Williamston Theatre
2010-2011 Season

BLUE DOOR
By Tanya Barfield
September 23 through October 17, 2010
Directed by Suzi Regan

A tenured professor of mathematics is jolted from the rut of his life when is wife accuses him of denying his heritage. While experiencing a disorienting insomnia he inadvertently conjures his ancestors. Three generations of men, from slavery through Black Power, challenge him to embark upon a journey combining past and present. Infused with abundant humor and woven through with original songs, Blue Door is a vivid, exuberantly theatrical play about the African-American male experience.

GREATER TUNA
By Jaston Williams, Joe Sears and Ed Howard
November 11 through December 19, 2010
Directed by Tony Caselli

Meet Arles Struvie, Thurston Wheelis, Aunt Pearl, Petey Fisk, Phineas Blye and Rev. Spikes, just some of the upstanding citizens of Tuna, the third smallest town in Texas. This hilarious off-Broadway hit, a love-letter to small town mores, qualities and quirks, takes you through a typical day in the life of Tuna and it’s most whimsical denizens. 

OEDIPUS
By Sophocles
January 27 through February 20, 2011
Directed by Tony Caselli

The classic Greek tragedy about fate and destiny. Oedipus journeys through life, running from the prophesy that he knows, only to find that he has pursued a prophesy foretold. Five stellar actors bring the story to life as the intimate Williamston Theatre space is theatrically expanded to hold this epic tale of the ages.

WHILE WE WERE BOWLING
By Carter W. Lewis
March 17 through April 17, 2011
Directed by John Lepard

A “typical” 1950s family struggles to hold itself together through teenage marriage, paternal death, the integration of a young black boy into their family and the pressure-filled legacy of bowling. These trials and tribulations force them to redefine what family means as they love and laugh their way through this beautiful dance of a play.

ELEEMOSYNARY
By Lee Blessing
May 12 through June 12, 2011
Directed by Lynn Lammers

Eleemosynary: adj., charitable, the giving of alms.
Sensitive and probing, this masterful play examines the subtle and often perilous relationship between three remarkable women: a young girl, her mother, and her grandmother – a unique family blessed, and cursed, with supreme intelligence and eccentricity. This bittersweet comedy is a snapshot of the powerful familial love that defines our past, present and future.

AND THE CREEK DON’T RISE
World Premiere
By Joe Zettelmaier
July 7 through August 14, 2011
Directed by Joey Albright

Rob and Maddie, longtime Michiganders and one of the many casualties of economic downsizing, find themselves experiencing a severe case of culture shock after they move to a small town in Georgia for a new job. Their friendly next-door neighbor invites Rob to join him in a Civil War reenactment. A simple, and comical, misunderstanding starts a private war between the neighbors and neither embraces the concept of surrender. Michigan playwright Joseph Zettelmaier’s comedic tale is a story of survival, acceptance and embracing a new homeland.