Preview of Parrish play is a hit

Find out more about "Red Rooster Tales," a folk life play about the history of Parrish, by visiting www.redroostertales.com.
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The first preview performance of "Red Rooster Tales," a folk life play about the history of Parrish, put on by residents of Parrish, was a huge success last month, according to Ben Jordan, acting executive director of the Parrish Arts Council.

"It was better than I would have ever imagined," Jordan said.

The recently formed arts council created the play as a way to instill a sense of community in Parrish and to boost the local economy. A short preview of the play was performed for potential donors and again for a sold-out crowd of residents at the Parrish Branch Y and community center a few weeks ago.

"They just nailed it," Jordan said. The performance was great. It proved, 'OK, hey, the community will support this.' "

(Read more about "Red Rooster Tales" and what it could mean for Parrish's future in the Herald's recent story.)

The full play will debut sometime in spring 2014, and there's a lot more work to be done before then. Most importantly, the arts council hopes to find -- or build -- a larger venue that might serve as a permanent home for the play and draw visitors and tourists to Parrish.

"We would like to put a building at the (Florida) Railroad Museum," Jordan said. "That's the real dream."

Jordan and the rest of the arts council members were meeting this week to decide their next steps, then go out and seek the funds to accomplish them.

For more information about "Red Rooster Tales" and how you might get involved, visit redroostertales.com.

-Jason Bartolone, East Manatee Editor