. If you haven’t already experienced it, then you don’t know what you are missing!  Those who have, already know that the city of Blue Ridge has finally come into it’s own with the opening of the new Blue Ridge Community Theater located in Hampton Square.  Now in rehearsals for their third production, the theater has found itself sold out to capacity crowds and then some with it’s first two productions, “Della’s Diner” and “Dearly Departed”.  This bids a fond “how-dee-do” to yet another success with the upcoming William Inge play “Bus Stop”, directed by the equally successful Dan Pruitt.
Dan describes the play as, " an exploration of our various abilities to offer and accept the grace of Love." 

 “Bus Stop” which is the story of five weary travelers holed up overnight in a raging blizzard in a small, dingy but comfortable restaurant, stars Susan Wyman as Grace Hoylard, owner of the small town street-corner restaurant in Kansas in which the entire show takes place; John Marsh as Carl, the bus-driver and Grace’s newest paramour; Lisa Lacy-Avery as Cherie, a naïvely attractive but tacky nightclub chanteuse first pursued by, then made love to and finally kidnapped and held captive by Bo Decker (Tim Stanley) a young rancher and cowboy whose only thought is to get her up to his Montana Ranch with the help of his ranch hand Virgil Blessing (Jason Smith); Mike Pruitt  as Dr. Gerald Lyman, a middle-aged scholar with a ‘hankering’ for ‘younger women’ who finds he must finally come to terms with himself; Sarah Alexander as Elma Duckworth, the restaurant’s young waitress who gets her first taste of romance and Dick Kelly as Sheriff Will Masters who at the end of the day must take control of it all.

the cast:

Cherie - Lisa Lacy-Avery

Bo Decker - Tim Stanley

Elma - Sarah Alexander

Dr. Gerald Lyman - Michael Pruitt

Grace - Susan Wyman

Virgil - Jason Smith

Sheriff Will Masters - Dick Kelly

Carl - John Marsh

Behind The Scenes:

Dan Pruitt - Director

Sonia Smith - Assistant Director

Michael Lacy - Producer

Betty Radcliffe - Stage Manager

Steve Martin - Set Design

William Marsh,Bill Jefferson,
Nancy Johnson, Anna Carl,
Al Yeomans and Cindy Trimble - Set Construction

Elizabeth Hunt - Box Office Manager

Ann Kinnebrew & Aggie Downs - Costumes

Wanda Jefferson - Props

Linda Clabaugh, Ken Williams, Richard Scott
and Chad Avery - Lights and Sound

Susanne Lee - Publicity
John Fritchie - Playbill Design
Patricia & Joe Webb - Playbill Ad Sales

Helen McMahon - Volunteer Coordination

bus stop

by William Inge