Serving Boone, Blowing Rock, Banner Elk, and other towns of the North Carolina High Country
Founded 05-05-05

Ashe Little Theatre Presents The Children’s Hour Thursday to Sunday

Tickets are now on sale for Ashe County Little Theatre’s spring production of The Children’s Hour. Director Kim Noël Gill and producer Vernon Taylor join with dramatist Vanessa Campbell to bring Lillian Hellman’s classic playto the Ashe Civic Centerstage.

The show will open on Thursday, April 3, with additional evening performances Friday and Saturday, April 4 and 5, and a Sunday matinee on April 6.

The Children’s Hour is considered one of Hellman’s best plays; however, theatre goers should be aware that this is a play for mature audiences. The play explores the nature of deception and the ripple effect that deception has on the entire community. The work was written and first produced in 1934, but did not receive its much-deserved recognition until the 1950s, when it returned to Broadway in a new context.

After the House Un-American Activities Commission brought Hellman and other artists in for questioning during the height of McCarthyism, the play resonated differently in the climate of whispers generated by that dark period in American history.

A talented cast is working hard to bring the show to the stage. Set in a girl’s boarding school, Mary Tilford (Lane Isaacs) is the angry student who runs away from the school. To avoid returning, she tells her grandmother (Joanne Bowman) that the two headmistresses, Karen Wright (Lauren Ohnesorge) and Martha Dobie (Tyler Cloherty), have had an inappropriate relationship. The accusation resonates within the community, leading to the destruction of the women’s lives and careers as the effects of the lie grow.

Also impacted by the consequences of the lie are Dr. Joseph Cardin (Brandon Kearley), Karen’s fiancé, and the other girls in the school. Listed in the order of their appearance, the girls are Peggy (Kayla Weaver), Catherine (Caitlin Miller), Lois (Meghan Vannoy), Helen (Tiffany Rash), Rosalie (Sarah Wheeler), and Evelyn (Jasa Woods). Rounding out the cast are Aunt Lilly (Jan Gambill), Agatha Miranda (Annette Bednosky) and the grocery boy (Ory Owen).All performances will be held at the Ashe Civic Center, with curtain time at 7:30 p.m. nightly for evening performances and at 2:00 p.m. for the Sunday matinee. Reserved seating for The Children’s Hour is available in advance from the Ashe County Arts Council. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for students; they are now on sale at the Ashe Arts Center or by phone at 336-846-ARTS.

For more information, call the Ashe County Arts Council at 336-846-ARTS.

Want To Go?

Date: Thursday to Sunday, April 3 to 6
Time: 7:30 p.m. Thursday to Saturday/2:00 p.m. Sunday
Location: Ashe Civic Center
Cost: $10 adults/$5 students