A Tuna Christmas
By Jaston Williams, Joe Sears & Ed Howard
Directed by Connie
Salsman
December 4 - 20, 2009
Come spend the holidays with your favorite citizens of Tuna, Texas, and make some new friends while you’re there! Two actors, along with some split-second costume changes, portray all 24 citizens of Texas’ third smallest town, where the Lion’s Club is too liberal and Patsy Cline never dies. This time, it’s right before Christmas and all comic hell is about to break loose as the delightfully eccentric characters attempt to cope with seasonal traumas from a disaster-prone holiday theatrical production to a yard decorating contest being sabotaged by a Christmas phantom!
Tickets $13 for adults, $10 for seniors
(65+) and juniors (under 18).
Showtimes: Friday & Saturday nights at 8:00
p.m., Sunday afternoons at 3:00 p.m.
Special Thursday
night show added, Dec 10, at 8 -- 10 opportunities to spend some time with the
folks from Tuna!
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Coby Cathey (Man #1) Coby Cathey began his acting career in his home town of Emory, TX, pop. 836, where he performed regularly for his sisters and parents. Early media included sock puppetry and musical variety shows. Several years later, he revived his acting interests on the stage of Farmers Branch Church of Christ. He played the character of Marshall, a hyperactive, preteen, aspiring movie director. Marshall had plenty of lessons to learn that greatly benefited the families attending the Big Time service. "I truly had forgotten how amazing it is to act. It's like flying or more like free falling," says Coby, which is understandable when considering his physical comedy style. Like all programs, the Big Time stage closed and Coby applied and accepted a job on a small charter boat. He was the first mate and did almost everything including making several critical and unintended mistakes that caused the shipwreck of the SS Minnow. Rover Dramawerks production of Gilligan's Island the Musical Around The World in 80 Days , Rover Dramawerks. Performing in the role of Jean Passaportout, French man servant to Phileas Fogg, Coby tamed elephants, rescued heroines and fought Indians all the way around the world. Tuna! God bless us, every one! |
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Tom DeWester (Man #1) Tom is very happy to be here at GLCT performing in Tuna Christmas. This is Tom's first production with GLCT and looks forward to others in the future. He was most recently seen in OnStage in Bedford's Man of La Mancha in the role of Don Quixote. Locally Tom has also worked with Runway Theater, LifeStage Theatre, and Artisan Theater. He and his wife moved to Texas in 2006 from Mountain View, California. His wife, Amy, is a Professor at UT Arlington and Tom is a 2nd grade teacher with CISD. Beginning acting in high school Tom has been acting for 38 years and has 100 shows to his credit; including 21 summers of summer theatre in Jackson, WY. He would like to thank his wife for her continued love and support. |
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Connie Salsman (Director) Connie was excited when asked to direct this show, her ninth outing as director at GLCT. Maybe it is her lifetime among the people of Texas whose natural humor and pathos is captured in the characters of this play. They're not funny people, but the things that happen to them are funny. And some of them aren't. Kind of like your life and mine. But they face their lives with courage and humor and keep on kicking. Connie directed A Dickens’ Christmas Carol: A Traveling Travesty in Two Tumultuous Acts last Christmas and Oklahoma! in the summer before that. Most shows she is working behind the scenes as producer, a glamorous title that means "whatever it takes to get it done." She was last out on the stage as Lady Catherine DuBois in Pride & Prejudice. Connie is blessed with a great family. Her husband, Rick, is her strongest supporter. Her Dad, Bo Jackson, is her go-to guy for set construction (thanks, Dad). Her grandson Aidan is her theatre pal. And the rest of the family is always ready to help. Without them, the whole shebang would be pointless. |
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Erin Ball (Assistant Director/Stage Manager) Erin was not so sure she wanted to do another Christmas show (ok, YOU try fitting rehearsals into your holiday schedule!), but this has been fun. One would think things would be easier with only two actors to worry about – but no such luck! The scene and costume changes in this show definitely keep her running – sometimes sprinting! – backstage. But after a summer doing props for The Sound of Music, Don't Dress for Dinner , and the last-minute scene painting of Much Ado About Nothing But GLCT will always be home to Erin, and she is grateful once again for the chance to work with her friend Connie. "It's always fun, always a lot of work, but always worth it." |
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John Damian, Sr. (Technical Director) has had the pleasure of working at GLCT for nearly 10 years. John has been lighting designer for all of Connie's shows, The Rainmaker, Christmas Carol, A Traveling Travesty . He has served as Technical Director for most of the other shows at GLCT over the past several years, including this season's The Rocky Horror Show . He also serves as Facilities Manager for the theater, where he is continually involved with many renovation projects, he and assisted with the recently completed HVAC improvements that will make the theater much more comfortable next summer. John realizes that without his wife and family’s support, he would not be able to continue to enjoy this wondrous adventure. |
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Janette Oswald (Costumer) This marks the first show for which Janette has done costumes in over 20 years. Previously, Waco Civic Theater benefited from her costuming talents in The Foreigner and The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, which included one million toddlers dressed like angels...or at least it seemed that way. "Thank you to Connie for the opportunity to contribute, and to the cast and crew for so much help. It was a group effort! " |
