Hertford Talent

            Anyone crossing the Perquimans River on Route 17 in Hertford is reminded by signs and by the name of the bridge itself that this little town produced a great baseball talent in Jim “Catfish” Hunter.  The people who knew Jimmy—and never called him Catfish--were proud to see him rise from the high school ballfield directly to the major leagues and eventually to Baseball’s Hall of Fame.  Such a talent is rare and, as some would say, put Hertford on the map.

            But there are other talented people in Hertford.  Some will be seen on the stage of our little theater on Grubb Street on May 6, 7, and 8. “Anybody Out There?” will be the fifth play produced by the Carolina Moon Theater Group, quite an accomplishment for such a small town as Hertford. 

This show’s three performances will likely be sold out, as were the previous four.  Returning in a starring role is Hertford’s own Matthew Johnson who previously starred in “Over the River and Through the Woods” two years ago, as well as in several Perquimans High School plays and musicals.  Also in the cast will be Tom Loughlin who was the director of the two previous plays. This time he turns the direction of the play over to Carly Pastorak of Edenton who is also responsible for bringing three actors from Edenton to join the cast of seven men and three women.

Some of the real talent for this show will be behind the scenes--or I should say behind the scenery.  Lynn Raymond, the play’s producer, is faced with the challenging task of pulling off six scene changes in three distinct sets: a bank, a bedroom, and a doctor’s office. This would not be possible without Steve Burket who designed the scenes and the lights and sound system, Ray Sawyer who built the sets, and Tom Dabolt of Snug Harbor who brought his experience in Elizabeth City theater productions to help with the design.

What we have here is a beneficial symbiotic relationship: What the theater does for the community and what the community does for the theater. It’s a rewarding experience that would not be possible without all the marvelous local talent that will be on display in the little theater on Grubb Street starting May 6.