Reservations open for new Off Stage play

VW independent/submitted information

Reservations are now open for members and the general public for Off Stage Productions’ next dinner theatre show A Doublewide Texas Christmas, a two-act comedy written by Jessie Jones, Nicholas Hope, and Jamie Wooten.

Performances will again be held at Vantage Career Center, 818 N. Franklin St. in Van Wert. Show dates are October 18-20 and 25-27. Saturday and Sunday performances are dinner theatre shows. For Saturday performances, doors will open at 6:30 p.m., dinner at 7 p.m. and show at 8 each evening. For Sunday matinee performances, doors will open at 12:30 p.m., dinner at 1 p.m., and show at 2 p.m. Meals are provided by Romer’s Catering. Cost for dinner and show is $28.

Both Friday performances will be “Popcorn Night” performances and will not include dinner, but popcorn and pretzels are included with the cost of the show. Water and soft drinks will also be available for purchase. Doors open for the Friday performances at 7 p.m., with the show starting at 7:30 p.m. Cost for “Popcorn Night” performances is $13.

In this outrageously funny comedy, it’s Christmas-time in the newest — and tiniest — town in Texas. And it’s beginning to look a lot like trouble in Doublewide. Not only are the trailer park residents dealing with the stress of the holiday season, but they’ve just discovered that Doublewide is being doubled-crossed by the county. With their official incorporation papers in jeopardy, these eccentric Texans throw themselves into taking on the “Big Guys.” Determined to bolster their legitimacy, they first set their sights on the county-wide “Battle of the Mangers” competition. They conspire to win this smackdown with their “Nativity at the Alamo” entry … by any means possible.

In addition to that shaky undertaking and trying almost single-handedly to keep the new town afloat, Mayor Joveeta Crumpler has to wrangle her celebrity-obsessed mother, her beleaguered brother who’s being bullied by a pack of vengeful raccoons, and her demoralized best friend who’s at the end of her rope from dating every loser this side of the Rio Grande.

To make matters worse, Joveeta finds herself increasingly wary of the newest resident, Patsy Price. Patsy, fresh out of the local mental institution, clearly has her own devious agenda and the County competition over in Fayro is just the place for her to settle an old score. By the time this full-tilt rocket ride of lunacy climaxes in a what-else-can-go-wrong live television presentation, you’ll have doubled your Christmas spirit. 

So spend the Yuletide in Doublewide and let this hilarious Jones Hope Wooten comedy make Christmas merry and bright … because there’s no place like a good ol’ Texas-sized mobile home for the holidays! 

Cast members include Big Ethel Satterwaite, Terri Stevens; Georgia Dean Rudd, April Hanf; Lark Barken, Kelly Smith; Haywood Sloggett, Ed Eichler; Patsy Price, Mary Yackey; Norwayne “Baby” Crumpler, Travis Nihiser; Joveeta Crumpler, Amy McConn; Caprice Crumpler, Dolores Foreman; and Nash Sloggett, Dan Bulau. Show director is Matt Krol.

Reservations can be made by calling 419.605.6708 from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. daily. All reservations must be secured by credit card, and any cancellations must be made by the Wednesday prior to show date for full refund.

When arriving at Vantage Career Center, pull in to the south driveway (the closest to Van Wert) and drive around to the back of the building, enter at Door 13. Ample parking is available near the entrance. 

Off Stage Productions can be found online at http://www.offstagetheatre.com and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/OffStageProductions.