Peabody plans repertory threater
Staff writer
A repertory theater group in Peabody will put on its first performance Aug. 1.
Christopher King, co-owner of CK Vintage in downtown Peabody, has a long background in performance. He started as an actor, then gravitated to director.
He has been working with other Sunflower Repertory organizers for months getting things ready for the magic of a dinner theater in Peabody.
The first production will be “I Do! I Do!” The show is a comedic look at the ups and downs of marriage.
Auditions will be June 7 and 8. Rehearsals will begin June 11.
Anyone interested in auditioning or helping in any way with the production and meal is encouraged to contact King.
Performances will be Aug. 1,2,3,8,9, and 10 in the social hall of St. Paul Lutheran Church.
“They are letting us turn their social hall into a theater,” King said.
The repertory group’s goal is to eventually perform in the Sunflower Theater, but renovation of the theater is expected to take another three years.
“We’re excited to be in partnership with the Sunflower Theater,” he said.
In the meantime, King said, he’s thankful to the church for allowing the repertory group to take over the social hall for its needs.
“We’re hoping to have a small orchestra,” King said.
King sees the repertory and its dinner performances as an opportunity for a date night — one in a beautiful setting.
“I want people to be able to go home and sleep in their own beds and feel they got something special,” he said. “I want to keep this a place where people can get away and come and laugh, and walk away feeling better.”
All performances for the repertory’s first season will be evening performances, but matinees will be added next season.
Evening performances will feature traditional dinners, and matinees will feature brunch or lunch meals.
Students and seniors will get discounts.
“We still are in desperate need of funds for this first show,” King said.
People could make donations through social media or by visiting CK Vintage.
“We’re trying to keep it affordable,” he said.
All board members have been helpful and cooperative in making this happen, King said.
Actors, stage hands, lighting people, and all other stage people are welcome to be part of the repertory group.
“I began as an actor, then flipped over to directing,” King said. “I love storytelling — my favorite thing to do is be a director.”
Later productions for this season will be:
- “A Laura Ingalls Wilder Christmas.”
- “Nunsense, “the musical.
- “Church Basement Ladies.”