‘Carrie: The Musical’ to be the first show at Rose Garden Center for the Arts in Republic
Lindsay Frick will play Carrie in "Carrie: The Musical" at the new Rose Garden Center for the Arts in Republic, Oct. 26, 27 and 28.
Robert Harker stands in the pews of the former Holy Rosary Church in Republic, which has become The Rose Garden Center for the Arts. Today through Saturday, the center will stage its first production, "Carrie: The Musical."
A former church will be the venue for a play that tells the story of a high school girl with telekinetic powers, and her religious fanatic mother.
鈥淐arrie: The Musical,鈥� an adaption of the 1974 novel from horror writer Stephen King, will be the premiere play at the Rose Garden Center for the Arts in Republic this weekend.
The center was the home of the former Holy Rosary Church, which was closed last year. The center鈥檚 board purchased the building from the Diocese of Greensburg, with the dream of converting it into a community arts center.
Michael Rohlf, the show鈥檚 the technical director, said his wife Tricia, a member of the Rose Garden board, had the idea to make 鈥淐arrie鈥� the center鈥檚 first show.
鈥淪he (Tricia) was thinking of smaller shows to work for a Halloween venue,鈥� Rohlf said. 鈥淭his one has 12 people and a crew of about six people 鈥� mostly my family and a few other people.鈥�
At the center of the show (and King鈥檚 novel) is Carrie White, a shy teen who is often bullied by her classmates. When a change in Carrie鈥檚 life ignites her telekinetic powers, she uses them to take revenge on her bullies, and her controlling mother.
Like many of King鈥檚 works, the play is set in Maine.
The show was first staged in 1988 in the U.K., and opened in Broadway the same year. It鈥檚 since had revivals, with the most recent being in 2015.
Rohlf said the biggest challenge in getting the venue ready for 鈥淐arrie鈥� has been building the sets while rehearsals are ongoing on the center鈥檚 stage. The stage itself is a raised area above what used to the church鈥檚 altar.
Because the building used to house a church, Rohlf said, there are some advantages like padded pews, and the ability of the actors to perform beyond the stage and around the audience.
鈥淭his is much more of an intimate setting being in a (former) church,鈥� Rohlf said. 鈥淲hat seems to be more horrifying is the actors being horrified in front of you, and mayhem happening all around you.鈥�
He said having the action so close will add to the impact of the show鈥檚 horror aspect.
And while, yes, 鈥淐arrie鈥� does include plenty of horror, it also tackles real-world issues like bullying and abuse.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a personal story. They鈥檙e not larger-than-life characters, but they鈥檙e people with personal problems, and it鈥檚 easy to drive some of those points home,鈥� Rohlf said. 鈥淪ome people have experienced these types of problems in their own lives and can overcome most of it even after the horror is over.鈥�
The Rose Garden Center for the Arts was the idea of Robert Harker, a West Virginia resident who used to call Fayette County his home. The former Holy Rosary Church was his parish growing up, and when the church closed, Harker believed its 4,452 square feet of space could be used to introduce the arts to young people in the area.
In 2022, a board was assembled and sought donations to help them purchase the church building from the diocese.
Several months ago, Harker said they were able to raise $52,000 鈥� enough to purchase the building and the property upon which it sits, and pay the insurance for one full year.
鈥淐arrie: The Musical鈥� will be staged at the Rose Garden Center for the Arts, 1045 Main St., Republic at 7 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, Oct. 26-28.
Tickets are $20 each and can be purchased online at jonaleka.booktix.com.