NATCHEZ — This weekend the people in downtown Natchez may not be who you think they are.

That’s because, over 700 actors and actresses from high school and community theaters from across the state will be in character all over downtown Natchez.

Beginning Thursday and ending on Sunday, the Mississippi Theatre Association conference will be in town for a series of performances, workshops and social gatherings.

The conference will have activities in the Natchez Community Center, Natchez City Auditorium, Natchez Convention Center and Jefferson Street United Methodist Church as well as several downtown hotels.

Workshops and performances will also take place on stage at Natchez Little Theatre, the only non-downtown location.

The yearly conference, which is typically hosted in towns with a university or college will be in Southwest Mississippi for the first time.

MTA executive director Stephen Cunnetto said Natchez offered a unique atmosphere that the association was excited about.

“Certain things that we like about Natchez is that there is going to be a central location,” Cunnetto said. “We are going to be able to use the city auditorium, the convention center and hotels that are right there in downtown.”

Executive director of Natchez Little Theatre Layne Taylor said he was thrilled his hard work paid off and the MTA board named Natchez as the host city.

“I invited them down and Stephen Cunnetto came down and did a workshop in 2007,” Taylor said. “After that he and the board came back to Natchez a few times.

“We wined them and dined them, and showed them all the great things Natchez has to offer.”

The conference kicks off Thursday for attendees, but the action heats up on Friday when groups begin performing at 7:30 a.m. at the city auditorium.

Also on Friday, high school theater programs are doing a full day of free children’s performances at the Natchez Little Theatre. Taylor said he invited all of the locals schools and that many of the performances are already booked.

“I’m happy to say that the Natchez-Adams School District jumped on board and reserved seats for the majority of the shows,” Taylor said. “The ones that are open are supposed to be for schools, but what I really want is for the seats to be full.”

As of Tuesday, seats remained for the 8:30 a.m., 2:45 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. shows.

All of the performances are open to the public. Tickets are

$5 for a block of shows, which contains three or four shows, $15 for a day of shows and $25 for a weekend pass.

Tickets for performances are available at the door of each venue. A complete schedule of events can be found online at www.mta-online.org.

While the conference is entertaining for those watching the plays, it is serious work for the theater groups attending. Groups are competing in several different categories, and winners from this conference will go on to compete in the Southeastern Theater Conference competition in Birmingham, Ala.

There is also a 10-minute play festival, college auditions for high school and community college students, youth and adult playwriting competitions and monologue competitions.

The conference, which could bring as many as 1,000 visitors to Natchez this weekend, is a yearly event that, if done well, could return to Natchez in as little as four years.

“How well the community embraces us coming to Natchez and how easy it is to get around the city are things we look at,” Cunnetto said on the possibility of returning to Natchez. “We also look at how accommodating restaurants and other establishments in the area are.”

Taylor said Natchez definitely has the ability to woo the crowd of thespians this weekend, but that cooperation is needed to put Natchez’s best foot forward.

“This is the type of thing that Natchez does well,” Taylor said. “But they do it well when everyone is willingly working together.”

But Taylor said it can’t be done by one person.

“With the number of locations and number of programs we have scheduled, a large number of volunteers are needed to man different areas,” he said.

Volunteer opportunities vary from manning festival registration tables to assisting with lighting or directing traffic. Volunteers should call Natchez Little Theatre at 601-442-2233.

Performance block times are as follows:

Friday

Performance Block 1 – City Auditorium

7:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. – four plays

Performance Block 2 – City Auditorium

2 p.m. – 4 p.m. – four plays

Performance Block 3 – City Auditorium

7:45 p.m. – Official welcome by Tom Booth, MTA president and two plays

Saturday

Performance Block 4 – City Auditorium

7:30 a.m. – two plays

Performance Block 5 – City Auditorium

1:15 p.m. – Two plays

Performance Block 6 – City Auditorium

6 p.m. Keynote speakers Mark Dunn, Scott Burkell and Paul Loesel will discuss the evolution of the stage musical Ella Minnow Pea

6:45 p.m. – two plays

Sunday

Performance Block 7 – City Auditorium

8 a.m. – two plays