Previews: THE LAST LIFE BOAT at Guild Hall Players

Guild Hall Players will present The Last Lifeboat by Luke Yankee. The play was first performed in 2014 and has had over 65 performances since. This captivating and interesting play will be performed at St. James Episcopal Church located at 3750 E. Douglas in Wichita, KS. Show are Thursday November 30th- December 2nd at 8pm and Sunday December 3rd at 7pm. Tickets are $12 for adults and $10 for students thru college and are available at the door or you can make reservations by calling 316-683-5686.

The Last Lifeboat is the story of J. Bruce Ismay, the creator of the ship the Titanic. Everyone knows how that ended, but what they may not know is that Ismay stepped into a spot on the final lifeboat as the ship sank. Ismay was ruined by the media after the incident and made to be a villain. Mr. Yankee’s play gives Ismay redemption, giving more humanity and de-villainizes him. In the end, it is up for the audience to decide for themselves.

The play is directed by Jeremy Buoy who is a graduate of the Wichita State University Theatre Department where he studied acting and directing. Buoy has directed for other theatres such as Kechi Playhouse and Wichita Community Theatre. The cast features 10 local actors. In the main roles are Mark Schuster as J. Bruce Ismay, Ashley McCracken- Christy as Florence Scielflin Ismay, Bruce’s wife, and Jerusha Lofland as Vivian Hilliard, Bruce’s love interest. Playing more than 40 roles are local favorites Braden Layman, Peter Emery, Misty Maynard, as well as newcomers to the theater community Justin Terrell, AJ Pieschel, Jake Steward, and Madison Schulte.

Featured in design and tech as well as production help roles are costuming by Mary Tush-Green, props by Louise Brineager, Lighting by Tony Applegate, sound advising by Kirk Longhofer and features the original sound design by Cinthina Palmer. Joseph Urick serves as the dialect and voice coach. Fight choreography is done by Emily Redfield. According to Buoy, “this play is highly theatrical and relies on a minimal set and uses one of the earliest forms of theatre relying on storytelling at its finest.”