Mark, Massillon, BJ reunion

When former BJ and current PD television critic Mark Dawidziak's Mostly Literary Theater Company performed its Poe show in Massillon, Betty O'Neill Roderick was in the audience. Here's Mark's email response to my inquiry about how the Poe production went:

Thanks for asking about Massillon, which went very well. Sara (Mark's wife) came down with a bad cold Saturday, but she rallied on Sunday to deliver a fabulous performance. We had about 50 people, and they were an audience that hung on every word, so that helped a great deal, too. This is the first house we've ever played that required microphones. Alex (Nine)'s mike developed a short in the first act, but he took his voice up a few notches and filled the theater with no problem. One of the things I love about the Poe show in a real theater is that I get to sit up in the booth, run lights and let the real actors do all the work.

We're hoping to build on that 50 on Nov. 21 with the Twain show (in the same Massillon theater), which needs more of an audience (comedy usually does). The Historic Lions Lincoln Theater folks know this a slow building process, having just started the pursuit of live productions for that stage.

The only Beacon person I saw in Massillon was Betty O'Neill Roderick. But Halloween may have been a tough day for many people. Nov. 21 may not be much better, being the Sunday before Thanksgiving, but you throw the doors open and see what happens.

All best,
Mark

Betty is author of "The Ghosts of Zoar, Ohio" and conducts ghost tours May through Halloween in the town settled by German Separatists in 1817. Betty will be talking about her 66-page book at 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 13 at Perkins Stone Mansion, 550 Copley Road in Akron. There's no charge.

Betty (shown in the photo conducting a Zoar tour) is not a BJ staffer but she writes Beacon Scene articles for the BJ. You know, the social scene in the BJ area. That's how she came across the Zoar stuff, on one of her trips for the BJ.

Click on the headline to see the pre-show BJ Alums article on Mark's Poe production.