WALDOBORO, Maine — A comedic play called “Homer Bound” will open at the Waldo Theatre in Waldoboro this weekend, and it nicely captures what community theatre is all about.
Everyone in the production is doing it for love, not money, because there is no money to speak of. Some of the performers have acted on stage before, others have minimal experience, and still others have no experience at all.
Playwright Karmo Sanders, who’s also an actor and got her start years ago playing Sally Bowles in a community theatre production of "Cabaret," loves that one of the actresses in “Homer Bound” hasn’t performed in years.
"I bought her a pizza and we were having it, and she says, 'Last time I was on stage I was ten years old,'" Sanders said. "And I just thought, yay!"
Sanders isn’t acting in this production, although she’s certainly at home doing madcap comedy. For years she cut a memorable figure as the "Marden’s Lady" in a series of TV commercials for the discount store of the same name in Maine. Now she’s focused on this production, delighted to return to her roots in community theatre.
"I can’t wait to see it. It’s funny! Let’s laugh now," she said, referring to the experience she hopes the audience has at the play. "Let’s laugh more now. We need it."