Theater at the Matthews is heating up and we want you to be a part of it! We will be holding open auditions for three different performances on Thursday, July 21 and July 28 at 6:30 pm in the Matthews Opera House fireplace room. No experience is necessary to audition. All audition pieces will be performed as a “cold read” and will be available at the event.

Theater on the Run: The Matthews is excited to enter the 11th year of Theater on the Run! What exactly is TOTR? Think of it as progressive theater. Small groups of theatre patrons–25 people each– start at different locations. After each group has enjoyed a 15-20 minute play, the audience rotates to the next location to view the next production. Shows this season include “Mating Season of Flying Monkeys,” directed by Max Merchen; “Drugs are Bad,” directed by Tytus Spivey; “A Timely Maneuver,” directed by CA Dougherty; “Post-its: Notes on a Marriage,” directed by Casy Hibbert; and, “The Blind I,” directed by Julie Walkins. Performances for this event will be held on September 10 and 17 at 6 pm and September 18 at 2 pm.

Northern Hills One Acts: Great things happen when we unite and this year, for the first time ever, we’re joining forces with Belle Fourche and Lead community theaters to present Northern Hills One Acts! Each community will select and produce its own one-act play. All three shows will then be presented in each community on October 14 at 7 pm (Lead), October 15 at 7 pm (Spearfish), and October 16 at 3 pm (Belle Fourche). The title for the Matthews contribution will be announced at auditions and the show will be directed by Tytus Spivey.

Southern Hospitality, written by Hope, Jones and Wooten and directed by Max Merchen, is the third and final play in the highly popular trilogy following the antics of the Futrelle sisters–Frankie, Twink, Honey Raye and Rhonda Lynn. While many of the roles in this performance will be reprised by actors from the previous two installments, there are some new characters to cast!  In Southern Hospitality, the sisters are in trouble again. This time, their beloved hometown, Fayro, Texas, is in danger of disappearing and it’s up to the sisters to save it from extinction. But their plans to do so quickly go haywire. How the Futrelle sisters and the other citizens of Fayro, including sweet, simple, Raynerd Chisum, pull together and save their town is a testament to Southern strength and ingenuity—and a recipe for total hilarity. A laugh-out-loud farce and a stand-alone play in its own right, SOUTHERN HOSPITALITY is the third play in the trilogy that began with Dearly Beloved and continued with Christmas Belles. Performances are scheduled for November 11-13 and 18-20 at 7 pm for Friday and Saturday evenings and 2 pm for the Sunday matinee.