Tony Dolciato has helped Powell United Methodist Church put on its annual theater production for nearly 20 years. This year, however, is his first on stage.

“I always said if you do a comedy, I’ll do it and this year it’s a comedy,” said Dolciato, a 52-year-old Powell resident.

The productions are a longtime favorite of church members, like Dolciato, as well as the community at large, said Howard Greer, co-producer of United Methodist’s upcoming dinner theater show, “The Love Liner.” The plays draw several hundred people each year to the church located at 825 East Olentangy St.

“We hear year after year that we’re just as good as any dinner theater,” Greer said. “It’s a lot of fun and you get a nice meal to eat, too.”

“The Love Liner,” which runs from March 11 to 14, packs a number of new twists for participants and audience members. The church’s multi-purpose room has been converted into a giant cruise ship, complete with peep holes for actors to pop their heads in and out of. Dinner will be served after every show this year and performers will move in and out of the audience to create an interactive experience.

The story is lighthearted. The year is 1976 and the cast of a theater group on a cruise ship gets off the boat to eat, gets sick and then can’t perform their play. Realizing this, the stage manager in the play asks the audience to help put on the show. People seated in the audience who are quick to help are in fact part of the actual play.

Sounds confusing, but it’s quite simple. If the rehearsal yesterday was any indication, audience members will be steadily snickering.

The church’s annual productions rotate between secular and spiritual plays but they’re often light on preaching, said Rita Stevenson, a 47-year-old Powell resident.

“It’s a good opportunity for outreach, a time to invite friends and neighbors out,” Stevenson said. “We look for plays that have a fun, family-orientated message.”

Stevenson, who is an actress in the upcoming church play, said the message behind “The Love Liner” is the importance of rallying behind friends.

For those in the play, it’s a time for families and people of all ages to draw closer together; the production’s youngest member is 11. Church members begin production work for the plays in the summer and work for several months to organize the play, including lighting and accompaniment by a full band.

“You spend the whole winter together so by the end you know each other pretty well,” Greer said.

As in previous years, a portion of the show’s proceeds go to charity, with this year’s production benefiting Grace Children’s Hospital of Haiti.

“The Love Liner” will be performed at 6:30 p.m., March 11 to 13 and at 5 p.m., March 14. Tickets are $15, which include a multi-course dinner, and are available at the door or by calling 614-847-3703.

bbullock@delgazette.com