Casting Call: RCT seeking actors to join ranks

The Ritzville Community Theatre (RCT) group is currently seeking individuals interested in joining the local live theatre cast. The amount of cast members has declined throughout the past year for a variety of reasons and the group is actively looking for individuals to join in order to continue the annual theatre events.

Since its inception in 1994, the RCT troupe has performed in 32 productions with 86 actors appearing throughout the performances. The group has completed over 100 performances for locals, with an estimated 5,000 patrons attending the variety of productions.

Judy Gross, Michele Kiesz, Mary Reilly and Kerry Kenning founded the RCT and the first four productions took place in the Ritzville Grade School gymnasium. A three-year hiatus postponed productions, but the members regrouped in 2000 to begin new stage productions.

Miles Athey joined the cast in the summer of 1999 and began writing “Gracie’s Diner,” which was performed the following summer at the Wheat Land Communities’ Fairgrounds. The group performed at the Phyllis Robertson Memorial Amphitheatre and with help from the Ritzville Lions Club, completed its first dinner theatre performance at the fairgrounds.

The play had an extensive cast with 19 actors performing in a variety of roles and a three-man crew for the lighting and sound portion of the production. The elaborate production set the stage for the future of the group, who entertained an estimated 600 attendees during the six show, two-weekend production.

With renewed energy, RCT cast members performed “Murder in the Manor” as a dinner theatre show at the Circle T Restaurant in November 2000. The dinner theatre show started a 13-year stretch of consecutive winter dinner theatre performances in Ritzville.

Aside from the yearly productions in Ritzville, the group performed three RCT productions in Moses Lake and one at the Harrington Opera House. The group has consistently hosted a show in the winter and another in the springtime in the local community.

For the past 13 years, the group had a solid core of members leading the productions and using their individual talents to benefit the show. Athey has written four of RCT’s productions, and Harry Schafer and Athey have co-written two scripts. Athey has also directed 12 local productions and Schafer has directed nine shows.

Today, the group is struggling to find enough cast members to produce a winter show this year. The group has run into a variety of issues, with cast members leaving because of family changes, jobs and age.

Schafer and Athey are working together to revitalize the group and bring a new set of faces to the stage. After a tenured career working as actors, writers and directors, the duo is hoping to recruit enough actors to allow them to focus on writing and directing the productions.

The two men are hoping to attract a wide-range of actors with varying degrees of experience. Even if individuals have never performed on stage, the duo said acting provides a diverse range of roles that can work with any personality and experience level. For beginning actors who may be hesitant to perform, Athey recommended those actors take a minimal role in their first production to become acclimated to the stage performance. Schafer encourages people to at least come and audition for a role, because there is also the possibility they will fall in love with performing.

“When I set up the show, I try to pick up personalities to fill the roles. I want to see a specific personality in a role,” Schafer explained. “I see a lot of people around Ritzville that have the personality and the mannerisms that would fit in some of our plays. I would invite anybody that has qualms about getting up on the stage to come and take a very small part.”

Both men have a passion for the theatre and hope to help guide individuals who may have even a slight interest in the theatre to join the group. Schafer explained a main reason individuals do not join the RCT is because of stage fright, but Athey and Schafer agreed that once people put their fear aside and begin performing, they tend to fall in love with acting.

While the RCT has faced difficulties with recruiting members in the past, Athey is hoping that the group can be successful once more at rejuvenating the cast. The prime target group the duo hopes to attract to the stage is the younger generation, with the intent of having long-term cast members and individuals with high enthusiasm levels. The men know students have the opportunity to perform in plays within the school, and they hope those students who enjoy performing in the school productions will also consider roles with the RCT.

The RCT intends to continue fall and spring productions, as long as they have enough cast members for both seasons. The productions would also continue to be dinner theatre; an experience Schafer said is unique to the Ritzville community because of how they handle intermissions. Each act is split by the course of the meal being served, and during every intermission, the actors spend time interacting with the crowd, all while staying in character.

“We’ve had some great, great times and some great audiences,” Athey said.

The importance of the continuation of the RCT for the two men stems beyond their personal involvement with the group, but to the opportunity it provides to the community. Currently, the live theatre performances serve as one of the only entertainment venues in the local community and provides residents with a chance to come into town and have fun watching the production, all while enjoying a quality meal.

“Live theatre is a lot different than watching TV or movies, you can see the emotion so much better,” Schafer said about the importance of live theatre staying in the community.

The RCT members meet on the second Tuesday of every month at the Ritzville Art Gallery. Individuals interested in joining the group or with questions can attend the monthly meeting, or contact Schafer at 659-0113 or Athey at 659-0339.