The Crimora Players will be performing their latest production, “Granny Runs for President,” at the Crimora Community Centre this weekend, along with some home-cooked meals.
“Grandma Runs for President” was written by Eric Cash and stars his own grandmother, Eileen Cash, who also founded the theater company. Eric plays the dual role of a government inspector and Grandma’s campaign manager.
The play tells the story of Granny Cash, whose moonshine operation is ordered to close by the U.S. government. On the advice of a news reporter, she decides to run for president. However, Granny knows nothing about running for president. The comedy follows the misadventures that occur as she prepares to head to the ballot box.
The play was originally written as the story of Granny running for governor of Virginia, but with the presidential election approaching, Cash decided to change and revise it. He has written plays featuring the “Granny” character in the past, usually centering on her adventures running a distillery and selling moonshine.
“We make fun of Democrats, Republicans, independents and political correctness,” Eric said. “We bring humor to everyone who participates. Turn on the news and we’ll tackle just about any topic that comes up, with a lot of humor.”
The play has eight parts and features seven actors.
Eric works for Harmon Construction in Harrisonburg but has lived in Crimorah all his life, and most of the actors in the play are his relatives.
The Crimora Players perform four plays each year in February, May, September and November, and in some years a fifth play in July.
The Crimora Players motto is “Make us laugh,” so all of their productions are comedies. The group donates funds raised from dinner theater to individuals suffering from illness or medical expenses. Since 2002, we have donated over $219,000. Proceeds from this play will go to Melissa Hewitt, a local woman undergoing treatment for breast cancer.
“I know we’ve raised over $200,000 to give to people all the time. [plays] “It’s a benefit,” said Theresa Stewart, who plays a reporter in the play and helps manage the Crimora Players. “We do it all the time for people who need help with medical bills.”
According to Eileen, one of the founding members, the troupe formed by chance in 1995 as a branch of Forest Chapel Brethren Church in Crimora and was called the Forest Chapel People. Members of the small church stumbled across a play script and thought it would be fun to perform it. The troupe was renamed the Crimora Players and moved to the Crimora Community Centre in 2001. Since then, they have performed almost 100 shows.
Tickets for this weekend’s dinner theater are $15. Dinner includes ham, potatoes, a side dish and dessert. Doors open at 5:30pm on Saturday and 12:30pm on Sunday.
To get tickets for the Saturday evening performance or Sunday matinee performance, email crimoraplayers@yahoo.com or call (540) 487-0526.