Civic Theatre holds benefit before heading to competition

Apr. 24—The Kokomo Civic Theatre will represent Indiana in a five-state American Association of Community Theatre competition this weekend.

The competition will be held in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, from Friday through Sunday. Steve Hughes, executive director of the Civic Theatre, estimated it would cost at least $2,200 to represent Indiana at the regional competition.

To raise funds for the trip, KCT is holding a special performance of its competition show at The Coterie, 107 W. Sycamore St.

The show, which is titled "Silent Sky," is about Henrietta Leavitt, an astronomer who discovered astronomical standard candles.

Although KCT fans might have seen the show in February during the KCT's 2022-23 season, Hughes said the competition version is still worth watching — the play has been condensed to last an hour and two cast members have been replaced for the regional competition. KCT won first place with the show at the AACT statewide competition in March.

The fundraising event is scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday with food and drinks. The performance will begin an hour later. The show has an hour runtime.

Tickets to the fundraiser will cost $10 and can be purchased online at kokomocivictheatre.csstix.com/ or by calling 765-454-8800.

Theater groups from Illinois, Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin will also compete this weekend. Whoever wins the regional competition will move on to the AACT national competition in June.

James Bennett III can be reached at 765-454-8580 or james.bennett@kokomotribune.com.