ASU Theatre presents 'Nice People Dancing to Good Country Music,' opening Nov. 12

November 2, 2010 -- The Arkansas State University Theatre announces the cast of the November production of “Nice People Dancing to Good Country Music” by Lee Blessing. The second production of the season is a sharply drawn and very funny play about the personal heartaches and public eccentricities of two women living over a good-ole-boy bar in Houston, Texas.  Performance dates are Friday-Saturday, Nov. 12-13, and Tuesday-Wednesday, Nov. 16-17. All performances will be held at 7:30 p.m. at Fowler Center, 201 Olympic Drive, Jonesboro.  A “meet the company” dessert reception will follow the Nov. 12 opening night performance.

Eve Wilfong, who lives over the Nice People Dancing to Good Country Music Bar, is paid a visit by her niece Catherine Empanger, a novice nun who has been asked to leave her convent. It seems Catherine suffers from a curious compulsion to yell obscenities at the wrong moment and even bark like a dog. Roy, an honest if simple fellow from the bar downstairs, wants to court Catherine whether she's a nun or not. Eve feels she should give her niece the benefit of her experiences with men before allowing her to venture back into the mad modern country world.

The ASU Theatre’s production of “Nice People Dancing to Good Country Music” is under the stage direction of Bob Simpson, professor of Theatre. Scenic design will be by Jeff McLaughlin, assistant professor of Theatre; lighting design is by Charles Monte, a graduate student in theatre from Newport, Washington; and Claire Garrard, assistant professor of Theatre, will serve as costume designer. Gaylon Tyner, a senior theatre major from Jonesboro, serves as sound designer. Stage management duties for the production have been assigned to Kathryn Jackson, a junior theatre major from Jonesboro.

The cast includes Ben Griffin, a senior theatre major from Jacksonville, as Jim; Matt Morgan, a junior theatre major from Jonesboro, as Roy; Aleigha Morton, a senior theatre major from Searcy, as Catherine; Jordan Phillips, a freshman theatre major from El Dorado, as Jason; and Holland Taylor, a post-graduate student from Jonesboro, as Eve.

Tickets for all performances are $8 in advance, $10 at the door. All seating is reserved. Tickets should be purchased in advance at the ASU Central Box Office in the Convocation Center, by calling 972-ASU1, or online (http://www2.astate.edu/tickets/). Advanced reservations are highly recommended. Visit the ASU Theatre online at http://www.theatre.astate.edu/seasons/.

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