By MICHAEL BOYLAN
mboylan@TheCitizenNews.com

April showers may bring May flowers but it seems it has also brought a great deal of theater to the area this month.

All of the local theater companies, including Fairburn's Southside Theater Guild, Fayette Community Theatre Inc., House Red, and Newnan Community Theatre are active this month with plays, auditions and workshops.

Southside Theater Guild is putting the finishing touches on "Shenandoah," a musical drama revolving around a family's struggle to stay neutral during the Civil War. Inevitably, the family is swept up into the conflict, and the family's battle becomes a metaphor for the war itself.

The show will be presented April 19-21 and 26-28 as well as May 3-5 and 10-12. Call 770-969-0956.

Southside Theater Guild also will conduct auditions for "You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown" April 30 and May 1. Call 770-969-0956 for more details.

Fayette Community Theatre is currently presenting "Dearly Departed" at Sams Auditorium at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday. The play is a comedy and focuses on a Southern family dealing with the death of the father. FCT also will conduct auditions for "Annie" April 23 and 24 with call backs scheduled for April 25.

Girls 8 - 12 can audition for the role of Annie. They must be able to sing, dance and act and they must be available for all rehearsals, public appearances and interviews and have no scheduling conflicts. The production also requires 12 girls 8 - 13 and 22 adult men and women 14 and older. Children 8 - 13 will audition April 23 at 5:45 p.m., while adults will audition at 8:15 p.m. Callbacks are the following two days.

Newnan Community Theatre Company's Xtras will perform "My Name is Alice" an Off-Broadway revue about being and becoming a woman. The play was written by Joann Micklin Silver and Julianne Boyd and is a critically acclaimed production. The show will be presented April 20 and 22. For tickets, call 770-683-NCTC.

House Red Theatre Company will continue to perform "Crimes Of The Heart" Mondays throughout April. The show deals with three sisters and their struggles over a series of "bad days." Tickets are $30 per person and include dinner and the show. Call 770-460-7778.

Offshoot Productions will offer classes throughout the month as well. Acting basics is designed for youngsters 7 to 11. It meets Tuesdays, April 3 - 24, from 2:30 - 3:30 p.m., and costs $28. No previous experience is required. Participants will become comfortable on stage as they learn how to create characters, analyze a scene, and work with partners.

The actor's instruments: voice and movement for the stage is for ages 8 to 14. Scheduled for Sunday, April 29 from 2 - 5 p.m., the session provides exercises and scene work to help youngsters make the most of their natural abilities. Cost is $25. For information and registration forms, call the Offshoot office at 770-631-2362 or e-mail offshootpr@aol.com.

Creatures of Habit, a local sketch comedy troop consisting of several high school students and several local actors, will perform at McIntosh's Black Box Theatre Friday, April 13 at 8 p.m. Admission is $5. Proceeds from the "Saturday Night Live"-styled show will benefit the ECCA's community theater project.

As you can see, theater of every style is available on the south side this month. Go out and support theater your community.