In Carroll County's smallest town, comedy is a community effort.
Live theater returns to Union Bridge tonight with the opening of See How They Run, a farce set in a World War II English village. The four-show run at the Little Community Theatre promises to deliver laughs and highlight town spirit and help a worthy cause.
"It is like an Andy Hardy movie, only it's not in a barn," said Audrey Cimino, referring to the Mickey Rooney-Judy Garland movies that revolved around towns organizing musical productions. "This has been a real community effort, and the whole thing has been great fun."
The theater is the auditorium at Elmer A. Wolfe Elementary School on Main Street. Volunteers built a portable stage and made room for 200 seats. They are raising money for a sound system, but for now the actors will have to project their voices.
The county recreation department kicked in $10,000 for lighting. McDaniel College set its drama department to work on staging. Another theater troupe lent costumes and a third advertised See How They Run during October performances. Businesses have contributed props and helped with advertising and ticket sales.
When director Sharon Templeton needed an extra door for a prop, a contractor delivered one to the school within days.
"People have been so generous helping with time and materials," said Templeton, a Howard County teacher. "Schools are not made for theater. You have to do a lot of adapting."
Elmer Wolfe Principal Mary Stong, who has worked years to bring drama to the town of about 1,000, is not surprised that so many are being so generous with their time, talent and donations. "We all want to do anything that needs to be done to make this happen," Stong said. "This is a healthy outlet for our children and families."
The theater will offer "plays with a purpose," according to its mission statement, which also says the group organized to "provide northwest Carroll with a broad range of performing arts opportunities for all ages and to enhance the cultural life of the community while serving as a vehicle for community philanthropy." Show profits are dedicated to the Shepherd's Staff, a Christian outreach ministry.
The theater sold enough tickets in May, when it staged its first production, to pay for a two-week, children's drama camp last summer and donate $2,000 to the charity.
"We are putting on good plays and giving the money away," said Cimino, executive director of Community Foundation of Carroll County Inc., a nonprofit organization that contributes to charitable, educational and cultural efforts in the area.
Producer Arnie Hayes selected See How They Run for its laugh power. He should know because he helped stage and acted in the show more than 30 years ago at a county school.
A retired educator who wrote his first play at age 10 and has stayed involved in theater throughout his life, Hayes will reprise the role of Reverend Humphrey, with Lora Strosnider, a former student, playing opposite him.
"I can't wait to be back on the boards again in a big community show," Hayes said. "This is a really funny farce with any kind of improbable thing acceptable. It is like the days of vaudeville."
Enthusiasm is so intense that Templeton cast all nine parts in one night. The ensemble has rehearsed three nights a week since Labor Day.
"Everybody in the show wants to laugh, and there is a lot of physical stuff going on," she said. "I really believe in community theater. It is a wonderful opportunity for people to get out of themselves."
Templeton is a little worried that remote Union Bridge might not draw an audience. The town might be off the beaten track, but live theater is its own lure, said Cimino.
"This is a whole lot easier than going to Baltimore," said Cimino. "It is right in our back yard. So, why not go where the fun is? There's no traffic, the parking is easy and the price is right."
Performances are at 8 p.m. today and tomorrow and Nov. 15 and 16 at the school, 119 N. Main St. Tickets are available at the door, New Windsor State Bank locations, Union Bridge Pharmacy and Carroll County Arts Council. They are $6 and $4 for children age 18 and younger and for senior citizens. Information: 410-876- 5505.