Take a Clue from a play through audience participation

The idea of mixed media certainly isn’t new. In some ways, it can be traced back to the era of silent movies when a motion picture emporium would feature a piano player performing musical accompaniment for the action on the screen.

This weekend, a local theater group, the Trash Panda Players, will take the concept several steps further when they present a “shadowcast” production of the 1985 film “Clue,” starring Tim Curry. As the movie is played in in the background, the players from the troupe will act it out live on the stage and in different areas of the room. Being an interactive show, the audience is given a list of call backs and actions that will allow them to actively participate in the action.

“Shadow casting, or at least the way we approach it, is a very unique kind of theater experience,” said Sarah Lister, director of the Trash Panda Players. “We expect and encourage our audience to play along with us. Guests will be given a complete audience participation package with a variety of props for them to use, as well as a list of call and response lines. Also, it’s a fancy dinner party, so the option to dress for the event is highly encouraged. It adds to the atmosphere and provides a fun contrast to the silliness of the show.”

Lister said that the new production, which will take place at The Bird and The Book, represents the largest cast and crew the group has ever assembled for a single project. “It takes eight people just to cover the principal characters,” Lister said. “That doesn’t include the rest of the cast or the very large crew required to make this show work.”

She added that the idea began with an idea that was suggested by one of the cast members. “Many ideas came out of that conversation, but we ultimately decided as a group that ‘Clue’ was a project we could realistically pursue,” she said. “As far as it being an original production, it’s more of an original interpretation. You can only claim so much originality in a ‘shadowcast’ show, as the source material is playing in the background.”

Although Lister said that she’s too young to recall the original film, she said the film’s star, Tim Curry remains a perennial favorite. “You mean to tell me not everyone is in love with Tim Curry?” She asked, rather rhetorically.

Lister herself has a varied theatrical background. “Prior to the Trash Pandas, I worked on a handful of short films over the years, but theater was predominantly something I did growing up,” she said. “My family is very artistic and happens to include — but is not limited to — a brilliant costume designer and a professional monster maker, both of which helped us make our production of‘Little Shop of Horrors’ a reality last summer.”

Lister said that “Little Shop Of Horrors” will make a return engagement at The Bird and The Book for a special one night event benefitting the Tennessee Valley Coalition for the Homeless on April 21st. “We’re excited to put it together for an evening before we move on to our summer project, ‘9 to 5,’” she said. “We’ll be putting that on in July.”

In the meantime, “Clue” should provide more than a hint of what to expect.