An Interview With Charlie Strange Of 'Greater Tuna'

Temple Terrace Patch Contributor Patti McDonald sat down with director Charlie Strange of Masque Community Theatre’s performance of the off-Broadway production, “.” The two-man play runs on Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. through June 19.

Temple Terrace Patch: How long have you been involved in the ?

Charlie Strange: I’ve been involved with the theater since 1997, and the first show I directed here was “A Man of La Mancha.” I’ve done other shows like “Mash,” “Gypsy,” “Damn Yankees,” and “Leading Ladies.”

Temple Terrace Patch: Why did you want to be a part of this production?

Strange: I became a board member of the theater, and I got talked into doing “Greater Tuna” after the original director was unable to. It turned out to be much funnier than I originally thought and has a lot more to it.

Temple Terrace Patch: What makes "Greater Tuna" so funny?

Strange: The humor is just so sarcastic and off-color—it’s great. The multitude of personalities between the characters is quite interesting. My favorite is Charlene Bumiller, a high school senior and wanna-be cheerleader. She’s been wanting to be a cheerleader since junior high, but she doesn’t realize it’s just not going to happen. Of course, one of our actors is playing her.

Temple Terrace Patch: What’s one of the things you’ve liked the most about working on this show?

Strange: I think the thing I take pride in the most was helping Andrew and Ron (this play’s only two actors) find 20 characters. That’s a serious challenge for an actor and these guys did it will. They have made my vision for this production a reality, and I am very proud of them.

Temple Terrace Patch: Why should the community come out and see “Greater Tuna”?

Strange: To get to see Ron in a wig is worth the price of admission alone! But really, it’s important to support your local theater. It’s a lot of fun and worth the price of admission. Its only $14 for an adult; you can barely go see a movie with that. Once exposed to live theater, you’ll want to see more of it because it’s just a completely different experience.