February 24, 2005

CONTACTS: Kimberly Stark, (901) 333-4023, (901) 489-4771-cell / Pat O’Brien, (901) 333-4021

Dearly Departed Takes the Stage at Southwest Theatre in March

Movie buffs will quickly pick up the storyline of Dearly Departed, the stage basis for the film Kingdom Come, starring Whoopi Goldberg. Southwest’s cast of 15, mostly acting students of Southwest Theater director Ron Gephart, give it the comedy-farce their own spin. Ron Gordon, Southwest technical director/designer, directs.

Latonia Brown plays Raynelle Turpin, head of a mis-functional family coping with the sudden breakfast table death of her husband and family patriarch, Woodrow “Bud” Turpin (various players). Other characters are her bumbling son (Kersten Charles), his nagging wife (Christina Hendricks), their three children, and a scripture-spouting sister-in-law and her hard-living son (Doug Powell).

Amidst chaos, the Turpin clan turns to their friends and neighbors, an eccentric community of misfits who just manage to pull together and help each other through their hours of need. Other cast members are Latoria Jenkins, Willie Armstrong, Timberly Moore, Chris Tracy, Tommy Slavings, Marsha Harris-Gray, Jerry Wakefield, Charise Homan and Starr Taylor.

The play is appropriate for the entire family and admission is free. Curtain time all three nights is 8 p.m. at the Southwest Union Campus Theatre on Manassas between Union and Linden.