Sauk To Present THE FLOWER GIRLS Before Competing At AACTFest

The Sauk, Hillsdale County's community theatre, will be one of seven Michigan community theatres competing at the American Association of Community Theatre State Festival on March 15 and 16.

The Sauk will be presenting the first act of "The Flower Girls" by Lindsay McNair Patton. The local theatre company has a long history with the play. The play was workshopped in the summer of 2017 as part of the annual Plays-in-Development program. Then, in September 2018, The Sauk presented a fully staged production.

"The show was a big success," said Sauk Executive Director Trinity Bird who also directed the production. "We just felt that we were not finished with this play yet. When the opportunity came to take the play to AACTFest, we knew we had to go."

The Sauk will perform the play at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 16 at the Lebowsky Center in Owosso. Tickets will be available to the general public at the door. Two of the seven state productions will move to the regional festival scheduled for April in Kokomo, Ind. The Sauk is planning a local dress rehearsal on Wednesday, March 13 at 8 p.m. that will be open to the public. Admission is Pay What You Can.

"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.

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. The cast also includes Sandi Miller (of Clarklake) and Gary Minix (of Jackson) as parents Susan and Jim. The cast is completed with Nathan Johnson (of Jackson), who is joining the cast for this production, as Raines. The production team includes Tracy McCullough (light design), MJ Dulmage (sound design), Deb Smith (prop design) and Mandee Leigh Howard (stage management). Angela Forant will serve as assistant director. Miller received a 2019 BroadwayWorld Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Play for her performance.

The March 13 performance will take place at the Sauk Theatre, 240 E. Chicago St. in Jonesville. The play does contain minor adult content and language.
This production is sponsored by Gossage Eye Institute & Optical. The 2019 season is sponsored by Expressions Photography & Design. The Sauk is supported by the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs and the National Endowment of the Arts.