The Howard Payne University stage will be open this weekend with a special two-man show featuring recent HPU graduates Josh Helms and Rivers Shotwell. The pair will present Greater Tuna Friday, Saturday, and Sunday before taking the show on the road.
Greater Tuna is the first in a series of 4 comedic plays (followed by A Tuna Christmas, Red, White and Tuna and Tuna Does Vegas), each set in the fictional town of Tuna, Texas, the “third-smallest” town in the state. The series was written by Jaston Williams, Joe Sears, and Ed Howard.
The play is notable in that the two actors play the entire cast of sixteen eccentric characters of both genders and various ages. Greater Tuna debuted in Austin, Texas, in the fall of 1981, and had its off-Broadway premiere in 1982. According to the play’s official web site, by 1985, Greater Tuna was the most-produced play in the United States.
Besides preparing Greater Tuna for performance, both Helms and Shotwell were in the Lyric children’s show, “Snow White and the Sebbendorfs,” which ran May 21-23 at the HPU Theatre. Both are also interns for the Lyric Performing Arts Company this summer – Helms for the third summer and Shotwellfor his second.
Greater Tuna will be performed at the HPU Theatre Friday, June 1st at 7:30pm, Saturday, June 2nd at 7:30pm, and Sunday, June 3rdat 2:30pm. The show will tour to Van, Texas, home of both Helms and Shotwell, on July 6th and 7th. The tour will conclude in Waco at First Baptist Woodway on July 13th. Proceeds from the show will go toward the HPU Theatre trip to Scotland in August in which Helms and Shotwell will also perform at the International Collegiate Theatre Festival.
“Preparing an extra show and taking it on the road is a labor of love and dedication by these two fine actors,” said HPU director of theatre Dr. Nancy Jo Humfeld. “They are doing a lot of extra work in order to help the entire group get to Scotland. I’m very proud of them and their amazing talent.”
Tickets for Greater Tuna are $5.00 and may be reserved by calling 325-649-8500, or they will be available at the door.
Click the photo gallery below for preview photos from a recent dress rehearsal.
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