Take a Peek Behind the Curtain

Jennifer Leigh will portray lead role of Laura in the world-premiere play BY THE BEAUTIFUL BEAUTIFUL SEA.  Leigh recently performed in PUFFS at HCT.  A graduate in Theatre Arts from Brigham Young University, she has lived in Statesville for about 6 months, relocating with her husband for his job.  She is employed by Invitation Homes as a CSR-FS.  She is originally from Helena, AL.  Her previous roles include PRINCESS ACADEMY and THE NIGHTINGALE with BYU Young Company, and OUR TOWN at South City Theatre in Alabama. “My favorite thing about HCT is the friends I have found here,” Leigh says.  “I loved working on PUFFS and was excited to get back to HCT.  This role is not like anything I’ve done before.” Leigh visited China and trained with the Peking Opera in Beijing during her college tenure.  Of the experience, Leigh says, “It was only for one week, but it was amazing!”  Leigh and her husband have one fur baby, Fitzgerald, their dog.  She lists sleeping among her hobbies. The premiere o

Christian Underwood, a teacher with Catawba County Schools from Conover, will portray Tomas in the world-premiere play BY THE BEAUTIFUL BEAUTIFUL SEA.  He attended Appalachian State University and has lived in the Hickory area all his life.  Underwood’s theatre experience includes a role in the ensemble for SOMETHING ROTTEN and Screg in JUNGLE FUN ROOM, both at HCT, and Oberon in A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM and Gangster #1 in THE DROWSY CHAPERONE, both at The Green Room Community Theatre.   “My favorite thing about HCT is that I enjoy the community and working with so many different people,” Underwood says.  He says he chose this show because, “I was very excited that it was a new work and that this would be the premiere!”  On his role, Underwood says he likes how matter-of-fact Tomas is. Underwood is the recipient of South Newton’s Teacher of the Year Award.  His hobbies include reading, writing, and playing video games. The premiere of BY THE BEAUTIFUL BEAUTIFUL SEA will be held in the

Christy Rhianna Branch, 2021 Kay Award winner for lead actress, will portray Mom in the world-premiere play BY THE BEAUTIFUL BEAUTIFUL SEA.  Branch’s past HCT roles include her Kay award-winning portrayals of Valerie THE WEIR (Outstanding Female Lead 2021) and Charlotte in THE REVOLUTIONISTS (Outstanding Supporting Actress 2019). This is also her second time in an HCT world premiere, she had the lead role of Andorra in THE SEAMSTRESS in 2014.  She has also been in several productions with Foothills Performing Arts, where one of her favorite roles was Bella in LOST IN YONKERS.  This Lees-McRae College graduate has is from Morganton and has lived in the area most of her life. In addition to her work on stage, Branch served as the HCT costumer from 2010 to 2015. “My favorite thing about HCT is the variety of shows each season,” Branch says.  When asked why she chose this particular role, she says, “Mostly it was the challenge of taking on a role never played before.” The premiere of BY TH

Hunter Curtis, a student from Lenoir, will portray Jack in the world-premiere play BY THE BEAUTIFUL BEAUTIFUL SEA by Caitlyn Waltermire.  Curtis’s theatre experience includes roles as Caden in THE THANKSGIVING PLAY at HCT; Captain Gabrielle in FROM THIS DAY FORWARD and in the ensemble in THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW, both at Old Colony Players; Dwayne in 9 TO 5 at Green Room Community Theatre; and Adam Reep in THUNDER OVER CAROLINA at Thunder Over Carolina. “My favorite thing about HCT is that I absolutely love the space and the ‘community’ itself,” Curtis says.  He says he chose this particular show because it’s something new and different.  “The thing I like about my role is his charisma.” The premiere of BY THE BEAUTIFUL BEAUTIFUL SEA will be held in the Firemen's Kitchen Fridays and Saturdays, February 18 through March 5 at 7:30 p.m.; Sunday, February 27 at 2:30 p.m.; and Thursday March 3 at 7:30 p.m. Opening night, February 18, features reduced-price tickets at $12 for adults

Iris DeWitt, who plays Shug in THE COLOR PURPLE, is a 2021 HCT Kay Award recipient, for her role as Belle in DISENCHANTED in the fall of 2020. The show was the first streaming production by HCT and the only one that was performed entirely virtually. She also received a 2019 ensemble Kay Award for NEWSIES, her HCT debut where she played Medda Larkin.  A resident of Charlotte, De Witt has done extensive theatre work there, acting in 21 productions with eight different theatre companies. Originally from Chandler, Arizona, she relocated to North Carolina in 2013 to complete her Juris Doctorate at the Charlotte School of Law. She now works as a real estate specialist for Crown Castle Communications.  “Shug has been a dream of mine since high school,” she said, and I am impressed with the Hickory Community Theatre’s commitment to diversity, both on stage and in the production staff.” THE COLOR PURPLE has three performances left, Thursday, Feb 3 through Saturday, Feb 5, all at 7:30pm. Tickets

Jordan Randall, who plays Celie's abusive husband "Mister" in THE COLOR PURPLE, is a very familiar face to Catawba valley audiences, with six productions over the past year. Four of those, NOISES OFF, THE WEIR, SKELETON CREW and PUFFS, at HCT. His portrayal of Reggie in SKELETON CREW earned him a 2021 Kay Award for Outstanding Male Actor in a Leading Role. For several years Randall has been a regular with the outdoor drama FROM THIS DAY FORWARD and with the Tweetsie Railroad in Boone. He is a native and current resident of Granite Falls and works in e-commerce and customer support for Mast General Store. In his spare time he enjoys writing and producing music and is a member of the American Society of Fight Directors.   When asked about his choice to audition for THE COLOR PURPLE, Randall replied, “the story is a family favorite and the role of ‘Mister’ is a real stretch for me. I enjoy working at the Hickory Community Theatre because of the community of talent it cultiva