A production of Ken Ludwig’s “Moon Over Buffalo” is set to be performed by Bemidji Community Theater at their Performing Arts Center in downtown Bemidji. The show is a community favorite, as this will be the third time the troupe will be presenting this play.

“Moon Over Buffalo” is about a group of actors in the 1950s who feel their stardom has faded, but their luck may soon turn around thanks to a film director coming to see a show the group are putting on.

Behind the scenes, the cast and crew seem perfectly at home on set. Even with the cast in costume, everything looks more like a family reunion than a theater production.

“You get really close to your cast when you’re doing a play,” says director Vicki Stenerson. “You’re with each other for three, four days a week, for six or seven weeks. So naturally there’s going to be some attachment that develops.”

Of course, the last couple of years have been a strange time for the performing arts world, and the COVID-19 pandemic has certainly left its mark on the Bemidji Community Theater.

“It was devastating for performance arts,” explains Stenerson. “Everything had to shut down, and there were months and months and months where you couldn’t have more than 10 people in a room.”

But now that things are back up and running, it seems the community wants to get out and see a fan favorite show that will make them laugh.

The play is set to open on Thursday, September 8th at 7 p.m. with tickets available at the door. The show will run from the 8th to the 11th, as well as the 15th through the 18th. More information, including showtimes, can be found on the Bemidji Community Theater website.

By — Justin Othoudt