(April 9, 2014)

Marjorie Lyons Playhouse's "By the Bog of Cats" opens this Thursday

SHREVEPORT, LA — Centenary College's Theatre Department and guest Director Melissa Hill Grande will present By the Bog of Cats by Marina Carr from Thursday, April 10, through Sunday, April 13 at Marjorie Lyons Playhouse on Centenary campus.

Loosely based on the tragedy Medea, the show is a lyrical and timeless tale set in the bogs of rural Ireland that tells the sad story of Hester Swane, an Irish Traveler with a deep and unearthly connection to her land who is facing rejection, pain, and loss. Travelers, also called Tinkers or Gypsies, live in itinerant groups and travel the Irish countryside, but are ethnically Irish. The show is filled with the aspect of Irish storytelling, tragedy, and prophecies.

Student Sandy Rather '14 has taken on the demands of her role and is excited to present the final product this weekend.

"This role of Catwoman (a blind prophetess) has been fun as well as a great challenge," said Rather. "It's my first time playing a blind character, so I have been growing with the character. It's been really interesting to make deeper connections with my fellow actors while using every other sense except for my sight. By the Bog of Cats is certainly a show that has stretched me artistically, physically, and emotionally."

Grande joins the production from Pittsburgh where she works as a freelance director. A graduate of Ohio University in Athens, Grande earned a BFA in Production Design and Technology/Costume Design, an MA in Theater History and Criticism, and an MFA in Directing. She was on faculty for 13 years at Marietta College in Ohio as a resident costume designer and shop manager for the Theatre Department. She spent five years as the Associate Artistic Director at Pittsburgh Irish & Classical Theatre, where her love for New Play Development and Irish drama was nurtured and developed.

Show times are Thursday, April 10, at 8 p.m.; Friday, April 11, at 8 p.m.; Saturday, April 12, at 8 p.m.; and Sunday, April 13, at 2 p.m. Doors open 30 minutes prior to the show. Tickets can be purchased at the door and online; cost is $15 for adults, $10 for seniors and military, and $5 for non-Centenary students. Centenary students, faculty, and staff are admitted free.

For more information, contact Lorna Dopson at the box office, 318.869.5074.