Published: February 04, 2009 09:46 am      

Cast announced for upcoming theater production

WILLOW PARK — Hope – Life – the Holocaust – Concentration Camps.

Seemingly divergent ideas, yet the human spirit of determination strives for existence even through the most tragic of circumstances.

Such is the true story about the life of a girl, Raja Englanderova, who survived the Terezin. Celeste Raspanti has extracted a beautiful and moving one-act play based on the poetry created in a concentration camp by the Jewish children of Prague. The play is a series of flashbacks in which Raja retells each segment of her life in Terezin, starting from when she first arrived at Terezin as a scared child and ending with a collage of voices in her memory. Portrayed by the Willow Park Dinner Players, the script by Raspanti comes to life on stage.

Cast members include Keah Kenney as “Raja Englanderova,” Geri Wood as “Irena Synkova,” and Nathan Vick as “Honza Kosek.” Also in the cast are Katie McMichael, Lauren McMichael and Alexandra Wood. Dustin Deel will handle light and sound technical duties for the show.

“I Never Saw Another Butterfly” will be presented a minimum of two separate times. The first will be in dinner theater format Saturday, Feb. 7, at Los Vaqueros West Banquet Hall in Willow Park.

The show is also the organization’s entry production for the American Association of Community Theatres (AACT) festival competition. The cast will compete in the Texas state competition at the Scott Theatre in Fort Worth March 17-21, 2009. Dependent on the outcome of the state competition production, the cast potentially may perform the show in subsequent competition levels.

Director for the production is Kim Dobbs. Dobbs has an extensive theater background, both on- and off-stage. She has performed the role of “Harlequin” in the Willow Park Dinner Players production of “A Company of Wayward Saints,” and directed the Willow Park Dinner Players productions of “Dear Papa and Dracula.” In addition to stage work in Parker County, Dobbs has served on the technical crew member for several Theatre Arlington productions. She serves as the secretary for the Weatherford Stage Performers Board.

“We have several reasons to be very excited about this show,” states board president Tim Jarrell. “First, even though the story is relatively familiar to many, the production doesn’t seem to be performed in this area very often. Plus, it’s a very important story to tell, to remember those who experienced such tragedy, yet they persevered.”

“I Never Saw Another Butterfly” will be presented in dinner theater format Saturday, Feb. 7, in the banquet hall at Los Vaqueros West in Willow Park. The evening’s entertainment will begin when the doors open at 6:30 p.m. Buffet dinner will be served at 7 p.m., and the production is scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m. Seating is limited, and advance reservations are recommended. Tickets are available for $25 per adult and $15 per child under age 12 by contacting the Weatherford Stage Performers hotline at (817) 594-5596 or e-mail at WeatherfordStage@ont.com.

The production is presented by Willow Park Dinner Players, a member of the Weatherford Stage Performers, a 501(c)3 organization. Willow Park Dinner Players is funded in part by the City of Willow Park. Returning for their third sponsorship year, Weatherford National Bank will again be the Production Sponsor for the 2008-2009. “I Never Saw Another Butterfly” is produced by special arrangement with Dramatic Publishing.

Information and tickets are available through the Weatherford Stage Performers hotline at (817) 594-5596 or by e-mail at WeatherfordStage@ont.com.