Tellico Community Players
Thursday, April 8th, 2021 | Uncategorized | No Comments
Tickets on sale for first Tellico Players 2021 production,
Second Samuel
Selected members of the cast of Second Samuel ham it up at an early rehearsal: Front row: Alex Dufty as June Cline, Cameron Cleveland as B-Flat; Rear: John Swenson as Doc, Vern Russell as Mr. Mozell, Marshall Stone as Frisky and Bailey Dufty as Mansell.
The Tellico Community Players first production of 2021, the drama/comedy Second Samuel, will run Thursday-Sunday, April 8-11 and April 15-18 at the Tellico Community Playhouse, 304 Lakeside Plaza, Loudon.
Reserved seats at $21 are available on the website www.tellicocommunityplayhouse.org. Due to the pandemic, seating will be limited in the Playhouse and available seats will be identified in the online seating diagram. Masks will be required, and patrons’ temperatures will be taken as they enter. Last year the Players invested in a state-of-the-art ultraviolet air filtration system to help keep patrons safe. Hand sanitizer stations will be placed in high traffic public areas of the theater, and seating areas will be sanitized before and after each performance.
Set in the late 1940s in a sleepy little town called Second Samuel, Georgia, (so-named because General Sherman burned down the first incarnation of the town), this Pulitzer-nominated play by Pamela Parker tells the story of what happens when a small town discovers the big secret of one of its most beloved and recently deceased citizens, Miss Gertrude. With an unforgettable narrator in the form of a mentally challenged, big-hearted young man called B Flat, we are introduced to an array of colorful yet compellingly familiar characters — the small-town doctor who takes no nonsense, the ditzy and narrow-minded preacher’s wife, the nervous undertaker, the chatty hairdresser, the black man working in the local saloon. Len Willis is directing the show; Rosie Sylvester is producer. Says Willis: “It is significant that eight of the 11 cast members of Second Samuel are new to our stage, furthering our goal to bring new acting blood to the Players.”
The cast:
Cameron Cleveland as B-Flat – the main character– reminiscent of Tom Hanks in Forrest Gump.
Marshall Stone as Frisky – the town’s unofficial leader.
Malik Baines as US.
Baily Dufty as Mansel – a harmless redneck.
Vern Russell as Mr. Mozel – the town bigot.
Ku Adams as Omaha
Annette Dufty as Jimmy Deeanne.
Lisa Dawn Maleske as Ruby.
Jennie Lee-Pace as Marcela.
John Swenson as Doc.
Alex Dufty as June Cline.
The men inhabit the Bait and Brew Bar, the women the “Change Your Life” Hair and Beauty Emporium, and B-Flat moves between the two and Miss Gertrude’s front porch. The revelation of Miss Gertrude’s secret forces the people of Second Samuel to re-evaluate their perceptions of the world, each other, and themselves. Along the way they must also contend with issues of racism, the treatment of the mentally challenged, religion, and fear of that which is different. The ending is both poignant and uplifting.
Sponsor of the play is J & D. Estate Liquidators & Auctions. James Fisher, a principal of J & D, also is serving as stage manager for 2nd Samuel. He has directed several Players productions.
