STARCATCHERS COMMUNITY THEATER GROUP HOLDS AUDITIONS

The Starcatchers Community Theatre held auditions recently at the Jackson Chamber of Commerce meeting room.

Performers of all ages and abilities were called upon and are being sought for the tentative performance date of Sept. 22. The performance of the Starcatchers Theatre Review will represent dancers, vocalists, actors, actresses, musicians, dramatic-poem-prose readers, gymnasts, music interpreters, comedians, speakers and all kinds of performers in a talent showcase.

The objective of this first performance is to gather the performers and to raise funds for the operation of Starcatchers Community Theatre, the performing arts segment of the Jackson Arts Committee.

A varied group of performers auditioned for the upcoming talent showcase. To represent an overall turnout, these were among the performers auditioning:

* Scott McQuay, with permission from the author Max Lucado, plans to recite from "He Chose The Nails," an excerpt from a poem about the final prayer of Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane. This will be followed by "Amazing Love," with Graham Kendrick, and backed up by several vocalists.

* Katie Boyer plans to perform the song "New York, New York."

* Sharron Hooker plans to perform Brittany Spears vocals.

* Dave Barberich will perform his own music on guitar.

* Craig Mirly and Majhon Phillips will perform "Wouldn't it be Loverly" from "My Fair Lady."

* Dolly Dambach will perform vocally, a "Cabaret" number.

Dambach, present at the audition Friday night, shared some of Jackson's theater history.

From about 1975 to 1983, a Jackson theater group existed; it even performed a cancan and a striptease!

When the band shell in the Jackson City Park first opened in 1976, the group performed there. Aside from being very instrumental in the Jackson Municipal Band's history, Carl Penzel was also responsible for the soundboards and equipment the Jackson theater group used at the Jackson High School's auditorium.

Dambach recalled the Jackson theater group's tribute to Walt Disney.

"Mike Dumey was one of the kids who performed in it; they all worked hard and made their own costumes from scraps and such," Dombach said.

The First Baptist Church has offered its stage for Starcatchers Community Theatre's use during its first performance. The plan is to use the profit from the performance to get the newly born segment of the Jackson Arts Committee off the ground.

For information about participating, call 243-0701 or leave a message if there's no answer. People also can e-mail Ann Swanson at ann@gogullivers.com.