Just Over the Rainbow Theatre (JORT) will present an encore performance of “Driving Miss Daisy” at the Saenger Theatre in Hattiesburg on Valentine’s Day, Monday, February 14 at 7:00 p.m.
JORT recently won The Warren McDaniel Award for best production at the Mississippi Theatre Association (MTA) 2011 Festival in Meridian and is raising funds to take the production to competition at the Southeastern Theatre Conference, Inc. (SETC) in Atlanta where they will compete against community theatres from Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia.
Ruth Ann Black and Michael Marks star in "Driving Miss Daisy" submitted photo
The special one night only performance features Ruth Ann Black in the title role; Michael Marks as the chauffeur, Hoke; and Tom Hardy as Daisy’s son Boolie. Hardy, who also directs the play, said that JORT has never before won the state title. “We are looking forward to competing against successful theatre groups from other states. We believe we have an excellent chance of winning the regional competition. It will take a lot of money and support from our community to get the production to Atlanta and we are hoping to have a large audience to come see this award winning show on Valentine’s Day,” said Hardy.
Deborah Hardy, JORT president and assistant director of the play, commented on the timing of the fundraising performance. “This show will make a wonderful Valentine’s Day date, and there are excellent restaurants in the area where our patrons can enjoy a fine meal either before or after the show,” said Hardy.
The historic Saenger Theatre is located at 201 Forrest Street in Hattiesburg. General seating tickets are $10 and will be available at the door. Sponsorships are still available and may be obtained by calling 601-549-8349.
For more information go to www. jortonline.org.
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