The absence of live entertainment during the pandemic strained performers, organizers, and attendees. While live streams and digital uploads held us over, there’s nothing like the energy of a performance right in front of you. Now, a sense of normalcy has come back with attendance at live sports, concerts, shows and events in person again. The Black Swamp Players (BSP), a Wood County-based theater group, is back performing in front of live audiences.
For 52 years, BSP has been a respected theater organization in Bowling Green, in the city’s First United Methodist Church with performances hosted at the Pemberville Opera House. To kick off the 2022-2023 season, the Black Swamp Players will present Alan Ball’s Five Women Wearing the Same Dress with multiple shows scheduled September 16 through 18 and September 23 through 25. The show is directed by Bridget Drew.
“It was hard to watch sports, restaurants, and shops open knowing it was still going to be months before theaters could open up,” said Drew when asked about the challenges the pandemic brought upon live theater.
Drew also stated “I believe the time away has opened the theater community’s eyes to the importance of supporting all theater groups. You see everyone making an extra effort to attend shows”.
Wedding reception antics
Set in 1993, the show takes place during an ostentatious wedding reception at a Knoxville, Tennessee, estate, five reluctant, identically clad bridesmaids hide out in an upstairs bedroom, each with her own reason to avoid the party.
The five characters consist of Frances, a painfully sweet but sheltered fundamentalist, Mindy the cheerful, wise-cracking lesbian sister of the groom, Georgeanne, whose heartbreak over her own failed marriage triggers outrageous behavior; Meredith, the bride’s younger sister, whose precocious rebelliousness masks a dark secret; and Trisha, a jaded beauty whose die-hard cynicism about men is called into question when she meets Tripp, a charming bad-boy usher with a little secret. As the afternoon wears on, these five very different women joyously discover a common bond in this wickedly funny, irreverent, and touching celebration of women’s spirit.
“This is a fun show that touches on some serious topics. I want the audience to have a great time watching five different women make a connection over similar experiences,” said Drew.
Black Swamp Players
The Black Swamp organization is dedicated to the advancement of amateur theatrics, including production of live theater as well as various educational opportunities involving the arts. The organization provides high-quality, amateur, live theater as well as opportunities to the cast, crews and the viewing public. BSP is a non-profit organization whose volunteer membership is open to any person, regardless of age, religion, sexual orientation, or race.
For more information on “Five Women Wearing the Same Dress”, the Black Swamp Players, and their upcoming shows, please visit blackswampplayers.org.
