Hastings Community Theater

HASTINGS COMMUNITY THEATRE BRINGS A.P. ANDREWS' NEBRASKA PLAY TO THE STAGE Contact: Christine Cottam, Director 402-984-4099 jdcm_cottam@yahoo.com HASTINGS--Hastings Community Theatre will be one of three theatres bringing a local playwright's vision on Nebraska life to the stage this summer. Auditions for the first play Abby in the Summer will be held on May 1 at 4 p.m. with callbacks at 7 p.m. at Hastings Chamber of Commerce, 301 S. Burlington Ave. The cast calls for three females ages 18-60 and three males ages 30-70. Rehearsals are Monday-Friday evenings beginning May 2. Performances are June 10-12. Abby in the Summer is Part I of THE NEBRASKA CYCLE. Abigail Bergson is a waitress at a small-town Nebraska diner- a senior in high school, top of her class, and on her way to college in the city. During her last summer at home, she falls for a local farm boy, causing her life to fly perilously off track. A motley crew of diner regulars attempt to guide Abby as she tries to seize control of her own destiny- all while remaining true to herself and to where she comes from. Abby in the Summer is a coming-of-age story for modern day Middle America, touching on themes of young love, regret, and ultimately, self discovery.

Set in the fictional small town of Jaconda, Nebraska, THE NEBRASKA CYCLE is a series of ten plays in which local playwright Anthony P. Andrews explores a range of social themes that are pressing and relevant to modern-day Nebraska. Together, the plays help to paint a crystal clear picture of the inhabitants of this rural community as they try to find their place in the world around them. Epic in scope, the entire collection is set to be completed by December 2016.

A.P. Andrews is a New York City-based playwright who was born and raised in the small town of Superior, Nebraska. A.P. has a degree in Drama from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, where he studied at Playwrights Horizons Theatre School. He has also studied with the Dramatic Writing program at NYU and in London with the Writers Guild of Great Britain. He is Artistic Director of the Superior Community Theatre and a member of both Jesters and Prophets and Boxed Wine Theatre Companies. In New York, he also serves as Dramaturg for Palisimo Dance Company under the leadership of Pavel Zustiak. His many plays include Abby in the Summer, Burning Barn, The Girl with the Red Balloon, Tommy and his Stars and Stripes, Don't Be Scared, Optimism Or, and Awake and Dreaming: Six One Act Plays. He lives and works in New York City and in South Central Nebraska, and is a member of the Dramatists Guild of America.

Red Cloud Opera House will host Burning Barn and Superior Community Theatre The Girl With The Red Balloon. A discounted ticket pass to all three productions is available online at www.WillaCather.org or by calling 402.746.2641.