Williamston Theater Starts 2017 With A World Premiere

Mid-Michigan's award winning professional theatre company, Williamston Theatre, located at 122 S. Putnam Street in downtown Williamston, starts 2017 with the World Premiere of A Painted Window by Christy Hall. Performances begin Thursday, January 26 and run through Sunday, February 26. Tickets go on sale Tuesday, January 10 at Noon.

A Painted Window begins with five Preview performances starting Thursday, January 26. During the first four Previews audience members will have the opportunity to take part in the process of creating a show by participating in a talkback session with the director and playwright following each performance. The Official Opening Night is Friday, February 3 at eight o'clock with the show scheduled to run through Sunday, February 26. Performances will run Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings at eight o'clock and Sunday matinees at two o'clock with additional three o'clock matinees on Saturdays starting February 4. The Conversation Sunday for A Painted Window is Sunday, February 19.

How deep do the bonds of sisterhood go? A Painted Window catalogues the reunion of two sisters, Josephine and Sylvia, that used to giggle together late at night, yet now stand worlds apart. Forced to move in together after decades of estrangement, the two women struggle to reconcile their past, navigate the present and plan their future. A Painted Window is a beautifully crafted play about family, loss, regret and the staggering power of fear, but it's also a keen dissection of identity, classism, racism, and the havoc that consumerism, greed, and entitlement have wreaked on the American Dream. Ultimately, though, this is a play about love.

The cast of A Painted Window consists of Ruth Crawford (Jacob Marley's Christmas Carol, Miracle on South Division Street), Dominique Lowell (Outside Mullingar) and Lynch Travis. The Director is Frannie Shepherd-Bates. The production team includes Scenic Design by Elspeth Williams (Too Much, Too Much, Too Many), Lighting Design by Daniel C. Walker (The Decade Dance, The Gravedigger), Costume Design by Karen Kangas-Preston (The Decade Dance, Too Much, Too Much, Too Many), Sound Design by Jason Painter Price (Rounding Third, End Days) and Props Design by Michelle Raymond (The Nerd, Pulp). The Stage Manager is Stefanie Din (The Nerd, Pulp).

Tickets are Pay-What-You-Can for the Preview on Thursday, January 26. Remaining Preview tickets are still $15.00! We have raised ticket prices by $2 for performances in our 2016-2017 Season. Starting Opening Night, Adult tickets prices are $30.00 for Friday and Saturday evenings, $27.00 for Saturday and Sunday matinees and $25.00 for Thursday evenings. Senior citizens (65 and older) and members of the Military receive a $2 discount on all tickets. Student tickets (with a valid student ID) remain $10 for all performances. Discounts are also available for groups of 10 or more (booked at least 1 week in advance through the Box Office). Tickets can be purchased Tuesday - Friday from 12-6pm by calling (517) 655-SHOW (7469) or by visiting the Box Office and ordered on-line up until 1 1/2 hours prior to the performance by visiting our website www.williamstontheatre.org. Please be aware that payment is required at the time the reservation is made.

A Painted Window is made possible in part by an award from the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs and the National Endowment for the Arts with additional support from the Williamston Sunrise Rotary.

The Williamston Theatre is a not-for-profit, professional live theatre company, dedicated to producing plays that excite, engage and entertain our audiences. The theatre opened its doors in 2006, is the winner of a 2014 National Theatre Company Grant from The American Theatre Wing and has received a number of local awards including the 2008 Robert Busby Award for extraordinary overall contribution to theatre in the Greater Lansing Area.

Williamston Theatre patrons will find ample parking on the street and in several municipal lots throughout the city. The theatre is located in downtown Williamston (exit 117 off of I-96) just south of Grand River Avenue. Additional information about the company and the 2016-2017 Season is available online at www.williamstontheatre.org or by calling (517) 655-SHOW (7469).