ANNIE OAKLEY FESTIVAL MELODRAMA

The Darke County Civic Theater is once again proud to present their yearly summer melodrama at the Annie Oakley Days festival. This year’s show will once again be in the large tent at York Woods north of Greenville. The cast is very excited to once again bring a fun filled, family show to Darke County. This year’s show is entitled “Dangerous Diamonds or The Malicious Mayor of Nowhere.” The melodrama was written and is being produced by local talent.

The play is set back in the late 1800s in an unnamed town called Nowhere. Since the town was just founded a few years earlier, the people of Nowhere have yet to choose a name. The town’s malicious mayor Ray Pierre (Matt Cline) has taken control of the town after the death of the previous mayor. With his accomplice Loca Motive (Sandy Hartley), Mayor Pierre plans to steal diamonds from a mine beneath town. But his plan is complicated when his secretary Daylee Plan (Jennifer Gibson) and bumbling local reporter Silace Dogood (Logan Hummel) begin their own investigation as to what really happened to the previous mayor. Things only get crazier from there as the rest of the town gets involved, including the local barkeep and his wife, a crazy inventor, a pair of bickering twins, a visiting monster hunter, and lots more wacky residents of Nowhere.

The rest of this talented cast includes Robbie Zehringer as the barkeep Seacrest Dropper and Jessica Setser as his wife Eve Dropper. Sarah Murphy brings to life the inventor Fran Stein while Dan Cline plays the monster hunter Van Oddesy. Jackson Aukerman and Danielle Sink play the argumentative twins Ben and Sarah Ravenclaw, while Rayna Hawes and Mike Hamilton take the stage as the father daughter team of Deputy Mareea Lacey and Sheriff Chris Cagney. Rounding out this amazing cast are Layla Carrington as sweets loving Willie Carmello and Jeanette Rowland as candy maker Vanellope Carmello.

The play was written by Arcanum resident Jackson Aukerman. This is his second melodrama being produced. The first was last year’s popular show “Haunted Hijinks.” Jackson has been a member of civic theater for four years and acted at Arcanum High School previous to that. He hopes everyone will enjoy the play and have a great time.

“Dangerous Diamonds” will be performed four times at Annie Oakley Days. The first show will be Friday, July 24th at 7 pm. Saturday, July 25th the shows will be at 3 and 5 pm. The final show will be Sunday, July 26th at 1 pm. Don’t miss this fun filled family show! Make plans to be at York Woods for this local melodrama and the Annie Oakley Days festival. The festival and melodrama are free to attend with plenty of free parking available.

For more information on the melodrama, please contact Dane at 937-423-5183 or visit www.darkecountycivictheater.org.