A giant pecan stolen, a minister on the make, aliens, a prom queen on the verge of a breakdown, Texas beauty parlor gossip, and a shotgun wedding — just your average day in 1980s Seguin, Texas — otherwise known as, The Home of the Great Pecan!
The day in Tuna, the third smallest town in Texas, begins—as usual—with Thurston Wheelis and Arles Struvie at the microphones of Radio OKKK, broadcasting at a big 275 watts (at least when they remember to turn the transmitter on). Topping the headlines is the winning entry in the American Heritage Essay Contest, entitled “Human Rights, Why Bother?” Then, Arles exits, and in comes Didi Snavely of Didi’s Used Guns; she leaves and gives way to weatherman Harold Dean Lattimer: “We have this swarm of locusts that are headin’ our way from Louisiana, but we figure the dust will kill a lot of ’em, and the rest’ll probably get blown away or drown in this tropical storm that’s headin’ our way from the coast.”And the comedy continues, from Petey Fisk of the Humane Society talking about the duck problem and Yippy, the Pet of the Week to Phineas Blye, perpetual losing candidate for city council announcing he’s running again and revealing his plan to tax prisoners: “It would be easy, ’cause everyone knows where they are.” Of course, a day isn’t complete without the high school football report from Coach Raymond Chassie, who explains why his football team lost 48-0: “We lost mainly because we couldn’t score.”
And so the day continues, as Tuna’s citizens parade across the stage in all their outrageous and irreverent glory, commenting on life, politics, and what makes them (and sometimes us) tick.
Come see Ocoee Theatre Guild’s first ever DEBUT!
i < 3 u is a half-improvised musical comedy about online dating.
Our hapless hero will “meet” three audience members and try to woo them into an onstage “date”. The audience will act as his wingman providing dating tips and strategies.
Don’t miss this unique experience!
Tickets are on sale at OcoeeTheatreGuild.com
Featuring Beth McClary as Florence Foster Jenkins and Jerry M. Draper as Cosme McMoon.
For more than half a century the name Florence Foster Jenkins has been guaranteed to produce explosions of derisive laughter. Not unreasonably so, as this wealthy society eccentric suffered under the delusion that she was a great coloratura soprano when she was in fact incapable of producing two consecutive notes in tune. Nevertheless, her annual recitals in the ballroom of the Ritz Carlton hotel, where she resided, brought her extraordinary fame. As news of her terrible singing spread, so did her celebrity. Her growing mob of fans packed her recitals, stuffing handkerchiefs in their mouths to stifle their laughter—which Mrs. Jenkins blissfully mistook for cheers. The climax of her career was a single concert at Carnegie Hall in 1944. Famously, it sold out in two hours.
Circle Theatre – a Romantic Comedy by John Cariana February 10 – 26, 2017
Love / Sick by John Cariani (who wrote Almost, Maine performed at CTC 2008-09) is so new it is not yet published. The work by actor/playwright John Cariani (who is currently playing Nigel Bottom on Broadway in Something Rotten), Love/Sick is ten vignettes about love in the style of the much-loved and oft performed Almost, Maine. Cariani describes it as the darker side of Almost, Maine, but prefers another’s description: “An imperfect romance for imperfect lovers and dreamers.”
CHICAGO, which opened to rave reviews on November 14, 1996, is now in its 20th year on Broadway and is one of the longest running American musicals, showing no sign of ever slowing down! Chicago is the winner of six 1997 Tony Awards® including Best Musical Revival and the Grammy Award for Best Musical Cast Recording. Set amidst the razzle-dazzle decadence of the 1920s, Chicago is the story of Roxie Hart, a housewife and nightclub dancer who maliciously murders her on-the-side lover after he threatens to walk out on her. Desperate to avoid conviction, she dupes the public, the media and her rival cellmate, Velma Kelly, by hiring Chicago’s slickest criminal lawyer to transform her malicious crime into a barrage of sensational headlines, the likes of which might just as easily be ripped from today’s tabloids.
In this romantic comedy, It was love at first site when Zoe’, a young attractive attorney, laid eyes on the man of her dreams. His name? Kirk! Handsome, charming and so sweet that he sweeps her off her feet…but her new found love is only pretending to be the perfect mate and has started sleeping with her best friend Yonnie. Kirk uses his charismatic powers to get them both under his spell and Zoe’ truly believes Kirk is the best man she ever met, but is fooled by his love and betrayed by her best friend. As the secrets unfold, Zoe’s zany family members take matters into their own hands and the comedy is non-stop, but at the end of the day, Zoe’ realizes that true love is not what it seems!
Performances: May 4 through May 21
Director: Emily Miller
Audition Location: The Back Alley Productions Scene Shop, on the corner of Henderson Street and Chattanooga Street, directly south of the Historic Mars Theater, 117 N. Chattanooga St. LaFayette, GA.
Set in the early 1960s, Cuckoo’s Nest explores a variety of themes such as mental illness, individuality, authority and societal influence. The story is experienced through the eyes of Chief Bromden, a docile inmate on the insanity ward floor in a state hospital. He details the arrival of a new inmate: the rebellious Randall P. McMurphy who is faking insanity to get out of prison. On the lifeless ward, McMurphy makes it his priority to crack the head nurse, Nurse Ratched, who rules the ward with an iron fist. But the stakes grow dangerous as McMurphy implements defiant tactics in order to break the tyrannical Nurse Ratched.
FESTIVAL OF NEW PLAYS Circle Theatre (general seating) – World Premiere
Grand Prize Winner April 21 – May 7, 2017
Not even written yet new: A completely new work for our 2017 Festival of New Plays – our ninth biennial festival where the work of local playwrights is showcased. The 2014-15 winner, the romantic comedy Dorothy Parker Would Not Approve by Stacy Chapman, was the most popular in the history of the competition.
Performances: May 4 through May 21
Director: Emily Miller
Audition Location: The Back Alley Productions Scene Shop, on the corner of Henderson Street and Chattanooga Street, directly south of the Historic Mars Theater, 117 N. Chattanooga St. LaFayette, GA.
Set in the early 1960s, Cuckoo’s Nest explores a variety of themes such as mental illness, individuality, authority and societal influence. The story is experienced through the eyes of Chief Bromden, a docile inmate on the insanity ward floor in a state hospital. He details the arrival of a new inmate: the rebellious Randall P. McMurphy who is faking insanity to get out of prison. On the lifeless ward, McMurphy makes it his priority to crack the head nurse, Nurse Ratched, who rules the ward with an iron fist. But the stakes grow dangerous as McMurphy implements defiant tactics in order to break the tyrannical Nurse Ratched.