Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
By CHARITY SMITH
Ironwood — The Awkward Stage Drama Club will return to the stage, after a prolonged intermission during the pandemic, for three performances of “Cafe Murder,” at the Golden Dragon in Ironwood on March 22-24.
The youth theater group is a collaborative effort of the Ironwood Carnegie Library and the Historic Ironwood Theater. The troupe is comprised of 11 high school student actors from the Hurley, Ironwood, Bessemer, and Wakefield-Marenisco school districts, as well as some home-school students. Some of the actors are veterans of the program, while others will be making their debut.
Co-directing the group are Mary Hansen and Gene Goss. Hansen said it’s been great to start the group back up again.
“It has been over a year and a half since the students have been together, and returning students have really missed each other,” said Hansen. “Gene and I really missed them. I didn’t recognize a couple of them at first as they got a lot taller.”
The spring production, “Cafe Murder,” is described in advertisements as “a hilarious murder mystery comedy where the audience members are the only objective witnesses.” The audience will have the chance to interact with the performers during the show, and will be asked to to help solve the murder.
“The setting is in a cafe, and the Golden Dragon conference room is the perfect stage,” said Hansen.
The Awkward Stage Drama Club, made up of students in grades 6-12, is about more than acting, according to Hansen.
“This club gives students a chance to try something new. It is a safe place to be accepted for the gifts they bring, and to find out if performing is something they would want to do again,” said Hansen. “These kids are full of courage. It’s not easy to memorize lines and pretend to be someone different, especially with 80 pairs of eyes watching you.”
Audience members will also be able to eat from the restaurant’s appetizer buffet through the hour-long performance. Hansen said the audience will not require face-masks as it is an eating event, and the actors need to be mask-free in order for them to be heard and their facial expressions seen.
All performances will take place at 6 p.m. and doors open at 5:30 p.m.
Only 80 tickets are available for each performance. Tickets must be purchased today at the Ironwood Carnegie Library. For more information, call 906-932-0203.
