The Catawba College's Theatre Arts Department will present "Playhouse Creatures" at 7:30 p.m. each evening between September 28 and October 2 in Hedrick Little Theatre.

The play, written by April De Angelis, is a historical piece about the emergence of actresses on the English stage after the Puritan Interregnum.   It examines the lives of five of the Restoration’s most famous and infamous performers.

By proclamation, a restored King Charles II orders that Shakespeare’s boy players be replaced by female actresses.   The "playhouse creatures" were initially received as combination novelty act and a salacious side-show.   Celebrated as either chaste paragons or notorious whores, these first English actresses constantly walked the tightrope between admiration and derision.   De Angelis eloquently captures this dichotomy and successfully reads between the lines of both the historical and contemporary public press to reveal the private, often pioneering struggles of these ordinary, extraordinary women.

The cast of "Playhouse Creatures" includes Senior Jessica Peterson of West Bend, Wis., in her BFA thesis role as Mrs. Farley; Freshman Rebekah Sweet of Lexington, S.C., as Doll Common; Sophomore Jennifer Wooten of Gainesville, Fla., as Nell Gwyn; Sophomore Lisa Ponce of Tolland, Conn., as Mrs. Betterton; Sophomore Caitlin Heinen of Wauwatosa, Wis., as Mrs. Marshall; Junior Kate Nielson of Tolland, Conn., as Mrs. Barry; Junior Brian Romans of Baltimore, Md., as Rochester; and Sophomore Jake Krickhan of Hendersonville as Otway.

"Playhouse Creatures" is directed by Dr. Elizabeth Homan, a Catawba College professor of theatre arts, and assistant director/dramaturge, Jessica Pruett- Barnett, a sophomore from Georgetown, Del. Sophomore Heather Tucker of Albemarle is stage manager, while Freshman Sarah Hamm of Morehead City is assistant stage manager and Sophomore Michael Strickland of Round Rock, Texas, is properties master.   Catawba Theatre Arts Professors Eric Abbott, David Pulliam and Christopher Zink are responsible, respectively, for costume design, scenic design and lighting design.  

Tickets for "Playhouse Creatures" are $8 for adults and $6 for students and senior citizens.   For more information, call the box office at 704-637-4481. Group rates are available.

The Catawba College's Theatre Arts Department will present "Playhouse Creatures" at 7:30 p.m. each evening between September 28 and October 2 in Hedrick Little Theatre.

The play, written by April De Angelis, is a historical piece about the emergence of actresses on the English stage after the Puritan Interregnum.   It examines the lives of five of the Restoration’s most famous and infamous performers.

By proclamation, a restored King Charles II orders that Shakespeare’s boy players be replaced by female actresses.   The "playhouse creatures" were initially received as combination novelty act and a salacious side-show.   Celebrated as either chaste paragons or notorious whores, these first English actresses constantly walked the tightrope between admiration and derision.   De Angelis eloquently captures this dichotomy and successfully reads between the lines of both the historical and contemporary public press to reveal the private, often pioneering struggles of these ordinary, extraordinary women.

The cast of "Playhouse Creatures" includes Senior Jessica Peterson of West Bend, Wis., in her BFA thesis role as Mrs. Farley; Freshman Rebekah Sweet of Lexington, S.C., as Doll Common; Sophomore Jennifer Wooten of Gainesville, Fla., as Nell Gwyn; Sophomore Lisa Ponce of Tolland, Conn., as Mrs. Betterton; Sophomore Caitlin Heinen of Wauwatosa, Wis., as Mrs. Marshall; Junior Kate Nielson of Tolland, Conn., as Mrs. Barry; Junior Brian Romans of Baltimore, Md., as Rochester; and Sophomore Jake Krickhan of Hendersonville as Otway.

"Playhouse Creatures" is directed by Dr. Elizabeth Homan, a Catawba College professor of theatre arts, and assistant director/dramaturge, Jessica Pruett- Barnett, a sophomore from Georgetown, Del. Sophomore Heather Tucker of Albemarle is stage manager, while Freshman Sarah Hamm of Morehead City is assistant stage manager and Sophomore Michael Strickland of Round Rock, Texas, is properties master.   Catawba Theatre Arts Professors Eric Abbott, David Pulliam and Christopher Zink are responsible, respectively, for costume design, scenic design and lighting design.  

Tickets for "Playhouse Creatures" are $8 for adults and $6 for students and senior citizens.   For more information, call the box office at 704-637-4481. Group rates are available.