Flyin' West Opens August 6

City Park Players is pleased to announce the third production of our 2009 season; a drama entitled Flyin’ West by Pearl Cleage as directed by Diane Falcone.

This powerful drama is about a family of sisters who abandon the oppressive racism of the post-Reconstruction South to take advantage of the Homestead Act and own their own land in Nicodemus, Kansas (www.nicodemuskansas.com). Facing problems ranging from the inevitability of long, cold winters, to the threat of domestic violence, to the continuing spectra of racial conflict, the women of Flyin' West include Rosa Metoyer as Miss Leah, the old woman whose memories of slavery and its aftermath comprise a living oral history; Karen Riley Simmons as Sophie Washington, whose determination to protect her land and those she loves puts to rest forever the requirement that western archetypes be white and male; Natalie C.F. Phillips as Fannie Mae Dove, the gentle sister, trying to civilize the frontier with fine china and roses, who finds herself falling in love with their soft-spoken neighbor, Wil Parish played by Doogie Golatt; and Margrek Dorsey as Minnie Dove Charles, the headstrong baby sister whose mulatto husband, Frank, portrayed by Jerry Havens, introduces a danger into the household that tests their sisterhood in unexpected ways.

In the continuation of our Community Connections initiative we will recognize NextSTEP of Central Louisiana whose mission is to break the cycle of violence through the provision of housing and supportive services designed to help families transition from the oppression of domestic violence to lives of independence and fulfillment. NextSTEP (Successful Transition to Empowerment Program): Saving lives, one home at a time, will provide information to theatre goers about the program, its goals and progress. Their board of directors will be our guests on opening night, Thursday August 6th at 7:30pm.

Performances continue on Friday and Saturday August 7 & 8 at 7:30pm , Sunday, August 9th, a matinee at 2:30pm. Evening performances at 7:30pm will resume the following Thursday, Friday and Saturday, August 13, 14, & 15. There will be a 2:30pm matinee on Sunday August 16 to close out the run of this show.

Reservations are urged. Tickets are available for purchase at the box office before the show. Ticket prices: Adults $12 – Seniors (over 65) $10 - Students $5. The Hearn Stage is located at 3rd & Johnston in Downtown Alexandria in the Rapides Foundation Bldg. Discounted group ticket sales are available. Please contact City Park Players at (318) 442-1800 or email cityparkplayers@gmail.com.