Interested in some culture this summer, supporting a local non-profit organization made up of talented young singers, actors, dancers, artists, and technicians, or just keeping the heat off your mind with some laughter?  Exit 82 Theatre Company’s latest production, The Drowsy Chaperone, certainly promises opportunities for all three and much more, as it begins performances this Wednesday.

In its 3^rd year, Exit 82 has already brought the shows Our Town and the Tony-winning musical Thoroughly Modern Millie to Toms River audiences.  Economical admission (at $10 for adults and $7 for children and seniors) always allows for great fun for families and other theatergoers alike, and the story behind Drowsy is also enjoyable for those of all ages.  In fact, the production’s Assistant Stage Manager Adrianna Slomicz comments: “Everyone can take something out of this show. Since it's an homage to musicals of the 1920s, there are a few era-specific jokes and references slipped in, but it still remains a show that's fun for the whole family.”

The Exit 82 Theatre Company offers several opportunities this week to catch the production: on July 27^th and 28^th at 7PM, July 29^th and 30^th at 8PM, and finally July 31^st at 2PM.  Additionally, all performances are held in the auditorium at Toms River High School North.  To reserve seats, please call the box office at 732-506-6693, but if you are unable to call beforehand, keep in mind that tickets are also sold at the door each night.

If the enthusiasm of those involved in Drowsy is any indication of the show in store, this latest production promises to be the best installment yet.  “The show itself is a lot of fun, and it's been an absolute pleasure working with the company,” confesses Assistant Stage Manager Adrianna Slomicz.  “I love witnessing the audience react, which is really the whole purpose of a performance. After all the work everyone has put in, it's extremely satisfying to witness fresh eyes experience the same jokes and one-liners you've been laughing at for months, or see a monologue tug at their heartstrings the same way it has tugged at yours.”

Surely, theater is one of the most unique experiences in this way, drawing together communities and individuals as a single audience, connected by the threads of story and feeling.  The aspects of community, and the growth of its young performing and artistic members, are of course key elements in Exit 82’s philosophy.  Determined to provide inspiring experiences to all those who participate in the shows and those that watch them, the organization opens opportunities to skilled (mostly Toms River) students interested in learning more about the theatrical process in varying parts, from design to acting.

“This is my first year with the company, and the experience has already been so rewarding,” Adrianna tells me.  “I've learned so much, and I couldn't ask to be part of a more talented and dedicated group of people.”  As a rising junior at Toms River High School East, Adrianna is currently interested in pursuing a college education and career in theater, and her work of The Drowsy Chaperone has given her essential, valuable experience.  If theater companies like Exit 82 are capable of allowing mere teens these great opportunities and invoking this kind of excitement and emotion in them, surely the least community members like us can do is support them.