Photo Flash: First Look At World Premiere Comedy THE FLOWER GIRLS

The Sauk, Hillsdale County's community theatre, will present the world premiere production of "The Flower Girls," a new comedy by Lindsay McNair Patton. Four performances are scheduled September 6-9.

"The Flower Girls" is a play about three sisters - Violet, Rose and Lily - who are at their own personal crossroads when they return to their North Carolina home for their parents' 30th anniversary. What happens when these three sisters come together for the first time in years? Laughs, lies and or course lots of love.

"We produced a staged reading of this play last summer as part of our Plays-in-Development program," said Sauk Executive Director Trinity Bird who will direct the production. "The response to the play was overwhelming. It was laugh out loud funny with extremely likable and relatable characters. We knew we had to produce a fully realized production." Patton has expanded the play since the 2017 reading.

Patton will attend the Friday performance. A recent graduate of Emory University, Lindsay McNair Patton majored in playwriting and media studies. This summer, she moved back home to the mountains of Western North Carolina to live with her family, all of whom inspired "The Flower Girls." An opening night reception to honor Patton and the play will be held at Gallery 49 in Jonesville following the Friday performance.

"The Sauk is dedicated to producing new works," Bird added. "Plays-in-Development connects playwrights, actors and directors for staged readings of un-produced works. To see one of these plays make it from reading to fully staged is a proud accomplishment for our organization."

The cast is led by Simoné Searcy (of Spring Arbor) as Lily, Julie Pratt (of Jackson) as Rose and Denise McCosh (of Jonesville) as Violet. Searcy and McCosh are reviving their roles from last year's staged reading. The cast also includes Sandi Miller (of Clarklake) and Gary Minix (of Jackson) as parents Susan and Jim. The cast is completed with Jordan Hayes-Devloo (of Adrian) as Raines. The production team includes Tracy McCullough (light design), MJ Dulmage (sound design), Deb Smith (prop design) and Mandee LeighHoward (stage management). Angela Forant will serve as assistant director.

All performances take place at the Sauk Theatre, 240 E. Chicago St. in Jonesville. All tickets are $10. Tickets can be purchased at www.thesauk.org or by calling 517-849-9100. The September 6 performance is a "Pay What You Can" preview. Preview tickets are not sold in advance. The play does contain minor adult content and language.

This production is sponsored by Mark and Susan Pedrick. The 2018 season is sponsored by Expressions Photography & Design. The Sauk is supported by the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs, the National Endowment of the Arts and their program Art Works.

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