Flat Rock Playhouse to Present CATFISH MOON This Fall

Flat Rock Playhouse, the State Theatre of North Carolina, will continue its 2015 season with the heartwarmingly nostalgic, CATFISH MOON, which will run from October 29th through November 15th at the Flat Rock Playhouse Downtown.

Skipping school, skinny dipping, kissing your first girl and, of course, fishing off of the pier are all rites of passage for childhood best friends Curley, Gordon and Frog. But "life" happens and time has driven a wedge between these now middle-aged men who have come together for one last overnight fishing trip to patch old wounds brought about by anger, jealousy and betrayal. Despite these circumstances, CATFISH MOON is a bodacious, southern fried bro-mance of a comedy that is sure to delight.

Penned by Rock Hill, South Carolina native Laddy Sartin, CATFISH MOON is a popular play in the Carolinas due to its earnest portrayal of southern characters. Originally commissioned by Charlotte Repertory Theatre in 1996, and performed at the Flat Rock Playhouse Mainstage in 1997, CATFISH MOON hilariously and thoughtfully explores themes of adolescence, ambition and midlife crises.

The Flat Rock Playhouse production of CATFISH MOON stars Michael MacCauley, Mark Rowe and Scott Treadway as Curley, Gordon and Frog, the three childhood best friends reconnecting after going down very different paths in life. Also featured in the role of Curley's sister and Frog's ex-wife Betty is Debra Capps.

CATFISH MOON will be helmed by longtime Vagabond Dane Whitlock in his Flat Rock Playhouse directorial debut. Joining Whitlock on the production team are Dennis C. Maulden, CJ Barnwell, Ashli Arnold, Kurt Conway and Paul Feraldi as the Scenic, Lighting, Costume, Sound and Properties designers respectively. Connie Silver will serve as Stage Manager.

CATFISH MOON will run October 29th through November 15th at Flat Rock Playhouse Downtown. Performances Wednesday through Saturday evening at 8 PM, matinees Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday at 2 PM. Tickets are $15 - 40 and can be purchased by calling the Playhouse box office at 828-693-0731, toll-free at 866-732-8008 or online at www.flatrockplayhouse.org. The Flat Rock Playhouse Downtown is located at 125 S. Main St. Hendersonville, NC 28791.

In 1937, a group of struggling performers, led by Robroy Farquhar, organized themselves as the Vagabond Players. The Vagabonds worked in a variety of places over the course of three years, and in 1940 found themselves in the Blue Ridge region of Western North Carolina. The local and tourist community welcomed them with open arms when they presented their first summer season of plays in a 150-year-old grist mill they converted into The Old Mill Playhouse at Highland Lake. So successful was that summer, they returned in 1941. After WWII, the Vagabond Players reorganized, came back to the region and opened a playhouse in nearby Lake Summit. The Lake Summit Playhouse thrived during the post war years and soon the Vagabond Players were looking for a larger and permanent home. In 1952, the troupe of performers, and a newly formed board of directors, made an offer to buy an 8-acre lot in the Village of Flat Rock. This new home made the Vagabonds "locals" and a rented big top gave birth to Flat Rock Playhouse. As the beautiful Western Carolina region continued to grow, so did the Playhouse and in 1961, by Act of the North Carolina General Assembly, Flat Rock Playhouse was officially designated The State Theatre of North Carolina. What began as a few weeks of summer performances in 1940 is now a nine-month season of plays including Broadway musicals, comedy, drama, and theatre for young audiences. The Playhouse's dual mission of producing the performing arts and providing education in the performing arts includes a professional series; a summer and fall college apprentice and intern program; and Studio 52, year-round classes and workshops in theatre and film for students from kindergarten through adults. Flat Rock Playhouse now hosts over 98,000 patrons annually and is a significant contributor to the local economy and the Arts in North Carolina.

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