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ReAct Theatre and Arts has scheduled a community meeting on August 14 for anyone interested in working behind the scenes to help produce its planned 2023-24 program of work.

ReAct founder and president Roger Powell said the group, first organized in 2022, will produce four works in the coming year.

• “Tales from the Tomb,” is an evening walk through Magnolia Cemetery designed to introduce participants to some of the characters from Andalusia’s past. It is set for Oct. 7, and auditions will be held at 6 p.m. on Monday, August 21, at the Church Street Cultural Arts Centre. There are expected to be 8 to 12 speaking roles.
• “Willy Wonka the Musical,” is set for March 15-17. The musical has 14 speaking parts and is expected to include at least 40 children in the chorus. Auditions are planned for the early fall and children cast as Oompahs will be featured in the Andalusia Christmas parade and on stage at Christmas in Candyland. Cathy Powell will direct this production.
• ReAct’s Mural Walk, a walking tour designed to share the stories behind the murals in downtown Andalusia. Planned for a Saturday morning in the spring.
• “Love, Loss and What I Wore,” a humorous drama based by Nora and Delia Ephron based on the 1995 book by Ilene Beckerman. The play has a cast of five to 10 women and ReAct plans presentations in both Andalusia in Opp, likely in May of 2024.

Powell said there is much background work to be done to produce the four events, which is the purpose of the community meeting.

“We have sets to build for Willy Wonka, and will need help with costumes, and with managing the children in that cast,” he said. Other tasks could range from setting up luminaries for the cemetery walk to managing a “candy store” for Willy Wonka productions.

ReAct was organized in 2022 to produce the original local history play, “Women of the Jury,” written by Andalusia native Marianne Merrill Weber. The group also produced a mural walk in the fall of 2022, and staged “Charlotte’s Web.”

Since that time, a board has been formed and is in the process of pursuing 501(c)3 status for ReAct.

The community meeting is set for 6 p.m. on Monday, August 14, in the auditorium of Andalusia City Hall. It is not necessary for those interested only in auditioning for future roles to attend.

For additional information, contact Powell at powellwatercolor@gmail.com.