Sarah Rose DrakeFor anyone that has seen Night of the Living Dead, the “cult classic” film, you know there are plenty of zombies; but did you know that when the Mid-Ohio Valley Players Theatre in Marietta, OH produced the stage adaptation of it, not only were there zombies on stage, but there was also an audience full of them too?
The MOVP theatre ran Night of the Living Dead during the month of October, much to the delight of zombie fans everywhere in the Mid-Ohio Valley. Unique to a typical stage production, the MOVP Night of the Living Dead production was done entirely in black and white. That meant that the sets, props and even the actors were painted white, gray or black. Was the show worth all this trouble? Definitely!
The show ended up being one of the highest grossing performances in recent years with just under 800 paid attendees, along with volunteer and comp tickets pushing the show over the 800 mark, then making it one of the top three shows produced at the MOVP in the last seven years.
Director, Kevin Paskawych commented, “I hope that all of our new volunteers that came out for Night of the Living Dead will continue to come out for other shows in the future, and that our audience members keep coming back, as we have a very exciting season lined up for them.”
The final performance, a special late night showing, was held at the conclusion of the Harmar Zombie Walk. This year’s walk had about 3-400 zombies in attendance with around 100 of those zombies parading across the bridge from Harmar to the MOVP Theatre on Putnam Street where their costume judging ceremony was held before they entered the theatre to watch the show.
Chuck Swaney, Event Producer of the Harmar Zombie Walk event, noted that along with the cross promotion of the MOVP Night of the Living Dead a few other changes this year helped to make the event a success including the addition of the Lil Zombie event during the day, the partnership with the Boys & Girls Club of Marietta and the Marietta YMCA (both of whom stepped up and managed the event) and the enthusiasm of the newest guest emcee, Laura Bayes, from WMOA. “She did a spectacular job of keeping the excitement going all evening long,” said Swaney.
While the Harmar Zombie Walk and the Night of the Living Dead were both a hit this year, if zombies aren’t your thing, then check out the list of upcoming shows this season at the Mid-Ohio Valley Players Theatre. If you go to a show or two, you’ll be glad you did!
2014-2015 Season
MOVP Youth Theatre: A Christmas Carol – December 12, 13, 14, 2014
The Odd Couple – January 16, 17, 23, 24, 25, 30, 31, 2015
Love Letters – March 6, 7, 13, 14, 15, 20, 21, 2015
Les Miserables – April 24, 25, May 1, 2, 3, 8, 9, 2015
Steel Magnolias – June 12, 13, 19, 20, 21, 26, 27, 2015