excerpt...Current Magazine Saturday, July 4, 2015 Kansas City, Missouri
Theater group draws hundreds
By Brianna R. Lugibihl
A popular theater group found it difficult to accommodate the crush of people who attempted to see their show Friday afternoon. Launch Theatre Productions, a drama team consisting of nine members from North Carolina, first performed for over 200 convention attendees and then held an impromptu second performance for a separate overflowing crowd of approximately 200. The performance space filled to capacity 15 minutes before scheduled show time prompting the theater staff to hold an emergency meeting before closing the door of room 2215B in the convention hall.
“It’s probably the largest audience we’ve received not having any advertising months or weeks in advance,” said Ricki Nelson, a stagehand for the production. “It was a bit of a surprise to have it be so popular and so powerful.” This convention marks the troupe’s first appearance outside of North Carolina.
The production, “If it Was Me,” illustrated five dramatic renditions of Bible stories in a contemporary contexts. Barbara Nelson, creative director and playwright, facilitated the event backstage as six company actors rapped, sang, and performed comedic scenes of Abraham and Isaac, Moses, Joseph, and David.
