Jason Sandford
Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.
I heart Theatre UNCA. Press release here:
Theatre UNCA continues its fall season with three one-act plays by Tennessee Williams, including “The Strangest Kind of Romance,” “Portrait of a Madonna” and “Talk to Me Like the Rain and Let Me Listen” from November 18-20. These performances are the last of a series of Williams’ one-act plays staged throughout the fall semester. Performances will take place at UNC Asheville’s Carol Belk Theater. Curtain is 8 p.m. All shows are open to the public.
Tennessee Williams was an American playwright best known for his Pulitzer Prize-winning plays “A Streetcar Named Desire” and “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.” He received a number of other awards during his career, including four New York Drama Critics’ Circle awards and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. “The Strangest Kind of Romance” follows the story of a lonely man and a cat. “Portrait of a Madonna” focuses on a delusional spinster. “Talk to Me Like the Rain and Let Me Listen” follows the conversation between an exhausted man and woman as they attempt to connect with each other.
The productions are directed by UNC Asheville students John Coggin, Rachel Hinson and Katherine Lancaster. The student cast includes Bobby Abrahamson, Jake Bowden, Franklin Camacho, Sarah Felmet, Garrett Funk, Chris Kugler, John Lewis, Casey Morris, Katherine Palm, Anna Reidenbach, Will Storrs and Mary Alice White.
Tickets are $10 general admission, $8 UNC Asheville faculty / senior citizens, and $5 students. Tickets may be ordered online or by phone by calling 828/232-2291, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. weekdays. Tickets are also available at the box office one hour before curtain.
For online tickets and links to a student blog about the production, visit drama.unca.edu/theatre-unca. For more information, contact UNC Asheville’s Drama Department at 828/251-6610.
I've seen "Talk to Me Like the Rain and Let Me Listen," and it's such an incredible portrait of a couple struggling with addiction and co-dependency. I love Williams use of antithesis, one moment harsh, the next gentle, it takes your breath away, but emotions do fly like clouds in the sky. Sounds like a good night of theater.