The theater bug, that is! But that’s not surprising as it seems theater is in their blood!

The Rileys consist of father Kevin, mother Dena, and kids Aleric, Ellie and Ted. They’re currently hard at work on the Community Players’Christmas show, “Elf the Musical.”

When asked why they became involved, Dena responded, “For me and my family, theater’s a big thing. My grandma’s brother went into radio and ended up kind of top dog in Alabama at ABC News. My mom’s been in theater even to this day and was since she was little. I came to UW-Richland in 2002 or 2003 and we did ‘A Midsummer’s Night Dream’ and ‘Land of the Dragon’ and those were amazing shows. I then went away to school for graphic design, got married and had kids. But when we heard that the campus might be closing down and it might be my last time to be a part of the Coppertop, I thought: ‘we have to do it!’” “We didn’t know if the kids would like it or not. We thought, ‘we’ll just try it.’ But they fell in love with it as much as I’ve always been in love with it. Now, it’s a family thing. They’re always asking, ‘When’s our next play? What are we going to do? Can we go to the theater today?’ For me, it’s my favorite pastime; it’s my hobby; it’s my sport. It’s just the thing I love doing, no matter what part of it.” Dena will be playing a security guard in the show and will be part of the ensemble, in addition to helping out backstage.

Dena reports that her husband, Kevin, had always thought that the lights and sound “seemed kind of cool.” So when Tech Director Brandon Merkle was looking for someone to help with “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe,” Kevin got involved. Now he spends his free time studying stage lighting and surfing the internet, looking for equipment. He will be helping program the show and running the light board for “Elf.”

Oldest son Aleric, age 11, is playing Charlie the Elf in the current show. He played Edmund on alternate nights in “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” and was one of the goats in “Heidi.” When asked why he likes theater, he said, “It allows me to play while letting other people see that and have fun!”

Ellie, age 10, will be one of over a dozen kids playing elves in the musical. She was a Lynx in “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” and played White Swan, a beloved goat, in “Heidi.” She said she likes being in theater “Because you can make new friends at it and it’s fun to be doing the plays.”

Ted, age 7, was also in “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” and played a skunk at the special request of the director. He was aTownsperson in “Heidi.” When asked why he likes the theater, he started out “Because...” (“Because what?” demanded his sister, after a moment.) “Because you can make your own play and… stuff like that!” he concluded.

The Rileys can always be counted upon to help with the other aspects of the show as well, such as set building, finding props, painting and decorating. Weekends often find them at the theater, helping out along with the other folks who’ve caught the bug. Dena concludes, “So now, it’s not just a fun thing we did, it’s a fun thing we do and we plan to keep doing for a long time!”

Elf the Musical will be seen on December 1, 2, 3 and then again on December 8, 9 and 10 at the Coppertop Theater on the former UWRichland campus. Friday and Saturday shows are at 7:00 p.m. and Sunday shows at 2:00 p.m. Tickets are just $15 for adults, $10 for children as well as a family package of two adults and all the kids for $50. Tickets will be available at the door.

Anyone with questions or who wants to help out can contact the Community Players at communityplayersswwi@gmail.com. Any businesses who planned on donating to help support the show can still send in their envelope or call 608-538-3848.