ROBERT PIERCE
• Leader & Times
February is almost here, and that means Valentine’s Day is just around the corner.
While lovers everywhere are looking for a fun way to celebrate Feb. 14, Liberal’s Rainbow Players community theater group is giving both couples and singles a chance to enjoy some romantic entertainment prior to Valentine’s Day, all while helping a worthy cause.
Feb. 8, Rainbow Players is inviting the community to the fourth edition of “An Evening of Romance” to help raise money for the theater group’s upcoming summer production.
Rainbow Players’ Maddy Sander said the title of that production will be revealed that evening. She added theater group leaders are excited to put on the annual fundraiser, which will take place starting at 7 p.m. Feb. 8 in the Friends Church Family Center at 1650 N. Western Ave. in Liberal.
“They’ve been so generous in letting us use their space and put on a fun evening full of jazz music, premium dinner, and we’ll auction off different opportunities for date nights for a loved one or yourself for the evening,” she said.
Sander said Rainbow Players has gotten a wonderful response from the community for its first three performances of “An Evening of Romance.”
“We are so grateful and so appreciative,” she said. “The very first year we did it, we were trying to get it off the ground. It boomed at the last minute. We were like, ‘Oh gosh is this going to happen?’ We have had nothing but wonderful response from the community since. We have people who have called and said, ‘Oh are you doing it again?’ It’s really beautiful to see how the community has bought into it and they’re still looking forward to it.”
Sander said “An Evening of Romance” has helped Rainbow Players raise money to do bigger shows such as last year’s production of “Willy Wonka” and 2023’s production of “Cinderella,” in which she said many things were done that may have not been able to happen otherwise.
Those who come to the Feb. 8 fundraiser can likewise bid on some wonderful items as part of a live auction
“Best Western has put together a handful of hotel rooms we’re going to offer,” Sander said. “We have a mani-pedi couples package in the works we’re putting together, as well as an item from Staats that was the big one last year and some gift certificates from some local food and business.”
One of the biggest items available makes a return for this year.
“Mike Brack is donating an Italian dinner for eight,” Sander said “We’re very excited to offer that. He does such a wonderful job with it, and he has been a great supporter of Rainbow Players in that way. We’ll be excited to see how that one turns out.”
As with past editions of “An Evening of Romance,” Great Western Dining will provide food for the evening.
“We’ve got a beautiful chicken alfredo pasta dish, as well as a bacon wrapped pork loin option,” Sander said. “You get to decide which of the two. We’ll have a decadent salad course, as well as a cheesecake bar with fancy toppings. The Boy Scouts of America will be helping serve. It’s all served. They’ll go around, help fill your plate. They’ll take it out. Courses will flow in, as will the music.”
Tickets for the event are $35 for singles and $65 for couples and can be purchased online at www.rainbowplayers.org/home. Sander said those who come also have other chances to donate to the theater group.
“We’ll have certain pieces where it has a certain donation amount so you’re donating to those specific causes,” she said.
Sander added Rainbow Players is always looking for new talent in the community.
“Part of the beauty of theater is no two productions are the same, and the more people we can have and inspire and grow with, the better,” she said. “We are always willing and always excited to bring in new faces and meet more people who would love to make theater with us.”
Tickets for this year’s “An Evening of Romance” event need to be purchased by Feb. 4. Sander said this ensures tickets can be bought and the right amount of food is in place for the night.
“Tickets are not available at the door, so be sure to take on that opportunity and following us on our Facebook page and rainbowplayers.org/home,” she said. “All the links are on our Facebook page. You can also call directly to Trina Fosdick, our president, at 620-655-5934.”
Sander said with love being the theme of the night, and Valentine’s Day will be in the air, she said this can work in many different capacities.
“You see couples come to this, and multiple couples will come together,” she said. “We also have a group of friends who would like to come see this. No matter whether you’re coming with a couples ticket or a singles ticket, you will have a wonderful evening.”
Accompanying singers for the evening will be local musicians Alisa and Scott Henderson, Bill Anton and Brent Howie. Sander herself will be among a small group of singers that includes Timothy Smith, Fosdick and first-time singer Noel Delgado, who has played trombone in the pit for past Rainbow Players productions and is a member of the theater group’s board. Delgado will perfom numbers in both Spanish and English.
For more information about “An Evening of Romance,” call Fosdick at 620-655-5934, e-mail
“This is my favorite piece to put on,” she said. “I love shows. There’s just something very wonderful and intimate about getting to connect with people in the community. You’re creating art, but you’re also getting to meet them, talk to them, build with them. I think, is going to be a beautiful thing to see.”
