass
Boys.
Additional Facts
