Plays Out Loud: “Helen on Wheels”
January 6, 2025 @ 5:30 pm - 7:30 pm
Participate in a reader’s theatre about a feisty old lady.
Plays Out Loud
Have you ever wanted to dip a toe in the theatre world? Participate in a low-stress reading of a play with script in hand, often called a “reader’s theatre”. We’ll take on characters from the play and read the script together from start to finish within 2-hours. Beginners welcome in this low-stress theatre environment!
Helen on Wheels
Helen Wheeler is a gun totin’ and whiskey drinking Granny, living in the small town of Crockett, Oklahoma. When Helen isn’t locked up in the local clink, she’s on her front porch shootin’ up critters and the local kids. Not even the local sheriff, who has already taken away all of her ammo and her driver’s license, can manage to uphold the law when it comes to Helen, her sidekick Zona, and their daily “Thelma and Louise” antics. Helen’s son Nelson thinks it’s time for Mama to move out of Crockett and closer to him. But her dearly departed husband practically built that town and was the mayor for over 20 years, and she isn’t going anywhere. Loss, loneliness and the threat to independence that accompany aging are issues that Helen and the other characters wrangle with zany comedy and touching realism. Helen on Wheels is a delightful heartwarming new comedy proving that feisty old ladies have the right to cause hell, play bingo and to bear arms.
Playwright Cricket Daniel
Cricket Daniel lives in Bend, Oregon but hails from California. Cricket holds a theater degree from UC Santa Barbara and studied Shakespeare in Cambridge, England. She has an extensive background in improv, stand-up and theater. Cricket was a member of the national improv troupe Comedy Sportz and has performed stand-up at The Ice House and The Improv. Cricket regularly performed in local community theatre productions. However, it was when she was an audience member one evening at a local production that she found her true calling. Cricket happened to be in the audience watching a play the same night as the playwright and ended up watching him more than the play. By the end of the evening she thought to herself “I wanna be that guy!” The next day she started writing her first play. Full Length Plays by Cricket include: Couple Dating; Love, Laughter & Lucci; Gina Galdi and Guest; Helen on Wheels; The Night Before The Night Before Christmas; I Shot Jennifer Lopez; and The Lost Virginity Tour.
Cascades Theatrical Company
Founded in 1978, Cascades Theatrical Company is the oldest community theatre in Central Oregon. CTC laid the foundation for the theatre groups performing today, and it is the only volunteer-based community theatre. CTC’s mission is to enrich the Central Oregon community experience by bringing live theater, film arts, music, dance, and storytelling to their stage. Learn more at https://cascadestheatrical.org/