MANSFIELD — Duncan Hike is comfortable behind the wheel of a tractor-trailer. He knows the controls. He knows the road. He understands the signs. An 18-wheeler is his home away from home.
The 26-year-old Shelby High School graduate chose to steer a different path this week.
Hike is jumping down from the cab of the semi Friday night to make his Mansfield Playhouse debut with a prominent role in the rollicking comedy, “Unnecessary Farce.”
It’s his first time on any stage since his high school days.
“I’ve always found acting to be a very interesting experience. I had a ton of fun when I had even just those bit parts in high school,” Hike said.
“I’ve always been interested in voice acting. I’ve always found that to be a very interesting career avenue,” Hike said before a dress rehearsal Tuesday night at the Third Street theater.
“Long story short, I have a friend of mine, Graham Leonard, who’s been in a bunch of plays around here, especially at the Playhouse. I figured, ‘Hey, there’s a play coming up. I might as well try auditioning.’
“I didn’t expect to get a part, but here I am,” Hike said with a laugh.
Hike plays an undercover police officer named Eric Sheridan, tasked with a sting operation at a local hotel aimed at busting an allegedly embezzling mayor.
He is the first to appear on stage in the ensemble cast, a group that includes veteran local performers like Candy Boyd, John Moser, Hannah Oberlin and Josie Burns, as well as director/actor Doug Wertz, who stepped into a role during rehearsals.
The Cast
Duncan Hike as Eric Sheridan
Josie Burns as Billie Dwyer
Hannah Oberlin as Karen Brown
Jacob Hunsinger as Mayor Meekly
Doug Wertz as Agent Frank
John Moser as Todd
Candy Boyd as Mary Meekly
Show dates and times
Jan. 27-28 and Feb. 3-4 at 8 p.m.
Feb. 5 at 2:30 pm
Ticket information
For tickets and reservations, call the box office at 419-522-2883. Box office hours are Wednesday through Friday from 1 to 6 p.m. and one hour prior to all performances.
Purchase tickets online anytime at
https://www.tix.com/ticket-sales/Playhouse/3818.
Hike was a bit taken aback — and nervous — when Wertz offered him the role of Sheridan, an anxiety-riddled officer fearful of things going wrong.
“I couldn’t turn it down. It was such an honor to be offered it. I’m glad I said yes. There have been some rough spots in rehearsals, but I am really glad I did it and put myself out there.
“I am excited to give it a shot,” Hike said.
The cast veterans have made it easier for the first-time performer.
“Everybody’s been so patient and understanding and Josie in particular has been such a wonderful person to support me. Very patient, very good with notes, and willing to take extra time outside of rehearsals to help me get stuff down. I’m incredibly grateful to her,” Hike said.
Burns, a teacher at Mansfield Spanish Immersion School, plays Hike’s partner officer, Billie Dwyer. Married in September, Burns just finished a role in a Second Stage performance at the Playhouse and stepped directly into “Unnecessary Farce.”
She said her husband is supportive of her theater work.
“Every time I want to do a show like this, I ask him, ‘I love you more than theater. Are you sure this is OK? ‘And he’s like, ‘I like to see you on stage and I like to see you happy. Go for it. We have the rest of our lives together,'” Burns said.
She said Hike has grown tremendously during the past several weeks of rehearsals.
“It’s the middle school teacher in me. Not that he acts like a middle schooler, because he doesn’t. It’s the middle school teacher nurturer.
‘It’s gonna be OK, buddy’ in me that kind of just like immediately tried to help him out with all of that and and reassure him like, ‘Hey, this is hard. This is a hard stuff. So don’t feel like you’re dumb for this not coming immediately It’s difficult. This is a hard show.’
“Shows are hard general, (but) this is a hard show,” Burns said. ‘We have eight doors.”
Two cops. Three crooks. Eight doors.
Go.
In a cheap motel room, an embezzling mayor is supposed to meet with his female accountant, while in the room next-door, two undercover cops wait to catch the meeting on videotape.
But there’s some confusion as to who’s in which room, who’s being videotaped, who’s taken the money, who’s hired a hit man, and why the accountant keeps taking off her clothes.
The show, written by actor/playwright Paul Slade Smith, has won nine regional theatre awards, has had over 325 productions throughout the United States, and in Canada, Great Britain, Australia, Switzerland, Iceland, Singapore, and Japan.
Wertz, who plays Agent Frank, said he is thrilled with Hike’s efforts.
“His audition was wonderful. He’s really been diligent about putting forth the energy and taking the notes and really growing with this show. He’s a great guy and he’s really putting forth a lot of fun energy,” Wertz said.
“I think he’s blending in incredibly well. He has learned some stuff, the very basic stuff, because he’s not done any shows outside of high school. So it’s been awhile.
“He’s really learned some new techniques and what’ll help him become a better actor. But he fits right in with the chemistry of the cast,” Wertz said.
Moser, chair of the history and political science department at Ashland University, said Hike is a promising young actor.
“He was really intimidated to be cast in the lead. And I remember it. It especially made a difference for me. because I remember being in his shoes because back in 2002, almost exactly 21 years ago, I came down here having seen a show and (then) auditioned,” Moser said.
“I got cast in the lead and I hadn’t been on stage probably since college. I was really intimidated by it. But I had a wonderful experience and when I was done, I said, ‘How did I stay away from this so long?’ So I hope he has the same thought after he comes through this,” Moser said.
In the comedy, Moser plays the role of Todd, a Scottish assassin with a thick accent. It allowed him to keep the now “villainous” mustache he grew for use in the role of the narrator in “The Nutcracker” in Ashland during the holidays.
“I read the script and I loved it and I laughed out loud a few times. I immediately was attracted to the role of Todd. I would’ve taken whatever role they gave me, but I really wanted this one,” Moser said.
“(Todd) is over the top and I love doing accents and this gave me an opportunity to do a Scottish accent, which I’ve never done on stage before. Everyone’s scared of me and I run around and yell. It’s just a crazy part and a crazy show,” Moser said.
He is a fan of accents, including the brogue he recalls first hearing as a child during a “Bugs Bunny” cartoon.
“I must have been annoying as hell to everyone. Every time I heard an interesting accent, I would imitate it. I still do that to this day. So I kind of had it in the bank and it’s something I trotted out once in a while just for fun.
“But this gave me an opportunity to do it on stage,” Moser said.
Oberlin, who plays frequently-disrobing accountant Karen Brown, said she always enjoys performing with Wertz, Moser and Boyd.
“Duncan was nice because he is a new face. I enjoy working with new people. I really have to see how they grow,” said Oberlin, most recently on stage in the musical “Chicago” in Galion.
“I read the script and I said, ‘Cool, I like this role. I’m going to go for it,'” Oberlin said.
The rapidly-moving comedy is set with two motel rooms — and eight doors — on one stage.
“At first it was a little nerve-wracking and then at a certain point everything just started to click and I was like, ‘Okay, cool. Now the fun can begin,'” Oberlin said.
“You just hope for the best with all those doors. You just hope you hit the right one,” she said with a laugh.
