Dead Air

WRITTEN BY: David A. Scott
PERFORMED AT: Sorge's Restaurant, Market Street, Corning
PERFORMED ON: October 24 & November 7,14,21,28
DIRECTED BY: John Olcott
PRODUCED BY: Market Street Irregulars
CAST:
* CHUCK WOGAN- Bob Everett
* ANNE HOWE- Dinah Kaye
* NEVILLE POUTT- Oribes Reis
* BUCK FUNT- Brian Newark
* BIFF STETSON- Lee Fitzpatrick
* FRANCE RADISSON- Felisha Noble
* BETTY LUKE WATERS- Cindy Scott
* ANNOUNCER/CREW- Kelly Erskine
* CREW PERSON- Amanda Fenn
* CREW PERSON- John Olcott
* CAMERA GUY- David A. Scott (except Nov 7)

PLOT: The most popular reality TV stars are competing for a lifetime contract with a major network, but the price of losing may be their lives. A dinner theater murder mystery comedy.

HISTORY: As far back as 2006, I had much of this show running around in my head, roughly inspired by two previous shows I'd acted in, Agatha Christie's "Ten Little Indians" and Jeff Smith's "Murder Sells". During a week-long vacation in July 2007, I finally finished the script. The initial idea was that it would be performed in Fall of that year, and I'd been asked to direct it. Giving up two local musicals from the same Fall to do "Dead Air", I held auditions in September. However, by not doing auditions until then, not announcing them until the last minute, and losing many people to Fall shows that had already held their own, I'd left myself with a poor turnout, a canceled show, and four months without a play to be in.
Having spent an already-stressful Summer putting so much effort in "Dead Air", the cancellation made me want less to do with the show during its revival, should that ever happen. Thankfully, "Magical Murder of Oz" co-star John Olcott offered to direct "Dead Air", leaving me able to do "Evita" with ELT. Having had a year to reflect and rebuild my opinion of the show, I offered to meet with John about various aspects of the show.
I pre-cast myself in the "non-role role" of Camera Guy, whose role mainly consists of standing around, taping the show (something requiring little rehearsal, and something I'd done for plenty of shows that I wasn't in). This way, I'd technically be in the show, but not need to hire someone else to tape it. (Also, the lack of dialog made my role easy to fill on November 7, when I would be in Watkins doing "Kiss Me Kate". John said my four lines on that night.)
With other productions taking place that same fall (in Elmira, Corning, Watkins, Hammondsport), finding enough available people seemed a challenge. But after three auditions (the third being an added date), more than enough people were found to fill the roles. New to an MSI play were my former Fredonia classmate (and Cookie Puss in my 1998 "Retro Man" movie) Brian Newark, current CCC college student Oribes Reis (who had made his MSI debut in an improv show back in June), and Jack's co-worker Lee Fitzpatrick.