We’re back.

The Pascagoula Senior Players, after a several months’ long hiatus, will be presenting “A Chicken Fried Murder” at the Pascagoula Senior Center on July 7-8. The play will be presented in dinner theatre format, with some audience interaction.

The Senior Players are a (mostly) older acting troupe started by Mac Nelson about 10 years ago. We’ve done a wide variety of productions, ranging from “The Glass Menagerie” to “The Odd Couple” to last year’s hit comedy, Eudora Welty’s “The Ponder Heart.”

“A Chicken Fried Murder” weaves a tale of small-town personalities and politics, combined with a murder that has to be solved within the play. We have localized the script to take place in Pascagoula.

Many of our local thespian luminaries will be on display, including Betty St. Amant and Johnny Fryer, along with talented newcomers like Rogena Mitchell and Eddie Kirby. You may also recognize the stiff playing the French detective.

Here’s the entire cast:

Johnny Fryer (Roscoe Dorking)

Rogena Mitchell (Olivia Orloff)

Eddie Kirby (Lionel Twain)

Mary Jones (Candy Twain)

Richard Lucas (Jacques Poulet)

Craig Edwards ( Dr. Douglas Wellsummer)

Pam Perkins (Angela Orpington)

Bruce Brister (Tom Orpington)

Pam Beecher (Dr. Pam Sebright)

Frank Bates (Ron Sebright)

Martha Daniels (Claudia Campine)

Skip St. Amant ( Chief James Campine)

Betty St. Amant (Vicky Stapleton)

Rachel Chandler, Director of the Pascagoula Senior Center, came up with the idea for this show and is the director. Our group has really enjoyed bringing these stage presentations to the local area over the past years. Now, in conjunction with the recently reformed Singing River Little Theatre, the theatrical arts are once again alive and well in Pascagoula and East Jackson County.

“A Chicken Fried Murder” will take place at the Senior Center on Friday, July 7, and Saturday, July 8, starting each evening at 5:30 p.m. Tickets are $10 (including dinner) and can be purchased in advance, while still available, through the Senior Center (228-769-8329).

Think about coming out for the show. We may be a bit rough around the edges at times, but we do have talent trodding the boards, and, in the case of “Chicken Fried,” I can guarantee you that you’ll laugh and enjoy yourself.

Richard Lucas is a native and lifetime resident of Pascagoula. He is a Pascagoula High School graduate and holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from the University of Mississippi. In 2017, he retired from Singing River Health System after a 36-year career as Director of Communications. He recently had a ten-year run as a weekly sports columnist for The Mississippi Press. Richard and his wife Mary Jon, a retired school librarian, have been married for 43 years. They have two sons, Cooper and Wesley, and two dogs, Bea and Lily. The Lucases attend First United Methodist Church in Pascagoula. In retirement, Richard remains active in community affairs, serving on boards and committees such as The United Way of Jackson and George Counties, the Pascagoula Strategic Planning Committee, the Jackson County Historical and Genealogical Society, Pascagoula Main Street, and others. Richard Lucas may be contacted at rblucas17@gmail.com.

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