Siloam Springs Center for the Arts (SSCA) director Jan Lauderdale welcomed a crowd estimated at 200 to 250 in an audience for the first of two showings of "The Somewhat True Tale of Robin Hood," a play by Mary Lynn Dobson, Saturday at the Chautauqua Amphitheater.
The large crowd was either sitting on blankets on green grass or in lawn chairs brought from home. It was an audience of all ages and a most pleasant evening in Siloam Springs. At the end of the play the cast gave Lauderdale a bouquet of flowers for her role in bringing the event to the people of Siloam Springs.
The event was advertised for days by the SSCA for the Arts and the city of Siloam Springs Chautauqua Amphitheater.
"We are very excited to have live theater return to Siloam Springs," Lauderdale said. "I'm delighted to have such a talented and diverse cast, and the greater community responded well by accommodating cast members in their respective work schedules to allow for rehearsals. It truly is community theater!"
Robin Hood, played by Matthew Travis Clothier, was introduced to the audience by Jeremy Kelly, as the "Town's Guy" who opened the show at 7 p.m., informing the audience that "Robin seeks a plan to rescue Lady Marian," played by Victoria Rivera. The cast numbered 14 and entertained the audience for the next 90 minutes.
The cast included Jonah Morgan as Friar Tuck, Caleb Karp as the Evil Prince John, Wendy Bailey as Lady in Waiting, Ian Bean as Little John, John Jacob McFall as Will, James Fell as the Guard, two "fawning ladies" by Bernadette Keck and Amoni West, Gary Davidson as the Sheriff of Nottingham, Reece Edwards as Allan Adale, and the poor woman and third fawning lady by Leah B. Eben.
A repeat performance was held Sunday.
After Saturday's performance, young Tracy Traithew appeared most anxious to let the public know what a great event he just witnessed. Traithew hoped other young people might follow him and his family and attend similar future events at the Chautauqua Amphitheater put on by the SSCA and the city of Siloam Springs.
"While the board members of the Siloam Springs Center for the Arts are all theater people, we host a wide variety of other arts events, including our annual Home Brew Showcase, art walks, children's photography contests, and musical events," said Lauderdale. "We've been on hold during the pandemic, but are diving headlong into our upcoming events, which began with Home Brew on June 5th. Folks should follow us on Facebook to keep updated."
SSCA will hold auditions for its next performance "Our Town" at 6:30 p.m. July 6 in the banquet room at 28 Springs.
