Comedy By Local Playwright and Actor to Debut at The Station Dinner Theatre

Contributed

The original play debuting on the Station Dinner Theatre stage on Saturday, Aug. 17 was written by local actor Lisa Rawson. It is her first foray into playwriting - the story was inspired by the closure of a school and from Rawson's speculation about what a closed school might become in the future.

PREMIERES SATURDAY, AUG. 17 

Lisa Rawson was already being encouraged by her husband to write a play of her own when they found out that a school in the Conneaut area school district that they both graduated from was being closed. 

"What do you even do with an old school, besides turn it into a senior living center? Wouldn't it be funny if we ended up living in our old school?" she wondered. There, her idea for the comedy Old School Living (In Our Old High School) was born. Rawson forwarded the play to the Station Dinner Theatre's owner, Paul Urbanowicz, without including the name of the playwright, in hopes of getting his honest opinion.

A proofreader for 27 years, including volunteer work previewing scripts and giving feedback for potential shows, left Rawson often feeling disappointed in the comedies available for production. Although she had never written a play before she decided to give it a shot, asking theater friends to read it and provide feedback to flesh it all out for production along the way. 

Rawson is also one of the actors in the play. The rest of the cast includes: Almitra Clerkin, Betsy Butoryak, Niki Schneelock, Michael Nasca, Chad Santos, and David W. Mitchell. Mitchell, who you may know as co-owner and artistic director of All An Act Theatre, is also directing the play. Mitchell has acted and directed multiple times for The Station DInner Theatre. 

Rawson is no stranger to the stage. A high school and community theater performer in her youth, she back-burnered acting for some time for "life and work and kids," she says. But in 2016 she auditioned and was cast in an Erie Playhouse production of One Slight Hitch with Adele Crotty. Crotty is one of many from Erie's community theater scene that Rawson credits for their support and encouragement, without which she says "I never would have had the confidence to write a play." Old School Living (In Our Old High School) will mark Rawson's twelfth show in Erie theater.

Saturdays, Aug. 17 and 24 and Sept. 7 // 5:30 p.m. //Sundays, Aug. 18, 25, and Sept. 8 // 2:30 p.m. // $31 to $51, includes dinner // The Station Dinner Theatre, 4940 Peach St. // For info and tickets canterburyfeast.com