Meet Megan and Oliver from PUFFS

Two actors, one a recent Kay Award winner and the other a newcomer, take on leading roles in the Hickory Community Theatre’s upcoming production of the mischievous comedy, Puffs. Performances are October 15-30 in the Jeffers Theatre. Tickets are available online at hickorytheatre.org or by calling 828-328-2283.

Jordan Randall plays Oliver Rivers, a mathematician wizard from New Jersey. Randall has been a familiar face at HCT recently, appearing in back-to-back productions of Noises Off, The Weir and Skeleton during the 20-21 season. He received the Kay Award for Outstanding Male Actor in a Supporting Role for his portrayal of the plant manager Reggie in Skeleton Crew. When asked about what draws him to work so often at HCT he replied, “It’s the diversity and depth of the stories and the people represented on the stage.

Katie Stone has the role of Megan Jones, who thinks she’s better suited to being a “Snake” than a “Puff”. Although new to HCT, Puffs is not her Stone’s first time on stage. Her recent roles include the Baker’s Wife in Into the Woods and Audrey in Leading Ladies, both at the Green Room Community Theatre, and five seasons of principal roles in Liberty Mountain – The Revolutionary Drama and the Joy Center in her hometown, Kings Mountain. When asked what it is about HCT that inspires her to make the one-hour daily roundtrip to Hickory for rehearsals Stone replied, “As a newcomer, the community has been so incredibly welcoming to me! One of my favorite things is being in a venue that has so much character and history to it.”

Every famous book about a school of magic features heroic figures accomplishing great things and generally saving the world from evil. Puffs isn’t any of those things. It’s the untold story about the people in the background, the ones who aren’t destined to come out on top. It’s a hilarious, and at times heartfelt, comedy about characters whose biggest aspiration is to reach the middle. It’s for those who answer the rallying cry of ‘third or nothing’.

Performances of Puffs are Fridays and Saturdays, October 15, 16, 22, 23, 29 & 30 at 7:30pm; Sunday, October 24 at 2:30pm and Thursday, October 28 at 7:30pm.

Opening night, October 15, features reduced price tickets - $12 for adults and $10 for youth & students. Regular price tickets, October 16-30, are $16 for adults and $10 for youth & students.

Hickory Community Theatre is a funded affiliate of the United Arts Council of Catawba County. PUFFS is produced by Corning Optical Communications. Paramount Automotive and Sunbelt Xpress are the sponsors of the theatre's 73rd Season.

Due to the rising number of cases of Covid-19 in Catawba County, and in accordance with the latest guidance from the CDC, the Hickory Community strongly recommends that patrons wear a mask or other face covering while inside the building.

Popular posts from this blog

Meet Snake Eyes from BUGSY MALONE

Image
Mallory Rhoney, who plays Snake Eyes (a member of Fat Sam’s gang) in Bugsy Malone , is a seventh grader at Grandview Middle School in Hickory. This is her first big production, but she has written and directed her own, original plays while she was a student at Oakwood Elementary.  "I auditioned for Bugsy Malo ne, ” she said, “because I thought it would be really fun to be a gangster. I like that Snake Eyes is in a lot of dancing scenes and funny scenes." "My favorite thing about Hickory Community Theatre is that all the people are just so nice and supportive." At school, Rhoney is in Wyldlife and Band.  Outside of school, she enjoys singing, ukulele and piano. “Musical chops run in my family,” she says. “my great grandfather was Loonis McGlohon, a world-renowed pianist and songwriter.”  She also likes rollerblading, hiking, swimming, skiing, art, crafts and traveling. In 2009 she was named "Cutest Baby of Catawba County" by The Observer News and Enterprise
Read more

Meet Doodle from BUGSY MALONE

Image
Karson Byers, who plays Doodle (a member of Dandy Dan’s gang) in Bugsy Malone is in the sixth grade at Hickory Day School. That’s also where she’s had all of his theatre experience so far.  “I auditioned for Bugsy Malone,” she says, “because it ounded like fun and I've been really interested in acting! The character name 'Doodle', it fits me perfect, I love to draw!!" "The people working at HCT are so nice and very supportive!”  Byers is in the National Elementary Honor Society and received an award in the Radiant Piece Art Competition. She fills her free time with drawing, singing, skiing, volleyball, cross-country running and basketball.
Read more

Introducing the PUFFS Ensemble!

Image
Acting in the ensemble for Puffs , the new comedy by Matt Cox, is an energetically fun time for any actor. Each of them has to play multiple roles, from students to teachers to villains, sometimes at the drop of a hat. The Hickory Community Theatre production, which runs October 15-30, has seven talented actors who are up to the challenge. They are Jenni Canterbury, Theresa Decker, Caleb Ernsberger, Betsy Pipher, Jennifer Leigh, Will Vogler and Jared Wachsmuth. ( Back row, L-R) Betsy Pipher, Theresa Decker, Caleb Ernsberger, Jennifer Leigh,  (front) Will Vogler, Jenni Canterbury and Jared Wachsmuth   Canterbury has been on the HCT stage multiple times before, sometimes with a mermaid fin and sometimes in her skivvies, but until now she has yet to wield a magic wand. Decker is excited to be joining HCT for the first time. Many years ago in the faraway land of St. Louis, she starred in several productions, including DRACULA, A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM, and ARSENIC AND OLD LACE.
Read more