Play On, A Zany Farce at Reading Community Players

From Reading Community Players

Pictured above: In this play-within-a-play, Seth Harkins (left) portrays Billy portraying Stephen Sellers, while Sal Ferrarello (right) portrays Saul portraying Doctor Rex Forbes. Photo courtesy of Steve Reazor

Reading Community Players starts its 2025 “season of classics” by presenting Play On. This delightful, wacky farce will be presented on Friday, March 14, at 7 p.m., Saturday, March 15, at 7 p.m., and Sunday, March 16, at 2 p.m., at the WCR Center for the Arts, 140 N. Fifth St., Reading.

Play On, written by Rick Abbot, is a side-splitting tale of a cash-strapped community theater troupe desperately trying to put on an original mystery play in spite of annoying meddling and frequent rewrites from the novice author. A ridiculous disaster of a rehearsal on an unfinished set begins the play, followed by a distressing dress rehearsal that goes off the rails.

Despite the cast and crew’s best efforts, everything that can go wrong does go wrong on opening night. Was it worth putting on this world-premiere murder mystery just to save money by avoiding payments for performance rights? The ticket price will definitely be worth it to patrons coming to see this play-within-a-play.

Local actor, Seth Harkins (playing Billy, who plays Stephen), described the script as “a hilarious behind-the-scenes look at a theater production, filled with unexpected twists and comedic moments that will leave audiences, both familiar and unfamiliar with community theater, in utter stitches.” He added, “The characters are endearing and relatable, adding depth to the humor and making the experience enjoyable for all ages.”

Director Megan Martin explained a major hurdle for the cast: “I’m asking my actors to intentionally make mistakes. That’s not an easy task.” She continued, “As actors, we try very hard to not let our audiences know when things go wrong. In this show, I’m asking the actors to expose those things that we do our best to hide.”

But all will turn out well for ticket-buyers as cast member Sal stated, “Right now, I can’t keep a straight face — the cast is too funny. Hopefully, after I see their antics enough times, I’ll be able to keep it together.” Fortunately, the audience won’t have to hold back on laughing.

Tickets are $20 for adults and $15 for students and seniors and can be purchased online at www.readingcommplayers.com. Flex season passes are also available.

Reading Community Players is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to bringing quality theatre and arts education to communities. To learn more about the organization and its offerings, visit www.readingcommplayers.com. For questions, contact the RCP President at 610-507-3436 or RCPtheatre@gmail.com.

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Source: bctv