1903 Reader’s Theatre to hold auditions for “Poker, Paisley and the Don Pratt Hotel”

Auditions will be held Monday, Feb. 3 and Tuesday, Feb. 4 from 6-8 p.m. at the Tri-State Museum and Visitor Center in Belle Fourche for the next 1903 Reader’s Theatre production entitled “Poker, Paisley and the Don Pratt Hotel.”

The play is a comedy-mystery about the goings-on at the Don Pratt Hotel on a weekend in 1930, the year the hotel opened in Belle Fourche. The hotel is swirling with rumors about a secret poker game to be held in the hotel basement and about bootleggers who may – or may not – be in town. Central to the action is brand-new switchboard operator Myrna Chasley, who struggles to learn her job, deal with her imperious boss, Mrs. Hirschfield, and handle calls between the colorful hotel guests.

The play will incorporate some history about the area, the hotel, national politics and Prohibition. A key prop will be a period hotel switchboard, used onstage by Myrna, which comes from the museum’s collections.

There are roles for approximately nine actors: five women and four men. Adults of all ages are encouraged to audition, and previous theatre experience is not required. Typical of reader’s theatre, lines are not learned for the performance, as actors carry scripts.

Rehearsals will be Feb. 9-13, and performances at 7 p.m. on February 14 and 2 p.m. on February 15. The play is produced jointly by the Belle Fourche Arts Council and the Tri-State Museum and Visitor Center.  A silent auction and refreshments will be provided by the Arts Council members. Tickets will be $2 per person.

For more information, call the Tri-State Museum and Visitor Center at 605-723-1200. The Tri-State is located at 415 Fifth Avenue in Belle Fourche.

1903 Reader’s Theatre to hold auditions for “Poker, Paisley and the Don Pratt Hotel”

Auditions will be held Monday, Feb. 3 and Tuesday, Feb. 4 from 6-8 p.m. at the Tri-State Museum and Visitor Center in Belle Fourche for the next 1903 Reader’s Theatre production entitled “Poker, Paisley and the Don Pratt Hotel.”

The play is a comedy-mystery about the goings-on at the Don Pratt Hotel on a weekend in 1930, the year the hotel opened in Belle Fourche. The hotel is swirling with rumors about a secret poker game to be held in the hotel basement and about bootleggers who may – or may not – be in town. Central to the action is brand-new switchboard operator Myrna Chasley, who struggles to learn her job, deal with her imperious boss, Mrs. Hirschfield, and handle calls between the colorful hotel guests.

The play will incorporate some history about the area, the hotel, national politics and Prohibition. A key prop will be a period hotel switchboard, used onstage by Myrna, which comes from the museum’s collections.

There are roles for approximately nine actors: five women and four men. Adults of all ages are encouraged to audition, and previous theatre experience is not required. Typical of reader’s theatre, lines are not learned for the performance, as actors carry scripts.

Rehearsals will be Feb. 9-13, and performances at 7 p.m. on February 14 and 2 p.m. on February 15. The play is produced jointly by the Belle Fourche Arts Council and the Tri-State Museum and Visitor Center.  A silent auction and refreshments will be provided by the Arts Council members. Tickets will be $2 per person.

For more information, call the Tri-State Museum and Visitor Center at 605-723-1200. The Tri-State is located at 415 Fifth Avenue in Belle Fourche.