THE DINING ROOM Plays Through 6/27 At Center Stage In South Carolina

The Dining Room opened at Centre Stage June 11, 2009. The play is set in the dining room of a typical well-to-do household, the place where the family assembled daily for breakfast and dinner and for any and all special occasions. The action is comprised of a mosaic of interrelated scenes-some funny, some touching, some rueful-which, taken together, create an in-depth portrait of a vanishing species: the upper-middle-class WASP.

Six actors-three men and three women-change roles, personalities and ages with virtuoso skill as they portray almost 60 different characters, from little boys to stern grandfathers, and from giggling teenage girls to Irish housemaids. Each vignette introduces a new set of people and events; a father lectures his son on grammar and politics; a boy returns from boarding school to discover his mother's infidelity; a senile grandmother doesn't recognize her own sons at Christmas dinner; a daughter, her marriage a shambles, pleads futilely to return home, etc. Dovetailing swiftly and smoothly, the varied scenes coalesce, ultimately, into a theatrical experience of exceptional range, compassionate humor and abundant humanity.

Cast- Anne Butler, Katy Beth Cassell, Allen Evans, Christopher M. Evans, Cindy Mixon and Jeff Warren

Production staff- Benjamin P. Robinson, Director, Elyse Middlebrooks, Costume Designer, Leslie Preston, Scenic Designer, Guy Perticone, Lighting Designer, and JeanE Bartlett, Stage Manager

Performance dates: June 11-27, 2009, Evening shows: June 11-13, 18-20, and 25-27 at 8 p.m.
Matinees: June 14 and 21 at 3 p.m.
Location: Centre Stage 501 River Street (first floor of the Citi-Smith Barney building, one block behind the Westin Poinsett Hotel) Greenville, SC 29601
Tickets/box office: Tickets go on sale to the public May 18. Ticket prices are $25 for adults, $23 for seniors (65+) and $18 for students. Prices vary depending on seat location.
Box office hours are 2-6 p.m. Tuesday-Friday and 2 hours before curtain.
Group Rates are available.
Student rush tickets $10 cash at the door 30 minutes prior to curtain (with ID)

Photo: Chris Evans, Anne Elizabeth Butler, Allen Evans, Cindy Mixon, Katy Beth Cassell and Jeff Warren.