This article is from the EMU News Archive. Current EMU new is available at www.emu.edu/news
EMU Theater to Present Student-Directed Comedy
"Laundry and Bourbon," a student-directed comedy revolving around the lives of three small-town women and their less-than-ideal marriages will be performed 7:30 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, Oct. 5-7, on Thomas Plaza of the Campus Center at EMU.
The play, directed by EMU junior Matt Pearson, is set on the front porch of Elizabeth’s (Erin Murray '08) house in the midst of a hot East Texas afternoon. Elizabeth and Hattie (Erica Yoder '09), a close friend, while away the scorching hours sipping bourbon and Coke, folding laundry and gossiping about secrets that are hard to keep in a one-horse dusty town.
Later, the higher-than-thou Amy (Sarah Gant '10) joins the pair on the porch, bringing with her rumors about Elizabeth’s husband, Roy, and his dealings with another woman. Through the give-and-take banter of the three friends, moving from discontent to humor, Elizabeth’s understanding of her love for her Vietnam veteran husband develops and she chooses to stand by Roy, despite what anyone else in Maynard, Tex., says.
Director Interned in Improv
Pearson spent January to July, 2006, as an intern at Washington (DC) Improv Theater, where he worked with some of the most talent improvisation artists in the country.
"My experience [at WIT] caused me to take a completely different look at comedy," Pearson said. "Comedy for me is no longer about getting a big laugh out of a joke, but to be a good storyteller that lets the audience relate to personal experience. There is a tremendous amount of comedy in truth.
"I am excited to bring all my experience from Washington Improv Theater to the theater program at EMU and to see what new things can happen as a result of creative collaboration," he added.
Tickets to the play are $4 in advance from the EMU box office, 540-432-4582, and $5 at the door.
In case of inclement weather, the play will move to Lehman Auditorium.
