Community theater group seeking actors to ‘Act Out'

The community theater scene continues to grow as a new Jackson group prepares for its first performance.

Kasey Cox is the director for Acting Out!. She said Jackson seemed like a natural place to set up a theater group.

"After I moved down here, I started seeing this talent pod that hadn't been tapped into," she said.

Cox said she had expressed some interest in creating a theater group in 2011, but "the timing wasn't quite right," she said. When she proposed trying this year with a show in Jackson City Park, she said it all started to come together.

For their first show, Acting Out! will perform a slightly modernized version of Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet."

"We chose it because it's a well-known, familiar story," Cox said. "But we're going to change the time period. They'll be politicians and protesters, so the men will wear suits and ties."

By setting the story in present day, Cox said finding props and costumes would be much easier for the newly-formed group and eliminate the hassle of costume fittings. Most of the cast will be able to wear clothes right out of their own closets, she said.

Cox said she wants the show to be similar to Shakespeare in the Park, a free outdoor festival that takes place in Forest Park in St. Louis.

"It's free and it's out in the park so people could come and bring a picnic if they wanted," she said.

The group will do more than Shakespeare. Cox said the shows would range in variety to appeal to the largest number of people.

"We're hoping to do about three shows a year," Cox said. "Hopefully our next show is a musical so we can include more kids."

Including local children in the shows is an important part of making the theater group accessible to the community, she said. While there are a limited number of children's roles in "Romeo and Juliet," she said the next show will provide more opportunities.

Cox also wants to get Southeast Missouri State University students on board.

"I would love to reach out to some of the students working over in the River Campus," she said. "It would really be great for our show and really benefit them, as well. To be involved in shows other than Southeast's would provide great variety for resumes."

Besides Cox and the four other core board members who helped create Acting Out!, Cox said she expects the size of the group will vary from show to show.

A little fluctuation in cast and production crew is expected, Cox said, but she still hopes to see a big turnout at auditions.

"My expectations are growing higher and higher each day," she said.

Auditions for Romeo and Juliet will be at 3 p.m. Saturday at the Fruitland Community Church. Those interested in joining the production crew or who are unable to attend the audition may contact Cox at 573-382-0630 or kaseyacox@gmail.com.

srinehart@semissourian.com

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Pertinent address:

6040 U.S. 61, Jackson, MO