Alleghany Community Theatre (ACT) is gearing up again for its fifth annual ACTing Up at the Dollar show on Saturday, May 16. This year ACT will again stage the show at the Silver Dollar Music Park in Glade Valley. Called “Acting Up at the Dollar, the production is an adult-oriented, variety show and dinner featuring vocalists, a comedian, skits and more. Dinner is by reservation only at 6:00 pm and the show, which does not require a reservation, is at 7:00 pm. Soda, beer and wine will be available.

The show will feature another episode in the comedically contentious lives of “The Bickersons.” Jim Williams and Dee Meland will render their versions of John and Blanche Bickerson in a reproduction of the classic, hilarious radio series. This year’s episode is called “Blanche Returns.” Williams, the current president of ACT, got his start as a child actor and later helped manage a theater group at an Air Force base in England. He most recently directed ACT’s full production of “Continental Divide.”

Dee Meland is new to ACT, but has experience in musical theater in Pennsaylvania and New York.

Comedian Janet Evans, from Fancy Gap, returns also. She has been a huge hit for the past two years. Evans is workshop presenter with the North Carolina Association of Educators and is accustomed to using humor to warm up her audiences. She is also a former contender for Miss North Carolina.

Returning, also, is Robbie Presnell, in a skit called “At the Beach.” Appearing with him will be a newcomer to ACT, Miranda Raimondi.

Still another skit, called “The Love Clinic,” will feature Jim Williams and Brandi Bowles, who is on the ACT board, stage managed last fall’s production of “Continental Divide.”

Returning to ACT’s stage is Mary Jane Ciraco. She was last in an “ACTin Up” production in 2006. This year she will explain and then demonstrate a belly dance routine. Currently one of the line-dancing instructors at the Alleghany Jubilee in Sparta, Ciraco has participated in the annual “Hillbilly Variety Show” the last four years.

Another act returning after a year of so off is the New River Chordsmen, a barbershop quartet. Swift Black, Bob Baldwin, Mike Warren, and Tom Fowler hail from Ashe and Alleghany Counties.

Rounding things off will be LauraLane Osbourne who will entertain with standards and show tunes. Osbourne, an Independence high school senior, has appeared in several local musicals such as “Bye Bye Birdie” and “Cats” and sings with The Highland Camerata. She will attend the University of Southern Mississippi in the fall where she will major in Opera/Classical Performance.

Producers for the show, once again, are Jim Williams and Dudley Carpenter and they emphasized that all the acts are from the area. “We are proud of the variety and level of talent in this region,” stressed Carpenter, “and glad to be able to showcase it once a year.” Williams added, “We urge everyone to come and support these people. There is no lip-syncing here. This is a fully professional show. It’s across between Saturday Night Live and the Ed Sullivan Show.”

This year dinner, at 6:00 pm, is by reservation only. That means patrons must call ahead to reserve a dinner place. Walk-ins are welcome for the show at 7:00 pm. The show only is $10.

Tickets and reservations are available at Buxton Abbey and Mountain Dreams Realty. To make a dinner reservation, call Mountain Dreams Realty Monday through Friday at 336-372-1622 or come in to Buxton Abbey. On Saturday or Sunday call 336-372-8024. Tickets for dinner and the show are $24.00. ACT sponsors with special show passes need only pay $14 for dinner. This ACT production is sponsored by the Alleghany Arts Council with partial funding by an NC Arts Council Grassroots Grant.