Friday, July 25, 2003
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Friday, July 25, 2003 |
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Curtain rises tonight on play The Coweta County School System's STAR program will stage the comedy "You Can't Take It With You" this weekend at Wadsworth Hall in downtown Newnan. Shows begin Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m. Performances of the 1930s comedy by Moss Hart and George S. Kaufman are the first production brought to the community by the Superintendent's Theatre Arts Resource program, and are also being held as a part of the celebration of the city of Newnan's 175th anniversary. Dr. Richard McMitchen, of East Coweta High School, is directing this year's production. Tickets are on sale at the box office of Wadsworth Hall located on Jefferson Street in downtown Newnan or can be purchased before the show at Perennials and Scott's Bookstore in downtown Newnan, Newnan Antiques on Bullsboro Drive, Catfish Hollow at Thomas Crossroads, or Old World Antiques in Sharpsburg. Tickets are $7.50 for general adult admission and $5 for student and senior admission (55 and older). The play's cast is drawn from high school students across Coweta County, and includes Margaret Skrmetti as Penelope Sycamore, Bockenek as Rheba Jessie, Michael Roach as Paul Sycamore, Thomas Skrmetti as Mr. De Pinna, Chaz Ferguson as Ed Carmichael, Corey Hendrick as Donald, Sean Reidy as Martin Vanderhof, Courtney Bailey as Alice Sycamore, Bethany Prosser as Wilma Henderson, Michael Humphrey as Tony Kirby, Josh Carnes as Boris Kolenkhov, Becky Moody as Gay Wellington, Joe Massingill as Anthony Kirby, and Mandi Phipps as Grand Duchess Olga. "We had some very strong talent displayed during auditions," said Don Nixon, performing arts center coordinator for the Coweta County School System. "This will be a wonderful inaugural performance for the STAR program." "You Can't Take it with You" is an over-the-top comedy centered around Grandpa Vanderhof, who reigns over a house full his eccentric family, including his wife, children, grandchildren and their spouses, and even visitors who have simply never left. All are artists, writers or inventors, "all independent minded people following their bliss," said Nixon. "It's a zany comedy but with a wonderful moral story: that no matter where we are in life we are all looking for a community that allows us to discover and share our gifts. It's also a large cast, and the show provides lots of male and female roles. It will allow us to showcase our best talents from across the county." The purpose of the Superintendent's Theatre Arts Resource (STAR) program "is to allow opportunities for theatre students or people with a love for drama to share in a production together," said Nixon, who coordinates the program. The program will be centered around the Coweta County School System's new Performing Arts Center when that facility opens early in 2004. "Students often stay concentrated within their schools, and sometimes don't get an opportunity to share the stage with other great talents," he said. "This opens up the opportunity to experience what the real theatrical world is like, with a larger audience base and exposure to different directors and broader resources within our system." "That's what we hope the STAR program will do and what the arts center itself will do when it opens next year, and we appreciate the city of Newnan allowing us use of Wadsworth Hall to get an early experience of that. Plus it gives us a neutral space for students to perform in, so everyone will feel like equals onstage."
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