AUTHOR, AUTHOR! High school’s play gets unexpected visitor for Mount Ayr performance
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The cast and crew of the Mount Ayr drama department pose with the play’s author, Delmar Burkitt (center) who drove all the way from Ohio to view his production of “Miss Teen, Beauty Queen” Friday night.
Friday night, the Mount Ayr High School Drama Club presented their annual spring play to the community, and one very special guest.
The guest came unannounced and unknown to the actors and actresses on stage. It was none other than the author of the play they were performing, Delmar Burkitt.
Burkitt and his friend drove 740 miles to see the production put on in the Mount Ayr auditorium and only had great things to say about the cast and their performance.
“He told the kids he loved seeing their characterization and he was especially impressed with Hannah Jackson and Elsie Schafer,” said director Shaun Kniep. “He thought the production was a lot of fun and was very impressed by our annual pie auction.”
Burkitt wrote the play for his son-in-law, Ed Dickens, who took over his job as play director when he retired. “I wrote it with the idea that a director could enjoy this play and could use all his or her potential creativity doing it.” said Burkitt.
The interaction between Aaron and Ursula during the mouth-to-mouth scenes is his favorite part of the play, while the characters have all been created from his imagination, stating they are not consciously based on any real people, although he feels that all created characters are based on those we know and have known.
“My goal in creating this play was to create happiness in the audience,” said Burkitt. “I also think the cast and crew can truly have a really good time making this play a riot. I hope any director that does this play will have that as one of his or her primary goals.”
The cast would go on to perform again Saturday to a packed house before director Shaun Kniep goes searching for the next production for the drama club to put on.
