Church Hill Theatre, in cooperation with The Mainstay and the Garfield Center at the Prince Theatre, will bring a Mardi Gras gumbo of music and drama to Delmarva audiences this February. The festivities begin with a “tasting” during Chestertown’s First Friday on February 1 and continue with events at all three theaters. CHT leads off on February 2 & 3, with one-act plays by Tennessee Williams and Horton Foote.
Bonnie Hill directs Foote’s The Midnight Caller, set in a boarding house in a small town on the Gulf Coast. Helen Crews, a vibrant young woman, moves in and upsets the staid routine with love problems involving a former finance and a new suitor. Foote, a Pulitzer Prize winner, is best known for his screenplays for To Kill a Mockingbird and Tender Mercies. The young Robert Duvall played the midnight caller, a role that launched his acting career. Hill’s cast features Rebecca Becraft, Carolyn Hailey, Heather Oland, Will Robinson, Chris Rogers, Becca Van Aken and Juanita Wieczoreck.
CHT’s Manager, Charles “Pat” Patterson, directs the Williams classic, 27 Wagons Full of Cotton, the inspiration for the film Baby Doll. Jake, a brutish cotton gin owner, his simple but not so innocent wife Flora, and Silva, the hard-eyed manager of the nearby Syndicate Plantation, indulge in several deadly sins. Williams called this a comedy, but the humor is dark. Michael Whitehill, Derek Avey, and Emily Chiras play the disturbing bayou characters.
Between the two plays, CHT regular Will Robinson, the head of the Gunston School’s drama program, will share a little-known Tennessee Williams essay on the importance of live theater.
The Midnight Caller and 27 Wagons Full of Cotton will be performed only twice—on Saturday, February 2, at 8 pm and on Sunday, February 3, at 2 pm. Tickets are $15 for adults and $7 for students (13 and older)
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