Photo Coverage: Inside Curtain Players 2017-18 Season End Party

Curtain Players celebrated the end of its 2017-18 season on Sunday June 24 with a party in the upper room of The Old Bag of Nails Pub in uptown Westerville.

This was the 55th season for the community theatre company that stages its productions at the 5691 Harlem Road playhouse in Harlem Township, near Westerville, Galena, Sunbury, and New Albany.

This season, Curtain Players stages the following shows: Wendy Darling; Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?; Crimes of the Heart; Lettice and Lovage; The Trip to Bountiful; and Exit the King. The company also stages Albee Fest, a readers theatre weekend featuring Edward Albee plays; and Charlotte's Web, a free outdoor production in the Westerville amphitheater.

Brian N. Henry and John Maassel were recognized as Volunteers of the Year. The award, presented annually, recognizes an individual who has gone "above and beyond the call of duty" for the community theatre company in a single season. The award is recognition by peers. Nominations are invited of and submitted by Curtain Players members each May. The theatre's governing board reviews the submissions and determines the recipient.

Six actors received Audience Choice Awards: Elizabeth Harelik (Wendy Darling in Wendy Darling), Erin Haught (Honey in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?), Sylvia Gonzales (Babe Botrelle in Crimes of the Heart), Bronwynn Hopton (Lotte Schoen in Lettice and Lovage), Nita Dean (Carrie Watts in The Trip to Bountiful), and Elise Vargo (Queen Marie in Exit the King). At each Curtain Players performance, audience members are invited to make a donation in the name of a favorite cast member. One actor from each cast, in whose name the most money is donated, receives the Audience Choice Award.

The evening also included recognition of four board members elected to two-year terms. They include President Heather Schultz, Secretary Sharifa Andrews, and trustees Wendy Brinker and Sean Brinker.

Outgoing President James F. Petsche delivered the keynote, challenging the approximate 90 members in attendance to continue building a sense of community and ensemble within e organization, and to challenge themselves with new opportunities in the 2018-19 season.

Season 56 at Curtain Players includes six productions: On Golden Pond; Arsenic and Old Lace; A Christmas Carol; The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time; Doubt, a parable; and Epic Proportions. The A Christmas Carol staging will mark the theatre's 250th production. The season also includes a readers theatre weekend of new works by three local playwrights. Season subscriptions, flex passes, and individual tickets for all shows go on sale August 1. For details about the new season, including audition details, visit www.curtainplayers.org

Check out a first look below!

Photo Credit: Jerri Shafer

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