By Rick Padden
970-593-0130
“The Great Loveland Potato Hoax” is
based on the true story of the worldwide attention garnered by the faked photo
of a Loveland, CO potato farmer holding an impossibly large 86-pound potato in
1894. Larger-than-life newspaper editor William Thorndyke convinces farmer J.
B. Swan to have the photograph made to call attention to his seed potatoes at a
local street fair, but it ends up dealing with a nineteenth century version of
“gone viral.” Hilarity follows as the men and women involved first discover
opportunity, and then find themselves embroiled in chaos as letters pour in
from around the globe.
Characters:
4 females
3 males
William Thorndyke, 40-50, a flamboyant newspaper editor
Nora Thorndyke, 40-50, Thorndyke’s wife
Evelyn Thorndyke, early 20’s, the Thorndykes’ daughter
Adam H. Talbot, 40’s, the photographer
Joseph B. Swan, 40-55, the potato farmer
Buster, any age, Thorndyke’s runner
Charles Fisk,
40-60, protagonist and troublemaker
Set and Costuming
Almost the entire play
takes place in the simple office set of the Loveland Reporter newspaper, which
has a main office area and a small storeroom off to one side. Two scenes take
place with darkened background and simple foreground: one is a street fair tent
scene and the other is a park bench scene.
Costuming is late
1890s.
Production History
This play premiered at the Rialto Theatre in Loveland in May of
2012.
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