The Community Playhouse of Lancaster County (CPLC) is going to Kentucky to compete in the regional competition against nine other community theaters.
CPLC won the state competition at the S.C. Theater Association (SCTA) in November 2022 at Aiken for its performance of the Steve Martin play “WASP.”
The Playhouse was the overall winner and brought home additional awards for artistic excellence for ensemble acting, artistic excellence for production design and best acting for cast member Tristan Robinson.
CPLC will perform “WASP” again in regional competition in March at the Southeastern Theater Conference in Lexington, Ky.
CPLC President Catherine Wallace, who directs the show, said she enjoyed working with seasoned actors for this production.
“Each one brings theatrical experience and it has been a joy helping them hone their character development,” she said. “I have seen them become the character on a deeper level working on a competition show.”
“WASP,” which stands for White Anglo-Saxon Protestant, delves into the lives of four family members in 1950s suburbia. Each family member struggles with their daily lives and, for some of them, their thoughts are represented by other characters who appear throughout the play. The mother, played by Katherine Foo, is surrounded by others, but still deeply alone.
“This was my third time participating in the SCTA competition, so I was happy for us because it was our first win,” Foo said. “I’ve enjoyed this play. The opportunity to do something by someone as famous as Steve Martin is exciting and, in this play more than any other, I have had to dig deeper to portray my character.”
Chris Smith is enjoying his last performance with the Playhouse before moving out of Lancaster to be closer to his family in the Greenville area. Smith plays the part of the “Premier” in this production.
“I’m really proud to have been a part of CPLC and I’m excited to be able to participate in a regional competition,” Smith said.
Other cast members include Pierre Rogeux, Catie Rowell, Donnie Sims and Joyce Mahaffey.
CPLC will have one Lancaster performance before going to Kentucky for the competition.
It will perform “WASP” at 3 p.m. Feb. 19 at the Lancaster Cultural Arts Center, 307 W. Gay St. Tickets are $15 and can be purchased at www.lcactickets.org. Proceeds from the event will go to the Lancaster County Society for Historical Preservation.
