Plant City Entertainment Community Theatre is the hub for theatrical performances and events in Plant City. Its 2025-26 theater season is in full swing with their upcoming play, Farce of Habit, starting on Friday, April 25, and running until Monday, May 5.
“Plant city is one of the oldest, if not the oldest community theater in Florida,” said Kelley Powell, play director. “We do everything with volunteers and are known for our famous Frank’s Brownies that we serve at our concession stand nightly. We strive to provide quality entertainment for our community by doing four shows a year.”
Farce of Habit is a Jones Hope Wooten play and is a sequel to Wooten’s Farce of Nature play. The play is a comedy that focuses on the Reel ’Em Inn, the finest little fishing lodge in the Ozarks. The proprietor, D. Gene Wilburn, is looking forward to a peaceful weekend on the lake. But there are only two chances of that happening: slim and none. Wilburn’s wife, Wanelle, picked these three days to white-knuckle her way through caffeine withdrawal, and there are more family and guests of the inn’s hijinks as well.
“We love doing their play because our audience loves them and they are a lot of fun to perform,” Powell said. “What I love best is directing and telling the playwrights stories.”
Powell has been in been involved in the entertainment business for more than 40 years.
“I did my first play for Plant City Entertainment at 14 years old when a cast member quit, and I stepped into the role of Terry in the play Babes in Arms,” Powell said. “As a performer or backstage, I worked for cruise ships or theme parks and professional theater gigs for more 20 years then came back home to Plant City to live.”
Powell has also served on the board of Plant City Entertainment Community.
“I truly love working and seeing this little theater grow,” Powell said. “My hope for this show is the audience can escape for two hours in a sitcom like environment and belly laugh at these zany characters and the ridiculous things they get themselves into. I feel like right now in our world we all need to laugh more, and that’s why I love these plays.”
If you would like to learn more about Plant City Entertainment Community Theatre or if you’d like to attend Farce of Habit, you can visit www.plantcityentertainment.com or call 813-752-0728. The theater is located at 101 N. Thomas St. in Plant City.
