Kirk Hiner likes to play, or write plays at least.
The Ashland native recently has re-written his first play, "Spoon Millionaires," he originally performed in college at Ohio Northern University. The play will be performed at Lima Playfair 2006 at Veterans Memorial Civic & Convention Center of Lima in August.
"People who go to see this will feel like they've just watched a reality show," said Hiner, who lives in Cuyahoga Falls. "Most of the characters aren't redeemable. It's just fun to watch."
The play started as "Congruent Love Triangles," a novel Hiner co-wrote with John Kriens during the Reagan administration. In college, Kirk adapted the story to a play performed by a comedy troupe, "...just because," founded by Kirk and Jim Jividen, his college friend. During those performances, Hiner not only directed the play, but also played a role in the production.
Years later, Hiner rewrote the play with Jividen when one of his original cast members, who lives in Lima, told him about the festival. The play was accepted at the festival, where it will be performed for two weekends in August. An original cast member, Jon Hodges, will be performing in the play again, this time as a different character.
"It makes you feel good when what they do is coming true for them," said Ruth Ann Hiner, Kirk's mother.
She said her son wrote a lot during his life; so much, they originally thought he would be an English teacher. Although, he changed his mind on graduation day to be a writer, Ruth Ann said she and Kirk's father, Dennis, have seen his plays.
The play itself has more to do with the music industry than the theater. The story is a farce about sex, drugs and Paul McCartney, taking place in 1986, a year that would ruin the Witherspoon family. The story centers around the impending fall of the Witherspoon Family and their record company, Spoon Records. Facing financial ruin, the Archduke Witherspoon hatches a plan involving a stolen cassette tape and a Paul McCartney look-alike. Through a maze of murder, infidelity, drugs and Satan, the plot unfolds.
"It's kind of a farce," said Kirk. "It's just goofiness."
The play will take place Aug. 10-12 and 17-19 on the stage of the Crouse Performance Hall at the Veterans Memorial Civic & Convention Center in Lima.
All "Spoon Millionaires" performances will begin 8 p.m. The Friday evening performances will be dinner theater, opening at 6:30 p.m.
For more information, call 419-224-1552 or visit Web site www.limaciviccenter.com.
