A Crowder College Theatre Department production hopes to entertain and impart a life lesson to their audiences during this week’s production of “Nice People Dancing to Good Country Music.”
Guest director Tasha O’Brien has been rehearsing with her students since the beginning of the semester. With her experience in the music industry, “Nice People” was an easy fit. Although it is not a musical, the play has its musical parts. It is set at the Nice People bar in Houston, Texas.
Catherine Empanger, an ex-novice nun, pays a visit to her aunt who lives above the bar. The role is played by Kandace Gilbert in her first appearance on the Crowder stage. Her character, Gilbert said, is still adjusting to life outside the convent.
“It’s a huge step for me,” Gilbert said. “I’m just trying to get used to everything.”
She was kicked out of her convent for her bout with Tourette’s Syndrome.
“I’m OK most of the time,” Gilbert said. “Just whenever I get stressed out or way out of my element.”
It’s also Chong “Who” Xiong’s first time to appear in a Crowder production. He plays Jason “J-Bob” Wilfong, a city boy who has moved to the country – and that, Chong said, is a character he identifies with.
“This is me,” Chong said.
He once lived in Milwaukee, Wis., and Chong said his personal experiences adjusting to small town life make his character’s attempts to fit in that much funnier.
“I like my character because he’s just spunky and he just brings the play to life,” Chong said. “I bring that ‘gangsterness’ to the country.”
Watching the characters develop is the best part for O’Brien.
“Every character kind of comes to a different realization,” she said.
The play, she says, teaches about living life to the fullest even when things do not go according to plan.
“Lee Blessing has a wonderful way with words,” O’Brien said. “He brings humor and wit to touch on some of the more serious things we deal with.”
“Nice People Dancing to Good Country Music” will run at 7:30 p.m. nightly from March 25-27 in the Elsie Plaster Auditorium on the Crowder College campus in Neosho. Tickets are $6 for general admission, $4 for seniors or students, $3 for Crowder staff/students and $2 for children under 11. A matinee performance will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday.
