Continued from Page 11
Photos by Lydia Ely/The Astorian
ABOVE: The cast and crew of ‘A Bag Full of Miracles’ stand for a portrait during a rehearsal at
the River City Playhouse in Ilwaco. RIGHT: Director and cast member Rita Smith, back, sound
engineer Fred Carter, center, and assistant director and cast member Robert Scherrer, right,
look at stage notes during a rehearsal.
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they are just great — they just jumped
right in,” Smith said.
But these changes presented challenges
for Smith, who is directing her 14th musi-
cal. In “Miracles,” Bette Lu Krause plays
a widow desperate for income after a law-
yer has swindled her. She teams up with
a retired teacher, played by Smith. Barry
Sears plays a crooked attorney and Nancy
McAllister plays a woman targeted as his
next victim.
Sears, a fi xture of community the-
ater on both sides of the Columbia, was
Smith’s choice for her replacement male
lead. That posed one obstacle. “Barry
doesn’t sing. He’s just a joy, but has no
sense of rhythm,” Smith said. “He has one
song, but he is a hard worker, and he is up
there alone with his song, and he doesn’t
want to embarrass,” she added.
After the departure of another cast
member, actor Kevin Perry took on a sec-
ond role in the play. Smith laughed when
asked about directing him. “It has been
a challenge, because they are completely
diff erent characters. I told him to play one
like Charlie Chaplin, but it’s community
theater. It works,” Smith said.
David Immel and Robert Scherrer,
who teamed as Royal Navy offi cers in the
troupe’s “H.M.S. Pinafore” a few years
ago, each play signifi cant roles. Ed Ahlers,
who has directed for the Peninsula Play-
ers, portrays a forgetful radio preacher,
and Rose Power, another stalwart, plays
a loud woman who catches his eye. Sue
Skinner plays the radio man’s helper.
Completing the cast are Deborah Perry,
Aarin Hygaard , Pepper Weldon, Skyler
Asher, Natasha Beals, Michele Gutierrez,
Gretchen Goodson and Suzanne Knutzen.
Scherrer, the play’s assistant direc-
tor, is delighted that the troupe is back.
“There is always excitement and antici-
pation when making a selection of a play,
casting, rehearsals and the actual perfor-
mances,” Scherrer said. ”When we have
new people express interest in joining the
group, whether it be someone with expe-
rience or never having been on the stage,
these levels are increased tremendously.
It’s hard to describe the exhilaration I
feel when watching a new person beam
with enjoyment when hearing the audi-
ence’s reaction to what they are doing,” he
added.
Scherrer is eager for opening night.
“We are always hoping by involving so
many people, on or off the stage, that we
are enriching their lives. The COVID
break defi nitely caused a void in many of
us. We are certainly excited to replace that
void now that we are reopening our the-
ater,” he said.