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Tickets Still Available for ‘LA Theatre Works: In the Heat of the Night’ Performance Held Tuesday, Nov. 11

By Madison Fisler Lewis

Nov. 10, 2014. Appalachian State University’s annual Performing Arts Series will celebrate the final event in the fall 2014 calendar with L.A. Theatre Works: In the Heat of the Night, on Tuesday, Nov. 11, at 8 p.m. Tickets for the show are still available.

L.A. Theatre works has performed at Appalachian a number of times, said Anna Gaugert, director of marketing and public relations.

la-theatre-works-2014-1000“They brought The Great Tennesse Monkey Trail in 2009 and The Real Dr. Strangelove in 2011. L.A. Theatre Works is one of America’s finest touring theatre companies and we always look to their national tours when booking our season.”

To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act, L.A. Theatre Works brings its unique, radio theater-style production of John Ball’s In the Heat of the Night to the Schaefer Center for the Performing Arts.

Based on John Ball’s 1965 novel of the same name, the play takes place in 1960s Alabama, right smack in the midst of the Civil Rights Movement. Playwright Matt Pelfrey’s stage adaption follows Virgil Tibbs, an African-American newcomer to the south and also a top homicide detective. When a white man is murdered in the small town, Tibbs becomes the prime suspect.

Presented in the format of a live radio play, the cast includes Ryan Vincent Anderson as Virgil Tibbs. In addition, the cast also includes such notable names as Michael Hammond, Travis Johns, Kalen Harriman, Tim Virtue and Darren Richardson.

“L.A. Theatre Works is a live in-performance radio theatre company,” Gaugert said. “Their national touring program includes costumes and minimal sets, featuring first-rate casts and live sound effects. L.A. Theatre Works will provide the audience with intimate, spontaneous experiences rarely felt in traditional theatrical settings.”

Tickets are $20 for adults and $10 for students. For tickets or information, call the Schaefer Center Box Office at 800-841-2787 or 828-262-4046, or visit www.pas.appstate.edu. The play contains strong language, including racial slurs that are authentic to the time period being portrayed, and is not recommended for children.

In addition to the show, L.A. Theatre Works will host an audition and monologue master class for the Department of Theatre and Dance’s Voice and Movement for the Stage classes at Appalachian.

“This master class is designed to share with actors some of the the techniques that are invaluable in pursuing a career in theater, television and film. They will cover topics such as getting rid of audition fears, selection of material, how to prepare for an audition with dress and manner and the audition and callback process,” Gaugert said. “Exercises will also include critiquing monologues presented by students attending the workshop.”

In addition, L.A. Theatre Works will also present a program for school children (grades 6-12) titled And Justice For All: America and the Civil Rights Movement.

The presentation will include speeches by Civil Rights leaders and political advocates as well as a pro-segregation argument punctuated by riveting scenes from the story, which pointedly mirror the real-life racism experienced by African-Americans of the time and their determination to stand up for their dignity and rights, said Gaugert.

For more information about this event and the rest of the PAS lineup for 2014-15, click here.