CONWAY — It’s been a few years since the Conway Community Arts Association presented Greater Tuna, but those who saw that show in 2007 are sure to remember some of the wacky and wonderful characters that numbered about 20.
The local community theater troupe will bring back some of those characters and more to the stage of the Lantern Theatre in its upcoming production of A Tuna Christmas, which is the first sequel to Greater Tuna. Both plays were written by Jaston Williams, Joe Sears and Ed Howard.
Showtimes are at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday and again Dec. 11 and 12; and at 2:30 p.m. Dec. 6 and 13 at the Lantern Theatre, 1021 Van Ronkle St. in downtown Conway.
Cindy Romeo of Conway directs the comedy, which features Paul Bowling of North Little Rock and Jake Whisenant of Conway playing 22 characters — 11 each: male, female, child and adult. Stage management is by Sara Rawlinson of Conway. Set and lighting design are by Liz Parker of Conway, with sound design by Shua Miller, also of Conway. Kate Belew of Conway is the costumer.
“It’s very, very funny,” Romeo said of A Tuna Christmas. “It’s set in Tuna, Texas. It begins and ends at the radio station with Thurston and Arles, who report on the various Yuletide activities in the town.
“It seems Bertha’s husband has not come home for Christmas, and she is trying to raise three kids. Then there’s the Christmas yard-display contest that someone is trying to sabotage. And A Christmas Carol is on the verge of cancellation because someone hasn’t paid the electric bill.
“The show is fun and frivolity for the whole family and is a great treat for the Christmas season.”
Romeo is a longtime supporter of the Conway Community Arts Association and the Lantern Theatre. She has appeared in several of its productions and has also directed several shows. She directed the award-winning God of Carnage, which went on to a national competition, where it received several nominations.
Romeo, who has been teaching school for 30 years, teaches ninth-grade English at Conway Junior High School. Born in Taylor, she never had any training in theater until she got to Southern Arkansas University in Magnolia.
“I auditioned for a play and haven’t stopped since,” she said with a laugh. “I had a little drama club when I was teaching at Bob Courtway Middle School, and I was the director of those plays. I didn’t know how it was going to be, directing adults, but I’ve loved it.”
Bowling plays Arles, who, along with Thurston, is a radio announcer in Tuna. They serve as narrators in the play.
“Crazy is the best way to describe this show,” said Bowling, who is a design engineer for Dassault Falcon Jet in Little Rock.
“There’s a great deal of dialogue in this play,” he said. “I play 11 different parts. Some may have a few lines; some have a lot of lines. There are a lot of different personalities. I try to find mannerisms to fit all of them.”
Bowling said his favorite character currently
is Vera Carp.
“She’s a more well-to-do woman in Tuna,” Bowling said. “She’s very much into the Christmas yard-display contest. She even has real sheep in her yard.
“Vera is very proud that she has won the contest for 15 years in a row. It’s all about the yard-display contest at all costs, but her son causes her trouble.”
This is the third show Bowling has done at The Lantern. He appeared in Pvt. Wars and in The Hammerstone.
Bowling has also appeared in productions with the Argenta Community Theater in North Little Rock.
“It was there I met some actors who call The Lantern Theatre their home, and they lured me into it,” he said.
“A Tuna Christmas has always been on my bucket list,” he said. “I’ve always loved it and thought if I ever had the opportunity to audition for it, I would.”
Whisenant plays Thurston in A Tuna Christmas, in addition to 10 other characters.
“I really like the character Joe Bob right now,” Whisenant said. “He’s a good ole Southern boy and is the director of the Tuna Little Theater. He’s a
lot of fun.”
Whisenant, who is the son of Jim and Vickie Whisenant of Clinton, graduated from Clinton High School in 2007. He is a 2013 graduate of the University of Central Arkansas in Conway, where he majored in creative writing and minored in theater. He hopes to go to graduate school before too long.
“I’d like to write plays,” he said, adding that he has written several short plays but not a long one, yet.
“Playing all these characters in A Tuna Christmas is a little terrifying,” Whisenant said. “There’s a lot to look at. Cindy has it all worked out.
“It reminds me a little of a sketch, but it does have a running story. It’s very witty.
“When I heard they were going to do it, I knew I wanted to audition for a part. I had read the first play for a class, so I knew what it was about. It’s really fun.”
Tickets to A Tuna Christmas are $15 each, and reservations are encouraged. For reservations or more information, email ConwayLanternTheatre@gmail.com.
More information is also available online at www.conwayarts.org.