The primrose path

This weekend marks the annual Woodchoppers’ Jamboree and, with it, the events that so many people have come to enjoy; chainsaw tosses, pole climbing, ax throws and melodramatic performances. When the saws are put away and the wood chips are done flying, a long-held tradition of the weekend is to head to the Grand Encampment Opera House to watch the melodrama put on by Valley thespians. This year, residents will be seeing , “He Lured Her to the Primrose Path but He was Nipped in the Bud,”

Mary Martin, longtime Encampment resident and director of the Grand Encampment Opera Company (GEOC), is as excited for this year’s performance as she has been for every performance in her last 20 years as director.

“I get excited at the beginning,” said Martin. “At this point, I’m nervous and I want it almost over, but then the Tuesday following I’ll be going ‘What do I do on my Tuesday, Wednesday nights?’”

This year, residents and visitors alike will not only be able to see familiar faces, such as Vicki Loftice, Kevin Krouch and Charles Watts, but new faces as well. Encampment residents Rachel Swanson and Hayley Biggs will be appearing for their first time in the melodrama as the vamp, Charity Costs, and heroine, Alice White, respectively.

Watts, who recently received a scholarship from the GEOC, will be playing a villain for the first time since joining the company. Watts’ villainous theatrics as Sidney Shift will allow Krouch, the company’s regular heel, a break to play the role of Grandpa White.

Eddie Buford will also be stepping into a first-time role as the hero of the play, Private First Class Will Dew, as he thwarts the dastardly deeds of Shift and saves the day for Alice White and her grandfather.

According to Martin, due to the age of the melodrama, some comedic lines and performances had to be added to give the audience what they have come to expect of the annual melodrama.

“It’s a very, very old play,” Martin said. “It was actually written before I was born. Our recent melodramas have always had these puns that happen and the funny lines, this play does not have that. It is traditional melodramatic. We had a lot of comedy that we’ve added in. Some of them have just been lines that we’ve added during practice, others are physical attributes. Our villain will be having a potbelly.”

The first showing of the melodrama will be at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, June 13 at the Grand Encampment Opera House. Subsequent showings will take place on Friday, June 15 and Saturday, June 16 at the same time and place. Admission is by donation at the door.