A success in Midway! Thank you!

From Rich Copley's pen to the world's ear, the word got out: you've got to go to Midway and see the festival of new plays. And so they came. On Saturday and Sunday the performances were sold out! Altogether, nearly 250 people attended the performances at Midway's Thoroughbred Community Theatre.

Thanks to one and all who worked so hard to make the first 10 minute play fest such a huge success: the playwrights, producers Jim Betts and Bob Singleton, the directors and of course the 17 actors who brought the plays to life on stage. None of it would have been possible without the hard work and dedication of all these people. Thank you. Thank you. THANK YOU

Kay Rhoads at Festival

With ambitions to appear on Good Morning Kentucky on Friday October 9th with Festival producer Jim Betts, Kay Rhoads set out from her home near Des Moines with her husband and sheltie in tow. But by late Thursday night after an all day slog through regional downpours and thunder storms they had only made it to Louisville. Bob Singleton would have to take her place on the television show.

Friday morning, with still more rain trying to ruin their trip the trio made it to Frankfort where they put down "roots." Ms. Rhoads then drove to Midway (about 15 minutes from her Frankfort hotel) did a little afternoon sightseeing -- checking out the theatre and some of the town's nice restaurants and antique shops. A few hours later she returned and attended the show.

Attendance for Friday's show was good-- about half full-- due to walk-in ticket purchases and good local and regional publicity: Rich Copley's very nice article about the festival and the plays ran in Friday's Lexington Herald Leader; a picture from one of the plays-- Hill Cattle by Crish Barth-- had run in Thursday's Woodford Sun. During the evening of shows laughter ran rampant during some plays; during Last Church of Lost Souls, a drama that takes place in a prison cemetary, you could have heard a pin drop!

After the play Ms. Rhoads, the director of her play (Last Church of Lost Souls), Lief Rigney, and Festival cast and crew went out for drinks a few doors down from the theatre.

Tickets for tonight's show are still available.

Rich Copley article and photos now online

Rich Copley's article about the "Midway Festival of Plays" is now available online:

http://www.kentucky.com/lexgo/stage/story/968883.html

Only one correction: my name is Bill McCann, not Brian McCann LOL

Arts reporter at rehearsal

Rich Copley, arts reporter for the Lexington Herald-Leader was at this past Monday night's first technical rehearsal. Mr. Copley interviewed Jim Betts, producer of the Festival's plays and director of The Weight by Steven Schutzman, Bob Singleton director of Enigmatic Lucidity by Len Cuthbert, and others involved in bringing the event together.

After his interviews Mr. Copley stayed around and took pictures of two of the plays as they were being rehearsed on stage at the Thoroughbred Community Theatre in Midway: Hill Cattle written by Crish Barth and directed by Scott Turner and The Day That Brando Died written Lawrence DuKore and directed by Ross Carter.

Mr. Copley said that his article about the Midway "Festival of New Plays" featuring the winning plays of the 517 Playwrights 10-Minute Play Contest will run in the Friday October 9th "Weekender" section of the Lexington Herald-Leader. Mr. Copley's article will also be available on line at Kentucky.com

Newspaper article now online!

The Rich Copley newspaper article about 517 Playwrights that originally appeared in the Lexington (KY) Herald-Leader on November 23, 2008 is now available online at:
http://copiousnotes.bloginky.com/