THE TRIALS OF `LIFE WITH FATHER'

A week before his directorial debut with the Broadway Community Theatre, the roof fell in on George Kralemann.

Not quite literally, but the Concord Theatre did develop a ceiling problem that threatens its future as a performance venue and forced postponement of BCT's production of "Life With Father."

The play opens at 7:30 Friday night at the Central High School Auditorium. Other performances are at 7:30 p.m. Saturday and at 2 p.m. Sunday.

Members of the theater company are grateful to Cape Central for taking them in at the last minute. "One week before we open and we have no place to go," Kralemann said, shaking his head.

At least for this production, everything may turn out for the better, however.

Steve Lukens, the technical director of Central's theater department, allowed BCT to use the school's much larger supply of flats, the frames used to construct sets.

And the two-week postponement may have been a godsend for the cast, which completed its first run-through only one week before opening night.

"Now it's starting to come together," he said.

The three-act "Life With Father" is a Victorian comedy-drama set in the 1880s. The conflict arises when the domineering father realizes he's never been baptized, and his wife is determined that he must be.

The "Life With Father" cast of 16 includes K.C. Martin as Father, and 17-year-old Sabrina Gibbar as his wife, Vinnie. The youngest member is 9-year-old Andrew Strohmeyer.

Aside from the postponement, finding Victorian-era costumes and furniture has been the hardest part of assembling the production, Kralemann said. "Everything is borrowed from people's houses and stores. A lot of it's my furniture, actually," he said.

Kralemann is a 1994 graduate of Southeast Missouri State University who teaches art at the Kelso C-7 elementary school. His own acting debut was in the Central High School production of "Harvey" his senior year. While majoring in elementary education, he went on to appear in University Theatre productions of "Baby With the Bathwater," "Murder in the Cathedral," "You Can't Take It With You," "Macbeth," "Very Good Eddie" and "Matilda."

His lone previous directorial experience was a play he also wrote, "Santa's Been Kidnapped," staged by the University Players.

He also appeared in a BCT production of the melodrama "Pure as the Driven Snow."

The assistant director of "Life With Father" is Tana Howard, who also plays Margaret and is in charge of props. Kralemann designed the set. Dave Kaempfer is in charge of lighting and sound.

The costume heads are Susan Engles and Ann Swanson, with Jean Pender in charge of makeup.

Tickets are $5 and can be purchased at the door.