Play fuses cowboys, pirates

It’s a sprawling tale of passion and peril fusing Western lore with a theatrical melodrama in a wild convergence of a brave heroine, sinister villains, looting pirates and rugged cowboys.
The upcoming New England dinner theater is a melodramatic Western mashup that will keep audiences entertained, as the Rainy Butte Performers present “The Treasure of Shiver River.”
Performances will begin with a matinee at 2 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 18. Evening performances will be at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 23, and Saturday, Oct. 24, at the Memorial Hall in New England.
Evening performances will include an entree choice of prime rib or smoked chicken breast, while the Sunday afternoon matinee will include dessert only.
Tickets are $60 per person for the evening performances and $20 per person for the afternoon matinee. For ticket information, contact Ariann Doe at 520-269-2514.
“All the traditional plot elements are here. From the nasty scoundrel Rod Enreel, who will soon take over the Shiver River Ranch and find the hidden treasure if Colonel Sanders can’t sell his cattle to come up with the mortgage money, to heroic Marshal Marshall Law, who would love to propose to Heidi Claire, the colonel’s daughter. And yes, there’s always the vile option for Heidi to marry the black-hearted villain, though he only plans to abscond with the treasure and his romance novel-loving partner-in-crime, Paige Turner,” a synopsis of the play states.
“It’s a little bit of everything. It’s not your traditional Western-themed play,” Doe describes. “We always have something kind of new in store. We’re always looking to make it funnier than last year. This one is going to be very funny again. And the food is always great.”
Staging the production started immediately following last year’s performance, when Doe started reviewing scripts. Behind the scenes, food is prepared, sets built and costumes gathered, as actors start rehearsing in August.
“It just takes a lot of effort,” Doe says.
“We start the end of August to really get serious about it, get our set put in and see what we all need as far as our set, our props, our costumes, but we really start practicing pretty heavily in September and still I haven’t gotten everybody at practice,” she says with a laugh. “But it all comes together.”
While the audience will recognize many familiar faces in the 12-member cast, two new actors, Trey Fischbach and Marc Michaelson, are taking the stage for the first time this year.
“I’m excited to have two new younger guys in our cast,” Doe says. “They’ve stepped up to their characters. They’re doing a great job. Sometimes, you get kind of nervous bringing in new people.”
But those on the stage help with logistics off the stage, too.
“Everybody helps where they’re needed. That’s one good thing. They’re not just actors. They help with whatever we need them to,” Doe says.
Heidi and Ben Marxen, along with Sara Krebs, lead preparation of the meal and dessert. Donald Nordby helps create the set and Annette Steffan and Sarah Nordby decorate the dining hall as other key roles in the production.
“We’re all very good at helping each other out and just helping wherever we need help,” Doe says.
Proceeds from the plays are donated to other groups, including the drama department at New England High School.
The Rainy Butte Performers can be followed on Facebook as well.
The cast includes:
Lotta Luck – Teresa Nielsen
Scoop O’Mally – Wyatt Dorner
Rod Enreel – Alex Nielsen
Paige Turner – Jessie Binstock
Heidi Claire Sanders – Sara Krebs
Colonel Ticonderoga Sanders – Vince Greidanus
Rusty Nail – Trey Fischbach
Gail Nail – Adrien Kathrein
Marshal Marshall Law – Marc Michaelson
Orin Gold – Jim Pahlmeyer
Bonnie Burlap – Becky Jacobs
Dr. Ophelia Payne – Ariann Doe