MIDLAND It’s a tradition that’s 74 years in the making and it will return to the stage at the Yucca Theatre this summer.
Summer Mummers will kick off its 74th season June 3 and continue throughout the months of June, July and August before wrapping up on September 3.
Shows will take place at 7:30 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays each week.
This year’s Summer Mummers show will be “Game of Homes: A Song of Dirtland” which is a parody of the HBO show “Game of Thrones” and written by Caryn Nuzhet.
The timing of this year’s show will also be good with the Game of Thrones spinoff series “House of Dragon” set to air this August.
“Every year, the show has a different theme,” Public Relations Director at Midland Community Theatre Wendi Guerrero said. “This year’s theme is based on Game of Thrones so you’re going to kind of see familiar characters throughout the melodrama. It kind of timed pretty well because in August, that new prequel to game of thrones is coming out so we thought it was a good time to bring in this script.”
Directing this year’s show is a man who is no stranger to the Odessa-Midland theater community.
Ben Spencer has been a director for the past 10 years. He’s directed shows at Permian Playhouse, the Odessa College Globe Theatre and Midland Community Theatre.
“Summer Mummers comes with a heavy heritage that you have to end up honoring what came before by also giving it your own personal spin,” Spencer said. “Having the ability to be confined within a creative process was really appealing to me. When that was available, I threw my hat in the ring and said ‘why the heck not?’”
Summer Mummers is the longest continuing melodrama in the United States.
The oldest auxiliary organization at Midland Community Theatre, Summer Mummers helps provide MCT with nearly a quarter of a million dollars each year.
About 73 percent of Midland Community Theatre’s annual budget is a direct result of Summer Mummers.
The melodrama also continues a series of short sketches, dances and audience participation skits known as an olio.
Each sketch of the olio is about 60 seconds.
“Summer Mummers is an event unlike any other that we go to,” Spencer said. “Today, we’ll go see a theater show. Or we’ll go see a band or we’ll go to a bar and drink. Summer Mummers is a conglomeration of all of those things. You have music. You have dancers. You have funny bits. You have interacting with characters and throwing popcorn and enjoying time with your friends. That is what I would explain Summer Mummers to be.”
What you might not have is a plot in the show. That’s because there isn’t much of one.
Aside from being a parody of Game of Thrones, the play is mostly one chaotic event happening after another.
“When people say ‘what’s the plot’ the audience yells ‘what plot?’ because there’s not really one,” Alex Calentine who is one of the actors performing in the show said. “It’s one crazy thing after another.”
However, to summarize, the show contains an evil villain, a heroin and the hero. The heroin gets lost and runs into the king and they go on a noble quest.
Calentine plays one of the heroin’s sidekicks and is also in one of the olios.
“It’s been a fun group to work with,” Calentine said. “I enjoy the people. It’s a lot of high-energy. Everybody’s bringing different jokes to it which I like.”
Normally, Calentine is offstage working on the tech side of productions but she’s excited for the chance to be on the stage this year.
“I’m really excited,” Calentine said. “It’s definitely different from being up with the lights to being down on stage. I’m excited about it.”
Playing the role of one of the villains is Bryce Guerrero.
“(My character) is an evil, real-estate king,” he said. “His whole motive is to be able to capture the heroin so he can force the father to give him the legendary iron home which is the greatest fortress in the land.”
Guerrero is in his seventh year of being a part of Summer Mummers.
“Honestly, one of the best parts about it is hanging out with the people who do the show,” he said. “We’re all a little crazy. We all enjoy doing this. It’s a lot of fun for a lot of people.”
Taking part in Summer Mummers for the second time is Kelcie McCain.
“I just love getting involved with the community,” McCain said. “The community comes and sees this show so just getting involved with everyone and interacting with them is great. It does help community theater which I have some really good friends in which I have done shows with. It’s nice to help them out.”
McCain plays one of two characters in the show, both of which are bar girls.
“We kind of bring the comedy bit,” McCain said. “They also do a little dance because they like to dance and goof off.”
Spencer says bringing Game of Thrones to Summer Mummers has been a fun challenge.
“If you’ve been to Summer Mummers before, you would never connect the two together,” Spencer said. “It’s been a lot of fun to figure that out with the cast and the great script that’s been written. We’ve been able to have a lot of fun with it and it’s one I’ve really enjoyed.”
For those who have not been to Summer Mummers before, it’s best to be prepared for lots of popcorn throwing.
“As we say, Summer Mummers cannot be explained,” Wendi Guerrero said. “It must be experienced. But some things people must be prepared for are what we claim is to be the biggest popcorn fight in Texas. It has the classic vaudeville melodrama.”
If you go
- What: Summer Mummers.
- When: 7:30 p.m. every Friday and Saturday from June 3-Sept. 3.
- Where: Yucca Theatre in Midland.
- Where to purchase tickets: tinyurl.com/5xr9chfv
