That’s entertainment: Guild to present at OCTAFest

“The Play That Goes Wrong,” performed June 2023 at the Actors Guild of Parkersburg, will be presented Saturday at the Southeast Region of the Ohio Community Theater Association Southeast Region OCTAFest at the University of Rio Grande (Ohio). Choking over the drinks poured by the butler, from left, are Sean Shoop as Max, Ben Bradley as Dennis the butler, R.J. Lowe as Chris, George Litman as the deceased Jonathan, Alexis Parsons as Sandra and Kit Parsons as Robert. (File photo)

RIO GRANDE, Ohio — Two theater groups from Parkersburg and Middleport will perform Saturday at the Southeast Region of the Ohio Community Theater Association’s Southeast Region OCTAFest at the University of Rio Grande.

The Actors Guild of Parkersburg will present a segment from “The Play that Goes Wrong” and the River City Players from Middleport will bring “Blithe Spirit” to the festival.

“The Play that Goes Wrong,” directed by Josh Martin, is about a college show, “The Murder at Haversham Manor,” where seriousness and decorum turns into comedy through a series of unfortunate events during the performance. The local actors are Ben Bradley, George Litman, R.J. Lowe, Kit and Alexis Parsons, Willow Peyton, Sean Shoop and Josh Woodard.

“Blithe Spirit,” written by Noel Coward, is about the ghosts of a man’s wives haunting him. The segment features Seth Argabrite and Sara Michael.

Registration at OCTAFest begins at 9:30 a.m. Saturday at the Berry Fine Arts Center at the University of Rio Grande. Admission is $15 cash or check with cash concessions available.

The Ohio Community Theater Association is composed of many community theaters in Ohio and surrounding states and is dedicated to supporting theaters with services, educational programs, workshops and scholarships.

The regional festival is among eight scheduled this summer. The state conference will be held Labor Day weekend at the Midland Theater in Newark.

For more information, go to OCTA1953.org.