Beth Henley’s The Miss Firecracker Contest Opens Oct. 21 at SIUE’s Dunham Hall Theater
The long-running, Off-Broadway success, The Miss Firecracker Contest, will open at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville on Wednesday, Oct. 21 at the Dunham Hall Theater.
The play runs through Sunday, Oct. 25. Show times are 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 21-Saturday, Oct. 24 and 2 p.m. Sunday.
The explosively funny play demonstrates Beth Henley’s unique gift for finding rich lodes of humor—and simple wisdom—in the zany activities of small-town life. Peter Cocuzza, professor of Performance in SIUE’s Department of Theater and Dance, is the director of the play.
The Miss Firecracker Contest was first presented to New York audiences in 1984 at the Manhattan Theater Club. It was later made into a 1989 feature film starring Holly Hunter and Tim Robbins, according to Cocuzza.
“The themes of Henley’s dramas are often tied to small town values and the importance of love, especially the love of family and how it provides emotional support,” said Cocuzza. “Yet this same family love can at times both define and confine the female characters as it does to the women in this play.”
“The Miss Firecracker Contest is to me,” Cocuzza added, “first and foremost, an enjoyable evening of entertainment allowing an audience to fully engage themselves in the world of these characters. I found myself taken back to an earlier time in my own life remembering July 4th parades, town festivals, small town carnivals, fireworks in the park and family members no longer here.“
Tickets prices are general admission: $12 for adults, 18 and older, $10 for seniors, 65 and up, and all others, including non-SIUE students with a valid school I.D., SIUE retirees, alumni, faculty and staff. Discounted tickets are available for groups of 10 or more.
This play is not recommended for anyone under the age of 16.
For tickets or more information, call the Fine Arts box office at 618-650-2774 or toll free at 888-328-5168, extension 2774. Also, visit siue.edu/artsandsciences/theater or email theater-tickets@siue.edu.
The Miss Firecracker Contest opens SIUE’s Department of Theater and Dance 2015-16 season, showcasing the creative talents of Cocuzza as director, Katie Kauffman as set designer, Valerie Goldston as lighting designer, Dr. Laura Hanson as costume designer, Vanessa Graf as sound designer and Kate Slovinski as props master.
SIUE’s Department of Theater and Dance presents four plays and one dance concert during its October through April season. All productions are open to the public. The Department of Theater and Dance is part of the College of Arts and Sciences.
Photo by Valerie Goldston:
Gracie Sartin (center) is Miss Firecracker. Looking on is Halley Robertson.
