DAG Announces 2018 2019 Season

The Downriver Actors' Guild announced its 2018 2019 season on Saturday with a festive reception and teasers. The reception included heaps of shrimp cocktail, fresh hummus, and home-baked cookies. Each upcoming show was featured during the special event.

Of note during Halloween is the musical Evil Dead. Patrons were warned this show is extremely gory and contains offensive language, including the word which begins with God-. The MCs made certain to inform that this show may not be suitable for all audiences.

Another musical is Beehive. This is a good bet, considering it is rarely performed anywhere in the area. Footloose will be performed mostly by teenagers and will be high energy. Sealed for Freshness is a comedy rarely performed also.

Mamma Mia will be performed in May. Considering how many fans worship ABBA, this show will be very difficult to produce, because fans are used to professional sets, singers, and musicians; the songs are also very difficult to sing. It will be a very ambitious project and extremely difficult to pull off.

The best bet is A Christmas Carol, Broadway, since it is directed by Paul Bruce. More interesting than the drama, this musical version will shine, as musicals are Mr. Bruce's forte.

The season's line up is:

September 2018: Nunsense

Nunsense is a hilarious spoof about the misadventures of five nuns trying to manage a fundraiser. Sadly, the rest of the sisterhood died from botulism after eating vichyssoise prepared by Sister Julia. Thus, the remaining nuns - ballet-loving Sister Leo, street-wise Sister Robert Anne, befuddled Sister Mary Amnesia, the Mother Superior Sister Regina, and mistress of the novices Sister Mary Hubert - stage a talent show in order to raise the money to bury their dearly departed.

October 2018: Evil Dead, the musical (Edgy Show)

Five college students spend the weekend in an abandoned cabin in the woods, accidentally unleashing an evil terror. In this comedic take on the 1980s horror franchise, characters and demons sing and dance to songs written specifically for the musical. And, as in the films, Ash is there to dish out his various one-liners and fight the never-ending demons.

The musical takes creative liberty with the plot line of the movies, mixing together the characters and concepts of all three, as well as changing sequences for the sake of the stage and comedic intent

October 20th at 7:30 & 21st at 3:00: Three Men and a Tenor (concert)

Professional quartet. Launching their new CD.

December 2018: A Christmas Carol, Broadway (Alan Menkin version)

Ebenezer Scrooge is a prosperous curmudgeon who believes that personal wealth is far more valuable than the happiness and comfort of others. With an infuriated "Bah! Humbug!" Scrooge summates his feelings of Christmas tidings and charitable giving, but he's forced to face his selfish ways when three ghosts on Christmas Eve lead him through his Past, Present and Future. Thanks to their guidance, Scrooge recognizes his faults and greets Christmas morning with a cheerful "Happy Christmas" before spending the day reconnecting and sharing love with those that mean the most to him.

January 2019: Beehive, the 60's musical

Beehive is the ultimate celebration of 1960's female empowerment. Featuring such timeless classics as "My Boyfriend's Back", "Be My Baby", "Son of a Preacher Man", and "Me and Bobby McGee", Beehive nostalgically recalls the days of miniskirts, transistor radios and flower power. Told from the perspective of six young women who came of age in this enigmatic decade, these young ladies look back on a host of issues ranging from their first Beehive Dance to the challenges we faced as a nation - all accomplished by a vast array of the most celebrated and memorable songs of the era.

February 2019: Footloose

Footloose is the story of Ren McCormack, a teenage boy from Chicago. He and his mother move to the small town of Bomont after his father abandons them. Upon arriving, Ren finds himself at odds with most of the town, including the Reverend Bomont. The Reverend has convinced the town to outlaw dancing, which Ren finds unbelievable. With the help of the Ariel (the Reverend's daughter) and Willard (a country hick who becomes his best friend), Ren convinces the Reverend to let the teenagers dance, and in the process helps the town to heal from a tragedy that affected them all.

April 2019: Sealed for Freshness (Comedy)

Sealed for Freshness is the story of five Midwestern women who believe in being good wives, good mothers and good neighbors. They were raised to trade their dreams, hopes and desires for social norms...and now they want them back. These hermetically sealed, airtight lives unravel during a sidesplitting Tupperware party gone awry. The women of Sealed for Freshness are struggling with lost youth, missed opportunities - and deviled egg containers. In other words, they're the original 'Desperate Housewives.'"

May 2019: Mamma Mia

On a small Greek island, Sophie dreams of a perfect wedding - one which includes her father giving her away. The problem? Sophie doesn't know who he is! Her mother Donna, the former lead singer of the 1970s pop group Donna and the Dynamos, refuses to talk about the past, so Sophie decides to take matters into her own hands. Sneaking a peek in her mother's old diaries, she discovers three possible fathers: Sam, Bill, and Harry. She secretly invites all three to the wedding, convinced that she'll know her father when she sees him. But when all three turn up, it may not be as clear as she thought! Told through the legendary music of ABBA, Mamma Mia! has become a worldwide sensation that has audiences everywhere dancing.

July/Aug 2019: Shrek, the musical

When a green ogre named Shrek discovers his swamp has been 'swamped' with all sorts of fairytale creatures by the scheming Lord Farquaad, Shrek sets out with a very loud donkey by his side to 'persuade' Farquaad to give Shrek his swamp back. Instead, a deal is made. Farquaad, who wants to become the King, sends Shrek to rescue Princess Fiona, who is awaiting her true love in a tower guarded by a fire-breathing dragon. But once they head back with Fiona, it starts to become apparent that not only does Shrek, an ugly ogre, begin to fall in love with the lovely princess, but Fiona is also hiding a huge secret