Take a Peek Behind the Curtain

THE CAKE, a dramatic comedy with modern relevance by Bekah Brunstetter, is coming to the Hickory Community Theatre, April 22 through May 7 in the Firemen’s Kitchen.   Jen lives in New York but has always dreamed of getting married in her native North Carolina. With the wedding six months away, she heads down to ask Della, her late mother’s best friend and professional baker, to make her wedding cake.  Della is overjoyed until she learns there isn’t just one bride, but two. Moral quandaries, reality TV and loads of butter form this play about two women trying to reach out across a divide that just keeps growing. In the HCT production, Jen is played by Katie Stone, an actor from Kings Mountain.  Stone made her HCT debut last fall as Megan in PUFFS, but her prior theatre credits cover a region that stretches from Newton down to Kings Mountain. Some of her favorite roles include Susan in THE LION THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE with Lincoln Theatre Guild, Mrs. Arable in CHARLOTTE’S WEB at Cherr

The topical dramatic comedy THE CAKE, by Bekah Brunstetter, is coming to the Hickory Community Theatre, April 22 through May 7 in the Firemen’s Kitchen.   Macy, an educated young woman and online journalist, is engaged to be married to Jen, who wants to honor her deceased mother’s wishes and have the wedding in her hometown, Winston-Salem. Problems arise when Jen’s plan to get the cake from her mom’s best friend Della’s bakery are complicated by Della’s conservative values. In the HCT production, Macy is played by local actor Dior Scott.  Scott made her stage debut in September 2018 as Effie White in DREAMGIRLS at HCT. Some of her roles since then include Ruth Younger in A RAISIN IN THE SUN at HCT, Sebastian in THE LITTLE MERMAID at The Green Room and Pearl in THE SPONGE BOB SQUAREPANTS MUSICAL with Black Star Theatre. Originally from Philadelphia, PA, she now resides in Granite Falls and is a theatre major at CVCC. She is also an entrepreneur, the owner and proprietor of The Black Gem

Bill Parrish, an actor who has appeared in numerous productions in the area, is making his Hickory Community Theatre debut as Tim in the topical and humorous drama THE CAKE by Bekah Brunstetter. The play opens on Friday, May 22 and runs through May 7 in the Firemen’s Kitchen. Parrish is a stage regular throughout the region, most recently appearing in HALLELUJAH GIRLS at The Green Room Community Theatre, Shakespeare’s MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING at Newton Southside Park, and ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST at Little Theatre of Gastonia. His recent production credits include CRIMES OF THE HEART and THE LITTLE MERMAID at The Green Room Theatre. He also supports theatre and film in benefactor and leadership roles. Originally from Pinehurst, NC he has resided in Conover, NC for the past 19 years with his wife Tanya. He holds a BSBA in finance and a Master’s in Accounting, both from Appalachian State University. Parrish says he chose to audition for THE CAKE because, “I love the multi-level pers

Cara Vander Wiel’s last time on stage at the Hickory Community Theatre was playing the title character for BECKY’S NEW CAR in 2012. She is returning to HCT for the upcoming production of THE CAKE by Bekah Brunstetter, opening on April 22 in the Firemen’s Kitchen. She’s playing Della, the owner of “Della’s Sweets” in Winston, NC. Della faces a crisis of conscience and faith when asked to make a cake for an unexpected wedding.  That 2012 production was Vander Wiel’s debut at HCT, coming just after she had relocated to Hickory from New York City. Prior to that, she lived in Bradenton , FL, where she attended Manatee State College. Her other theatre credits include Mother in A LOSS OF COLOR and Doris in SOMEBODIES in New York, as well as Winifred in ONCE UPON A MATTRESS and Martha in WHO’S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF in Florida. She worked for 11 years on Broadway and at the Metropolitan Opera as a wardrobe person and dresser.  “I moved to Hickory,” she said, “to live the quiet small-town lif

 THE CAKE, a dramatic comedy with modern relevance, is coming to the Hickory Community Theatre, April 22 through May 7 in the Firemen’s Kitchen.   Della’s North Carolina bakery is legendary! She is overjoyed when Jen, her best friend’s daughter returns from New York to get married and asks Della to make her wedding cake. Della, a sweet-natured Christian, is forced to re-examine her deeply-held beliefs and her own marriage when she realizes there is not one bride, but two. Faith, family, and frosting collide in this timely new play by Bekah Brunstetter, writer and producer for the NBC hit “This is Us.” The Hickory production has a talented ensemble with Cara Vander Wiel as Della, Katie Stone as Jen, Dior Scott as Jen’s fiancée Macy, and William Parrish as Della’s husband Tim.  Performances of THE CAKE are Fridays and Saturdays, April 22 through May 7 at 7:30 pm; Sunday, May 1 at 2:30 pm and Thursday, May 5 at 7:30 pm in the Firemen’s Kitchen. Opening night, April 22, features reduced-pr