Chagrin Valley Little Theatre

Press Releases

CVLT's "A MURDER OF SCARECROWS" IS HILARIOUS HALLOWEEN FARE

CHAGRIN FALLS, OH - Chagrin Valley Little Theatre's first main stage show of its historic 80th Season is sure to make your spine tingle with fear… and laughter! In Pat Cook's mystery/comedy A Murder of Scarecrows, the Dandridges have decided to move their annual Halloween party to their country house, a fixer-upper with all the conveniences. The place also boasts one haunted scarecrow according to the grisly murder story that came with the house. When the scarecrow vanishes on the night of the party, and then turns up carrying an axe, things turn scarily funny!

Directed by Lake Erie College Drama Professor Jerry Jaffe and produced by Carolyn Barnhard, CVLT's production opens on October 16 and runs until Halloween night. The cast includes Jerry Schaber, Ann Holstein, Ken Allan, Leslie Price, Joseph Fath, Erica Edwards, Natalie Dolezal, William Grossman and Cheryl Fousek.

Playwright Pat Cook got his first taste of seeing his work in print when he was still in high school in Frankston, Texas, writing for the school paper. Then, during the summers, he wrote a column for his hometown newspaper. It wasn't until college, however, when he saw the movie version of Neil Simon's The Odd Couple that he decided to try his hand at writing plays. His first one-act, The Boys In The Halls, was produced at Lon Morris Junior College in 1968. After moving to Houston in 1970, he soon found other writing assignments at AstroWorld, educational radio, night clubs and local television. His first play to be published was Rest in Peace, released in 1976 by Dramatic Publishing in Woodstock, Il. Still, writing was only a sideline along with several other odd jobs, which included playing piano in pizza parlors, acting in local commercials, industrial films and on stage, building scenery and selling pianos and organs. However, more plays got published and along the way, and his wife, Rose Ann, taught him the joys of using a computer. This, coupled with his conviction to drop everything else and write full time, proved to be a turning point in his life. As of this writing, he has one hundred twenty five plays published by nine publishers. Several of these have been translated into Dutch and German

Tickets for A Murder of Scarecrows are $16 regular price, or $12 for students and seniors. Performances are at 8 PM, Friday and Sturday nights October 16- 31. Tickets are available online at www.CVLT.org or by phone at 440-247-8955, Monday through Saturday from 1-6 PM. Complete details on CVLT's 80th Season are available online at www.CVLT.org. The theater is located at 40 River Street in historic Chagrin Falls Village.

Chagrin Valley Little Theatre is generously funded by Cuyahoga County residents through Cuyahoga Arts and Culture. The Ohio Arts Council helped fund Chagrin Valley Little Theatre with state tax dollars to encourage economic growth, educational excellence and cultural enrichment for all Ohioans.

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