Tonya Rave has a personal attachment to “The Dinner Party.”
The Lawrence resident acted in the production at Center Stage in Lebanon approximately 10 years ago under the direction of Will Pullins, who died in 2018.
“I enjoyed this Neil Simon play because it’s not as well-known as others that are typically done in community theater, and also to honor that director,” Rave said.
Rave is the co-directer of Carmel Community Players’ production of “The Dinner Party ” with her friend Matt Trgovac. The performances run from April 26 to May 5 at The Cat, 254 Veterans Way, Carmel. The story involves three divorced couples at the same dinner party.
“It (has) good comedic and dramatic elements to it, so I like a blend of the two,” Rave said. “It’s got some things that border on farce.”
Rave said she worked with Trgovac on another CCP production and decided they wanted to direct together because they have complementary styles.
“I label it as a poignant comedy,” Trgovac said. “I prefer to do plays that have a certain message.”
Carmel resident Jason Creighton plays Andre.
“It’s a character I don’t get cast in much,” Creighton said. “He’s never comical, even though this is a comedy. He’s a womanizer and business owner, very upper crust. Most of his comedy is sarcasm at the expense of others, so just carrying myself that way and having that air about me is fun to do.”
Creighton said the show starts off funny but becomes more serious.
Creighton and Rave were the leads in a production of “Moon over Buffalo.”
Indianapolis resident Grant Bowen, who plays an aspiring writer named Claude, also performed in “Moon over Buffalo.”
“What I love about this show is it’s such a beautiful yet sad story,” Bowen said. “It’s a bittersweet tale.”
For more, visit carmelplayers.org.
