Caleb Nickerson
BRISTOL Aug. 23, 2017
The stage was set at Coronation Hall in Bristol on Wednesday night for the premiere of Hotbed Hotel, a slapstick romp written by Michael Parker and performed by the Pontiac Community Players (PCP). Over 100 people packed the hall for the opening night.
The plot centered on Terri and Brian Cody (played by Carol Valin and Matt Lottes respectively) and their hapless attempts to sell their dive hotel to a wealthy investor and his wife (Greg Graham and Meagan Pelletier).

Along the way, they are helped (and hindered) by an odd assortment of characters, including a drunk handyman/reverend (Jim Duncan), a British Army Major who might also be an Arab Sheik (Craig Young) and an unrepentant nymphomaniac (Janice Hodgins), among others.
Graham, who is a director at Coronation Hall, directed the play in addition to performing. He explained for the past eight years that the PCP has put on a production every summer the weekend before Labour Day.
“It’s an excuse for us to come together and put on shows,” he said. “We’re going to raise some money for the Pontiac High auditorium restoration project and hopefully make enough so that we can do it again next year.”
He added that several cast and crew members were making their theatrical debuts that evening.
“We’re all amateurs, we do this for fun,” he said. “Some people are on the stage for the very first time or are helping backstage for the very first time.”
The play was selected in October of last year and Graham said that the cast and crew of about 15 have been rehearsing since May.
“There’s been hundreds of hours put in by people, hundreds and hundreds of hours,” he emphasized. “Between memorizing lines, coming here for practice, building the set, making costumes, doing the programs, doing the posters, advertising, all of that.”
To commemorate opening night, attendees were treated to a full dinner before the show. Judging by the guffaws emanating from the crowd, their appetites for comedy had been satiated as well.