Amanda Lackman
Starring in “Crimes of the Heart” are, from left, Casidee Riley Corcoran as Meg, Kelsey Reid Steffan as Lenny and DeLaney Kay Hardy as Babe.
Yellowstone Repertory Theatre will end its inaugural season with “Crimes of the Heart,” by Beth Henley, which opens Friday, June 8, at NOVA Center for the Performing Arts.
Henley’s play about the Magrath sisters from Hazlehurst, Mississippi, won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1981 and has gone on to be produced on stages around the world and in a 1986 film starring Jessica Lange, Sissy Spacek and Diane Keaton.
Yellowstone Rep’s production will run for seven performances through June
23 at NOVA.
Craig Huisenga, Yellowstone Rep’s artistic director, said producing “Crimes of the Heart” fulfills several of the group’s goals as a new professional theater in Billings.
“It showcases important work by one of America’s best female playwrights, is a hugely entertaining Southern gothic comedy, and has juicy roles for some of Billings’ best actresses,” he said.
The New York Times called the characters “adorable eccentrics, laughing through their tears and crying themselves back to laughter again.”
In Henley’s bittersweet comedy, each of the Magrath sisters must deal with the consequences of the “crimes of the heart” she has committed. Their complicated family history has also made them the victims of others’ “crimes of the heart.”
In the Rep’s production, the sisters will be played by Kelsey Reid Steffan, Casidee Riley Corcoran and DeLaney Kay Hardy, all of whom have been featured on the stages of Billings’ community theaters.
Rounding out the cast are Wendy Kessler, Richard Leeds and Chas Llewellyn, who played Tom Wingfield in the Rep’s production of “The Glass Menagerie.” Huisenga will direct the show. The set will be designed by Mark Huisenga, costumes by Leah Ford and lighting by Davison Schanno.
All performances will be presented in the intimate Black Box at NOVA Center for
the Performing Arts, 2317 Montana Ave. Performances are Friday and Saturday nights at 7:30 p.m., with one Sunday matinee on June 17 at 2 p.m.
Ticket prices are $22 for adults, $15 for students. Discounts are available for groups of eight or more, or student groups of 10 or more. For tickets or more information, visit www.YellowstoneRep.org. Tickets may also be purchased by phone at 1-800-838-3006, or at the door.
Yellowstone Repertory Theatre’s mission is to bring professional theater to Billings and the surrounding region by creating a committed ensemble that dares the artist, while captivating and inspiring the audience.
