MVCT To Return To The Stage Next Month

By CRAIG HIGGINS

The Progress

After a two year pandemic break from live stage performances, the Moapa Valley Community Theater (MVCT) will be returning to the stage next month.

The local theatre group will perform a production of “The Curious Savage” next month from February 24-26, 2022 at the Mack Lyon Middle School auditorium.

Unlike previous productions, this year’s performance is a “straight play” and not a musical. “In the past, we’ve done musicals,” said MVCT Director Dr. Kenna Higgins. “COVID got us in 2021.”
So while there will be no singing or dancing, Higgins did promise, “it is a comedy.”

The play takes place in the 1950s and is about a wealthy elderly woman who is put in a rest home by her greedy stepchildren. In spite of these challenges the lead, played by Carol Vicks, rises to the occasion in a humorous way, pushing the boundaries for perceptions of mental health.

Dr. Higgins suggested “The Curious Savage” also tackles questions of family and what a family looks like, topics as relevant today as it was when the play was written. She promises a great human warmth to the production: “There’s a few aww! moments,” she said.

When asked about some of the plusses in doing a scaled-down production, the director noted the opportunity arose to focus on the acting skills of the individual performers. She also mentioned there are a few new faces in the cast to go along with MV theater stalwarts such as Tuston Brown and Cynthia Weeks.

The director also addressed the difficulties to overcome mounting a new production after the long layoff due to the pandemic. “We have had to cancel rehearsals as people got sick or we felt like people should stay home,” she said. “(And) we got less turnout at auditions because people weren’t ready.”

Some of those cast brought forth questions about working with the unvaccinated. And at least one actor dropped out due to family concerns.

In addition to these hurdles, the theater grappled with questions of audience capacity. Given the-then 50% state-mandated COVID restrictions during pre-production, the show was budgeted with a reduced turnout in mind. Other questions faced by the group included whether to stream or not stream the performances in the event of another serious outbreak of the disease.

Despite these challenges, the community theater rolls on. For the future, Dr. Higgins hopes to expand the company’s production schedule. This process moves in fits and starts since, “everybody has a day job.”

Higgins did note that since Notrevo Productions (the organization behind the community theater) received 501(c)3 tax status, it will conduct fundraisers to raise money for future productions. Over the long haul, the hope is to perform one musical and one play per year.

For more information, visit the community theater’s website at https://notrevo.org/.