Photo Flash: DEAD MAN'S CELL PHONE Plays the Wayside Theatre

Wayside Theatre presents DEAD MAN'S CELL PHONE. Dead Man's Cell Phone runs July 17 through August 14th. The comedy is written by Sarah Ruhl.

While eating lunch one day, Jean becomes flustered, then irritated, then quietly outraged as the phone of a man across the way trills insistently. He makes no move to answer, so Jean gingerly approaches, only to find that the man is not afflicted with rudeness but with a mild case of rigor mortis. The phone continues to ring. And as Jean will later say with mournful truth, a ringing phone demands to be answered. So she flips it open. "Hello?" Pause. "No, he's not. Can I take a message?" You never know how connected you may or may not be! And to whom! She continues to answer the phone and will learn that Gordon has a frostily elegant mother, an emotionally estranged wife, a mysterious mistress, a lonely brother and a sinister career.

The cast is a mixture of Wayside Theatre audience veteran favorites: Liza Vann (The Smell of the Kill, and Lying in State), Thomasin Savaiano (Shenandoah, Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story, Man of La Mancha, Southern Crossroads, Smoke on the Mountains trilogy), David Maga (Shenandoah, Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story, Southern Crossroads, Smoke on the Mountain trilogy, Miracle on 34th Street, Sherlock Holmes, The Final Adventure), Ricky Hesson (Shenandoah, Man of La Mancha, Miracle on 34th Street), Katherine Yacko (Shenandoah) and newcomer to Wayside Theatre main stage, Kate Kiley.

The production is directed by Warner Crocker. The Set Designed by Til Turner, Costume Design by Tamara Carruthers and Lighting Design by Wes Calken.

Dead Man's Cell Phone will begin performances on Saturday, July 17 and. Opening Night is Sunday, July 18 at 6:30pm. The remaining schedule of performances is Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings at 8:00 pm and Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday's at 2:30 pm. Ticket prices are $30 to $25 dollars for adults. Prices for children 5 to 17 are $10 for any performance. Discounts for students, seniors and groups are available with information available at the box office, (540) 869-1776.

Photo Credit: Westervelt