University Theatre: ‘Five Women Wearing the Same Dress’ opens Wednesday

Grace Bartling of Grand Island, left, and Trisha Miller of Lincoln rehearse a scene from “Five Women Wearing the Same Dress.” The show runs Wednesday through Sunday at University of Nebraska at Kearney’s Miriam Drake Theatre. (Photo by Corbey R. Dorsey, UNK Communications)
Grace Bartling of Grand Island, left, and Trisha Miller of Lincoln rehearse a scene from “Five Women Wearing the Same Dress.” The show runs Wednesday through Sunday at University of Nebraska at Kearney’s Miriam Drake Theatre. (Photos by Corbey R. Dorsey, UNK Communications)

KEARNEY – University Theatre at Kearney presents “Five Women Wearing the Same Dress” by Alan Ball Wednesday through Sunday (Oct. 4-8) at the University of Nebraska at Kearney.

During an ostentatious wedding reception at a Knoxville, Tenn., estate, five reluctant, identically clad bridesmaids hide out in an upstairs bedroom, each with her own reason to avoid the proceedings below.

They are Frances, a painfully sweet but sheltered fundamentalist; Mindy, the cheerful, wise-cracking lesbian sister of the groom; Georgeanne, whose heartbreak over her own failed marriage triggers outrageous behavior; Meredith, the bride’s younger sister, whose precocious rebelliousness masks a dark secret; and Trisha, a jaded beauty whose die-hard cynicism about men is called into question when she meets Tripp, a charming bad-boy usher to whom there is more than meets the eye.

As the afternoon wears on, these five very different women joyously discover a common bond in this wickedly funny, irreverent and touching celebration of the women’s spirit.

When: 7:30 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday (Oct. 4-7), and 2 p.m. Sunday (Oct. 8)
Where: Miriam Drake Theatre, Fine Arts Building
Cost: Tickets are $10 for adults; $8 for non-UNK students, seniors and UNK faculty/staff; $7 per person for groups of 10 or more, and free for UNK students with a valid ID. For tickets, contact the UNK Box Office at 308.865.8417 or boxoffice@unk.edu. ?**This production is for mature audiences.

Trisha Miller of Lincoln, left, and Megan Hayhurst of Scottsbluff rehearse a scene from “Five Women Wearing the Same Dress.” The show runs Wednesday through Sunday at University of Nebraska at Kearney’s Miriam Drake Theatre. (Photo by Corbey R. Dorsey, UNK Communications)
Trisha Miller of Lincoln, left, and Megan Hayhurst of Scottsbluff rehearse a scene from “Five Women Wearing the Same Dress.” The show runs Wednesday through Sunday at University of Nebraska at Kearney’s Miriam Drake Theatre. (Photo by Corbey R. Dorsey, UNK Communications)

Cast (listed by hometown)
Bennington – Beth Hagedorn as Georgeanne
Gretna – Jessica Buss as Mindy
Grand Island – Grace Bartling as Frances
Kearney – Tony Koetters as Tripp
Lincoln – Trisha Marie Miller as Trisha
Scottsbluff – Megan Hayhurst as Meredith

Student Production Staff
Elm Creek – Joshua Fitch, Stage Manager
Humboldt – Anthony Knudson, Properties Master
Pawnee City – Steven Bruns, Assistant Stage Manager

Faculty/Staff Artistic Team
Jack Garrison, Director
Darin Himmerich, Scenic Designer/Technical Director
Del DeLorm, Lighting Designer
Ron Altman, Costume Designer
Aaron Hynds, Sound Designer

-30-

Photos by Corbey R. Dorsey, UNK Communications

Head Shots Courtesy of Kerri Garrison