Colonel Players presenting ‘Alibis’ April 29-30

The Whitley County High School’s Colonel Players will be having a busy seven days starting Saturday.

First the group will be hosting the Eastern Kentucky Dramatic Arts Society (EKDAS) Festival for the first time on Saturday, April 24.

Then days later the group will be presenting its second play of the year with two public performances.

Admission is free to Saturday’s EKDAS festival, which will start with opening ceremonies at 9:30 a.m. at the Whitley County High School Amphitheater. The rain venue for the event will be the Charles M. Lawson Gymnasium.

At 10 a.m., Clay County will present “Good Morning, Miriam,” by Jacquelyn Floyd-Priskorn.

At 11 a.m., Perry Central will perform “The Audition” by Don Zolidis.

At noon, McCreary County will perform “10 Reasons Why You Should Stay Home Sick Today,” by E.M. Bell.

At 2 p.m.: Whitley County will perform “In the Garden of the Selfish Giant,” by Sandy Asher.

At 3 p.m., Leslie County will perform “10 Ways to Survive the End of the World” by Don Zolidis.

At 4 p.m., Whitley County will perform “Alibis” by Peter Kennedy.

At 5 p.m., awards will be presented.

Public performances

The high school drama program will also be putting on additional public performances of its play, “Alibis” at 7 p.m. on Thursday, April 29, and Friday, April 30, at the amphitheater.

The official synopsis of the play reads: “Whodunit, howdunit. When famous actress Primavera Donna throws a party and winds up dead, it’s up to the guests to figure out who and how, and why the hired help is so annoying. Shades of Sherlock Holmes, Agatha Christie, and Ten Little Indians. As the storm outside rages and the body count mounts, the guests must contend with interruptions, shocking revelations, tacky special effects, and the arrival of a mysterious visitor.”

“The cast includes a stuffy butler, a social butterfly, a playboy, a dotty chemist, an aristocrat of dubious origin, a nun who has taken a vow of silence, a part-time detective, a very French maid, and a mysterious stranger. It’s a rapid-fire romp through the conventional drawing room mystery,” the synopsis concludes.

“Alibis” was originally supposed to be the Colonel Players dinner theatre play last March, but was shutdown exactly a week before production due to COVID-19, noted Whitley County drama instructor David Sweet.

“Some of the original cast is back, but some had to be replaced because of graduation and those attending virtually. It is a really funny, fast-paced show, and the students had a say in picking it out. We are planning to stage it in our amphitheater because of COVID restrictions; it’s really a great venue in which to get to present our production. We are praying for no rain,” Sweet wrote.

Both nights there will be a short prelude show called “Super Dead Guy,” a 10-minute play directed by Melissa Woods.