October at the Plains Theater in Eads will take a decidedly mysterious turn as the Crow-Luther Cultural Events Center (CLCEC) and Crow-Luther Players prepare to present The Vampire’s Garden, an original stage production written specifically for the historic theater by local playwright and Kiowa County Public Library Director Teri Jobe.
The production marks the second consecutive year CLCEC has presented an original play written by Jobe, continuing what organizers hope will become a lasting fall tradition of bringing live community theater to the Plains Theater stage.
Last October, Jobe’s The Camera of Louis Le Prince combined history, mystery and the supernatural in telling the story of French inventor Louis Le Prince, whose mysterious 1890 disappearance remains unsolved. The production featured a cast of local performers and drew appreciative audiences for its originality, creative staging and hometown talent.
This year, Jobe has turned completely toward the supernatural with The Vampire’s Garden, an approximately one-hour production created with the Plains Theater stage specifically in mind.
The story follows Elaina, a troubled woman struggling with poor self-image and even worse relationships, who suddenly finds herself whisked away into a vampire’s mysterious garden. Her task sounds simple enough—make it to the center of the garden alive. Waiting there is the vampire who has been pulling all the strings.
The Crow-Luther Players will present The Vampire’s Garden four times during October, with performances scheduled for Friday and Saturday, Oct. 16-17, and again Friday and Saturday, Oct. 23-24. All four performances begin at 7 p.m. at the Plains Theater, 1304 Maine Street in Eads.
Admission is $10 for adults and $5 for children.
Directing this year’s production is CLCEC board member Merena Lowe, who has been instrumental in the organization’s efforts to develop live theater and other arts programming at the Plains Theater. Lowe was also part of last year’s production, serving as both a performer and co-director.
CLCEC is particularly excited to once again showcase the talents of Jobe, whose creativity has provided the organization with something truly unique—original theatrical productions created right here in Kiowa County and designed for the Plains Theater stage.
That partnership fits directly into CLCEC’s larger mission of bringing the arts to Eads and surrounding communities. Whether through live theater, concerts, movies, historical programming or other special events, the organization continues working to make the Plains Theater a gathering place where people throughout southeastern Colorado can experience arts and entertainment close to home.
Following last year’s production, Lowe summed up that philosophy by noting that the arts are “one essential piece” of helping a community thrive and expressed the hope that original theatrical productions would become an annual tradition at the Plains Theater.
This October, CLCEC is expanding on that idea by surrounding The Vampire’s Garden performances with two Sunday evenings devoted to a pair of beloved cult-classic musicals.
On Sunday, Oct. 18, the Plains Theater will go “Cult Classic” with a 6 p.m. showing of Little Shop of Horrors, the wildly entertaining musical mixing comedy, romance, horror and one very unusual plant.
Then things get even more outrageous on Sunday, Oct. 25, when another cult favorite takes over the Plains Theater.
Audience members are encouraged to get into the spirit of the evening by wearing their best Dr. Frank-N-Furter costume—or perhaps arriving as Magenta and Riff Raff. Those looking for something a little less daring might find Brad Majors and Janet Weiss more their style.
Whatever character they choose, moviegoers can expect a fun and unconventional Sunday evening at the Plains Theater as CLCEC closes out its October cult-classic programming.
Between four performances of The Vampire’s Garden and two Sunday nights celebrating cult-classic cinema, October will offer plenty of opportunities for area residents to experience something a little different on Maine Street.
More importantly, the month represents another step in CLCEC’s continuing effort to establish the Plains Theater as a regional home for the arts—a place where historic surroundings, community talent and original ideas can come together.
And for the second October in a row, one of those original ideas comes directly from the imagination of Eads’ own Teri Jobe.
