Hickory – Two actors, one a recent Kay Award winner and the other a newcomer, take on leading roles in the Hickory Community Theatre’s 
upcoming production of the mischievous comedy, Puffs. Performances are October 15–30 in the Jeffers Theatre. Tickets are available online at hickorytheatre.org or by calling 828-328-2283.
Jordan Randall plays Oliver Rivers, a mathematician wizard from New Jersey. Randall has been a familiar face at HCT recently, appearing in back-to-back productions of Noises Off, The Weir, and Skeleton Crew during the 20–21 season. He received the Kay Award for Outstanding Male Actor in a Supporting Role for his portrayal of the plant manager Reggie in Skeleton Crew. When asked about what draws him to work so often at HCT he replied, “It’s the diversity and depth of the stories and the people represented on the stage.”
Katie Stone has the role of Megan, who thinks she’s better suited to being a “Snake” than a “Puff”. Although new to HCT, Puffs is not Stone’s first time on stage. Her recent roles include the Baker’s Wife in Into the Woods and Audrey in Leading Ladies, both at the Green Room Community Theatre, and five seasons of principal roles in Liberty Mountain – The Revolutionary Drama at the Joy Center in her hometown, Kings Mountain. When asked what it is about HCT that inspires her to make the one-hour daily roundtrip to Hickory for rehearsals Stone replied, “As a newcomer, the community has been so incredibly welcoming to me! One of my favorite things is being in a venue that has so much character and history to it.”
Every famous book about a school of magic features heroic figures accomplishing great things and generally saving the world from evil. Puffs isn’t any of those things. It’s the untold story about the people in the background, the ones who aren’t destined to come out on top. It’s a hilarious, and at times heartfelt, comedy about characters whose biggest aspiration is to reach the middle. It’s for those who answer the rallying cry of ‘third or nothing’.
Performances of Puffs are Fridays and Saturdays, October 15, 16, 22, 23, 29 & 30 at 7:30 pm; Sunday, October 24 at 2:30 pm and Thursday, October 28 at 7:30 pm.
Opening night, October 15, features reduced-price tickets: $12 for adults and $10 for youth & students. Regular price tickets, October 16–30, are $16 for adults and $10 for youth & students.
Due to the rising number of cases of Covid-19 in Catawba County, and in accordance with the latest guidance from the CDC, the Hickory Community strongly recommends that patrons wear a mask or other face covering while inside the building.
PHOTO: Jordan Randall is Oliver Rivers and Katie Stone is Megan in the Hickory Community Theatre’s upcoming production of the comedy Puffs, which opens October 15. For show times and tickets call 828-328-2283 or visit hickorytheatre.org. (Photo by Eric Seale)
