Community Talent Night at Franklin Opera House March 31

FRANKLIN — The ever popular Community Talent Night returns to Franklin Opera House on Saturday, March 31 at 7:30 p.m.

The first talent show took place 11 years ago when the stage had just been reopened and there was very little in the way of lighting, curtains or anything else, recalls executive director, Steve Foley. "Galen Doscher and I had spent all day hanging the new main curtain and finished up an hour or so before the show. Galen had been crawling around up on the rigging grid and looked like a coal miner at the end of a day’s work. There was no time to wash up as we had not set up the borrowed sound equipment. I remember drafting Ken Merrifield (now Franklin’s Mayor) and getting him to help me with the sound system. From a production standpoint, it was a disaster, but the spirit of the show was awesome and everyone had a great time."

Foley also recalled that he watched the show from off stage so that he could reset the circuit breaker every time the lights would go out. That first show was produced by Jule Finley, a Franklin High School teacher and founder of Franklin Footlight Theatre, which spurred the effort to reopen the historic theater in the Franklin City Hall.

Since then, the show has come a long way and, in spite of the difficulty of trying to get the sound right and the multiple set changes for so many different acts in rapid succession, it remains one of the highlights for the staff and volunteers at Franklin Opera House each year.

To participate in this year’s show an entry form is needed. They are available by emailing info@themiddlenh.org or by stopping by or calling the Franklin Opera House at (603) 934-1901. Entry forms will also be available in the lobby at Franklin City Hall.

Entry forms must be received by the end of the day on March 23. Acts of most any type are welcome to audition. Performance time is limited to about 3 minutes, depending on the number of performers.