THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, February 9, 1996 TAG: 9602070118
SECTION: CHESAPEAKE CLIPPER PAGE: 04 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ERIC FEBER, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 92 lines
For its sixth annual dramatic offering to parishoners and the city, thespian members of St. Paul's United Methodist Church will eat their hat.
Literally.
Actually, the church will present next Friday and Saturday nights Helen Louise Miller's comedy ``I'll Eat My Hat'' for its annual dinner theater event.
The production will be directed by Priscilla A. Morello, the church's director of program ministries, and Indian River High school tenth-grader Jenny Hanson.
The comedy will feature 10 youngsters in the sixth to tenth grades and several adults. All cast members come from the St. Paul's congregation.
The story concerns a high school history teacher, to be played by Chris Nicholas, and his attempts to get his failing and bored students interested in the life and times of Abraham Lincoln.
``The play opens with the teacher correcting history papers in front of the class,'' Morello said. ``Naturally, his students had not done well, and he's worried because the state Lincoln test is about to be given.''
Morello said the teacher then issues a challenge to the students: Do well on the Lincoln test and he will eat his hat in front of the class.
``They make him sign an agreement,'' Morello said. ``That's when the students begin to come together. They begin to work things out on their own.''
The class divides aspects of Lincoln's life into sections with groups taking on each segment. Each quizzes the other, tutors the other and comes up with fact sheets on Honest Abe's life to make the job easier.
``At first, they do this as a hoot, just to see the teacher eat his hat, but soon they learn larger lessons about working together, organizing, the joys of learning and the satisfaction one gets for a job well done,'' Morello said. ``In the end, the students also come to discover how they did help each other and how well their teacher treated them.''
Although everybody liked the choice of Miller's comedy, Morello said her student actors thought the ending left much to be desired, so they added their own wrinkles.
``Scene Two was added on. It's an original scene written by cast members Jan and Kristen Dozier, a mother and daughter,'' Morello said. ``The new scene really adds to the play. And then my cast rewrote the ending. The original ending didn't place the outcome in the hands of the youngsters, so my actors took the initiative and added their own variation.''
Morello said the play was chosen because her students were clamoring to get in on the act.
``The teens in our congregation had been asking to participate in an upcoming production,'' she said. ``I wanted to choose one with intergenerational themes. They've been asking for this for a number of years, so in choosing a play I kept that in mind . . . and, boy, were they ready!''
Past St. Paul's dinner theater productions included such comedies as ``Jump for Joy'' and ``Who's Minding the Store?'' along with such fun melodramas as ``Wait Till the Sun Shines, Nellie.''
Morello said getting her teens involved was the right thing to do. They wholeheartedly supported the production.
``I'm very impressed the way they learned their lines,'' Morello said. ``It's been very enjoyable.''
Morello said her student cast came out of the church's Performing Arts Circle, or P.A.C. She has led the group in drama, puppetry, signing and other forms or performance. After a few years of such activities, they were champing at the bit to get into drama.
``I think they've gained a love of drama,'' she said. ``It has built enthusiasm in them. They were thrilled to get involved.''
The dinner theater will be held at the church's fellowship hall. Dinner, in an intimate setting complete with a wait staff, takes place at 6:30 p.m. The show begins at 7:30 p.m.
``We're offering a ham dinner with all the trimmings,'' she said. ``But the fact we're serving ham has nothing to do with the play.''
Morello said the productions are well-supported not only by the congregation but the public as well.
``We've sort of built up a following in the community,'' she said. ``I had one person call me recently to reserve 20 tickets. It will be a very congenial and fun evening.'' ILLUSTRATION: AT A GLANCE
What: Dinner theater, featuring the comedy ``I'll Eat My Hat.''
Where: St. Paul's United Methodist Church, 437 W. Providence Road
(across from Georgetown Elementary School).
When: Friday, Feb. 16, and Saturday, Feb. 17. Dinner is served at
6:30 p.m. and the show begins at 7:30.
Cost: Tickets for both the dinner and show are $7 for adults and
$4 for children. Tickets for the show only are $5.
Call: For more information or to make ticket reservations, call
the church at 420-6276.
by CNB