ASU Department of Theatre announces cast for 'Dancing at Lughnasa,' opening Oct. 3

Sept. 24, 2008 -- The ASU Theatre announces the cast of the October production of “Dancing at Lughnasa” by Brian Friel. “Dancing at Lughnasa” will be performed at Fowler Center Friday-Saturday, October 3-4, and Tuesday-Wednesday, Oct. 7-8. Allperformances are at 7:30 p.m. A “meet the company” dessert reception will follow the Friday, Oct. 3 opening night performance.

“Dancing at Lughnasa” is an extraordinary play that reveals the story of five unmarried sisters eking out their lives in a small village in Ireland in 1936. Their sparse existence is interrupted by brief, colorful bursts of music from the radio, their only link to the romance and hope of the world at large.

Lughnasa is the Irish festival marking the beginning of the harvest season, celebrated on the first day of August. A cross-quarter day between the summer solstice and the fall equinox, it was one of the major festivals of the ancient Irish calendar. In medieval Ireland, the Catholic Church appropriated the pagan festival and instituted the custom of blessing the fields. The festival, still celebrated in modern Ireland by bonfires, dancing, and family reunions, originally celebrated the harvest and the community, as well as family and friends. It was also, in ancient and medieval times, noted for handfastings, or trial marriages, that would last a year and a day unless solemnized more permanently.

The ASU Theatre’s production of “Dancing at Lughnasa” is under the stage direction of Stacy Alley, assistant professor of Theatre. Scenic design will be by Jeff McLaughlin, assistant professor of Theatre, and lighting design is by Bob Simpson, professor of Theatre. Brent Foland, assistant professor of Theatre, will serve as costume designer. Stage management duties for the production have been assigned to Alex Poynor, a junior theatre major from Jonesboro.

The cast includes Ben Gibson, a senior theatre major from Jacksonville, as Michael; Elizabeth Lawson, a senior theatre major from Marion, as Kate; Katelyn Mathis, a junior theatre major from Corning, as Maggie; Meredith Hendrix, a sophomore theatre major from Jonesboro, as Agnes; Aleigha Morton, a sophomore theatre major from Searcy, as Rose; Cesiley Sullivan, a freshman theatre major from Cabot, as Chris; Donnie Walters, a junior theatre major from Trumann, as Gerry; and Jeremy Bukauskas, a senior theatre major from Memphis, as Jack.

Tickets are $8 in advance, and $10 at the door. Tickets may be purchased for reserved seating in advance at the ASU Central Box Office in the Convocation Center or by calling 972-ASU1.  Tickets are also available online at tickets.astate.edu. Reserved seating tickets (if available) may be purchased at the door on the evening of the performance. Reservations are highly recommended.

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