Troy Civic Theatre cast performing “The Tin Woman.”
By Haylee Pence
TROY – On Saturday, July 9, the Troy Civic Theatre hosted and competed in the Ohio Community Theatre Association (OCTA) regional competition. Theatres throughout the West region are able to come and present a 35 to 40 minute excerpt from a previous show.
Troy Civic Theatre presented an excerpt from their show The Tin Woman. Director Niccole Amersdorfer provided the show’s summary below:
“Instead of relishing life after her heart transplant, Joy enters a downward spiral, unsure whether she truly deserves a second chance. Meanwhile, Alice and Hank mourn the loss of their son, Jack, whose heart was used to save Joy. At a friend’s urging, Joy tracks down Jack’s family to find closure. But are Alice, Hank, and their daughter Sammy ready to accept Jack’s death? Based on a true story, The Tin Woman uses humor and pathos to explore loss, family, and what it means to be given new life.”
Following the excerpt, the adjudicators (judges) are able to present their thoughts and comments on the excerpt. Once all the excerpts are presented, one or two are chosen and invited to compete at the State Conference. Each theatre will receive a written copy of the adjudicators’ comments and thoughts which provide feedback on improvements that can be made.
The Troy Civic Theatre received the following awards for their excerpt and performance:
• Awards of Merit in Performance – Michelle Roush and Carlos Baez Jr.
• Awards of Excellence in Performance – Beth Shrake, Steve Dietrich, Racheal Tingley, Rachel Brown
• Award of Merit in Direction – Niccole Amersdorfer
• Award of Excellence in Ensemble Performance – Cast
They were also chosen to compete at the State Conference.
“It is always exciting and gratifying to have your hard work recognized and rewarded. Beyond that, The Tin Woman is a great show with a powerful message and I am so excited that we can continue to tell this story,” stated Amersdorfer.
Amersdorfer’s favorite line from the show is “I want to go have dinner with the last bit of my son that I have left.” Amersordorfer says the line is very powerful and says so much.
This win follows previous State Conference performances including Escanaba in da Moonlight and Angel Street. Angel Street was invited to the American Association of Community Theater 5 State Regional Conference.
The next seven weeks will be busy for the cast as they continue to rehearse the excerpt and make changes based on feedback from adjudicators and changes associated with performing on a different stage. The cast will run lines and then run the excerpt utilizing props and set changes.
For those interested in supporting the Troy Civic Theatre, Amersdorfer said, “the biggest ways the community can support us is continuing to support [Troy Civic Theatre] in any way they can — see shows, volunteer to be a part of us, become a theatre member or patron. And wishing us ‘Break a Leg!’ Just knowing the city of Troy and our audiences throughout the Miami Valley are thinking of us and supporting us is huge!”
Many theatres throughout the West region were unable to present an excerpt at the regional competition following the pandemic.
The State Conference will be held at Cherry Valley Hotel in Newark during Labor Day weekend. Amersdorfer invites anyone who is interested in attending to State Conference to attend. The event requires registration prior to the event, which can be done at OCTA1953.org.
