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'Little Sheba' plays Piedmont stage(4-10-04) The Piedmont College Theatre will present the Tony Award-winning play "Come Back, Little Sheba" by William Inge at Jenkin’s Theatre opening April 21. The play, directed by Dr. Betsey Blakeslee, chair of the Mass Communications Department, runs from Wednesday night April 21 through Saturday night, April 24 at 7:30 p.m. There is a matinee at 2 p.m. on Sunday, April 25. Reservations can be made by calling the Piedmont College Theatre box office at (706) 778-8500 extension 1225. Tickets are $7 for general admission, $2 for seniors and students, and Piedmont faculty, staff and students are free. Proceeds from Saturday night’s performance will benefit The Circle of Hope shelter for domestic violence in Habersham County. William Inge, one of America’s foremost playwrights is the author of "Picnic," "Bus Stop," and "Splendor in the Grass." "Come Back, Little Sheba" won both Tonys and an Academy Award for Best Actress for Shirley Booth. Dr. Blakeslee says, “The role of Lola is one of the great roles for a woman in American theater, and I view it as comparable to Willy Loman in "Death of a Salesman," a play that influenced Inge by his own admission. I could only do this challenging play because the senior class has the strong actors required to pull it off." The play takes place in a small run-down midwestern town in the late '40s during the early spring. It centers on a couple, Lola (Resa Train) and Doc (Jeremy Bishop), two people who are trying to keep their lives together as alcohol addiction overshadows them. According to Blakeslee, “These are decent people who struggle with the meaning of their lives and the choices they made in their past.” Other characters include Marie (Sarah Baer), their young college border, whose life is more complex than it first appears. Inge also creates a powerful cast of characters in cameo roles: Mrs. Coffman (Christina Clayton), the next-door neighbor, has a German, no-nonsense sensibility and little tolerance for lack of discipline; Turk (Blayne Kyle), one of Marie’s boyfriends, comes off as a cocky know-it-all but has experiences from the war that shape his life; Bruce, (David Reynolds) Marie’s fiancé, is an overachiever whose motives towards Marie are suspect; the postman (Chuck Duncanson) is kind to Lola who desperately needs kindness; the milkman (Eric Mathews) is symbolic of her sexual yearning and need for connection and Ed Anderson (Jeremy Miller) and Elmo Huston (Jeremie Scott) are former alcoholics who have dedicated their lives to helping others get through recovery and appear at the compelling climax of the play. Danielle Bailey is assistant director and stage manager. -30- -30- |
Resa Train
plays Rosa in "Come Back, Little Sheba."