Metamora Fields Golf Course banquet hall hosts the Metamora Thespian Society’s dinner theater productions. (Photo courtesy of Metamora Fields Golf Course)

One day, a few years back, Vicki Brinkman remarked to a friend that she would like to figure out a way to make better use of the banquet facility at Metamora Fields Golf Course.

Her parents, Jim and Carol Ring, completed the club in 2010, and, despite its popularity, the banquet hall sat empty from time to time.

“I’ve known the owners of The Fields for almost 60 years, since I was a little kid,” Metamora High School English teacher Curt Rowden said. “I suggested putting on a play, and they loved the idea.”

And that’s how the nonprofit Metamora Thespian Society got its start. The Fields hosted its first dinner theater show in December 2015 with “Forever Plaid,” the story of a 1960s “guy group” who return from the afterlife for one last shot at fame.

Then came “The Fantasticks,” the world’s longest running musical. Last November, the Thespians put on the musical “Ring of Fire,” a play that showcased the life and music of Johnny Cash.

“(Ring of Fire) had nine people and a full band,” Rowden said. “It’s the biggest show we’ve done so far.”

Last week, Rowden and his crew wrapped up “Nunsense,” and a performance of the jukebox musical, “Life Could Be a Dream” is in the works, along with a second Christmas special, “Home for the Holidays,” which was first performed in December 2017.

The Metamora Thespian Society presented “Nunsense” at Metamora Fields Golf Club from Feb. 21-23. Society founder Curt Rowden said the group purchased the wardrobe due to the likelihood that the play will run again. Performers include (front row, from left): Caty Cornwell (Sister Amnesia), Blisse Stanford (Sister Mary Leo), (back row from left) Kat Devore (Sister Mary Hubert), Shelly Quine Fritz (Sister Mary Regina) and Jasmine Elam (Sister Mary Robert Anne). (Photo by Holly Eitenmiller/for Chronicle Media)’

Shows usually run from Wednesday to Saturday, and tickets are $35 each per performance. The proceeds are shared with The Fields to offset the cost of the buffet, which usually features pot roast, fried chicken with sides, desserts and nonalcoholic beverages. There also is an open bar that serves alcoholic drinks.

“We’re trying to save money for a sound system. Right now, we rent it,” Rowden said. “ Actors are volunteers, but we do pay the musicians. We hope to be solvent to pay all our directors a small stipend. We’re limited to four performances, though, so our ability to build up a big nest egg is a bit of a challenge.”

It can be a challenge to perform on a small stage, though Rowden’s not complaining. He and those who work and act with him would like to take on a bigger production, such as “Fiddler on the Roof,” which requires 32 actors.

“We love doing things at Metamora Fields in a dinner-type situation, but we’d like to do a mainstage production, and there’s no room for that at The Fields,” Rowden said. “The high school auditorium is a beautiful facility and it’s set up really well. I think it would be just great.”

That would require school board approval, paying a rental fee, scheduling rehearsals and creating and storing sets. It’s something Rowden said The Thespian Society and its board are working toward.

“We’re getting more people involved with the board. Now we have people who will be responsible for specific duties, and we’re still soliciting for more members,” he said. “We’re in the process of delegating. We have a president, vice president, treasurer and two at-large members who are part of logisticals.”

The society usually announces casting calls on its Facebook page, as well as relying on word-of-mouth from friends and acquaintances Rowden has accumulated from experience with Peoria Players and Cornstock theaters.

Preliminary rehearsals are held three times a week, and when the performance nears, rehearsals are nightly. If The Fields’ banquet hall is occupied, the group relies on the high school’s choral room and study hall.

“A little bit of a struggle in one sense, we’re a ways out from Peoria and that’s tough,” he said of the volunteers. “We’ve done very well and they’re very dedicated. One person in the ‘Nunsense’ cast actually lives in Metamora.”

The Thespians may hold a fundraiser at The Fields, Rowden said, perhaps by performing a “best of Broadway musicals.” The money would go toward advancing the society, partly by request of theatergoers.

“We put a lot into this, and it’s tough, but I’ve had people say, ‘You’ve got to keep doing this,’” Rowden said. “We need this kind of thing. It gives people something different to enjoy.”

Rowden, his wife and his two children are all graduates of Metamora High School. Following a stint in the Navy, he went on to work for the U.S. Postal Service, retiring in 2006. He holds two bachelor’s degrees, one in mass communication, the other in communication studies education. He began teaching at MTHS in 2007.

To keep up with the group, visit “Metamora Thespian Society.”

— Metamora thespians hoping for bigger productions —