Hickory – The upcoming production of Larry Shue’s comedy The Foreigner at Hickory Community Theatre, which runs October 6-29 on the Mainstage in the Jeffers Theatre, features two local actors who each have an extensive list of performance credits. Both are also graduates of Lenoir-Rhyne University.
Mark Alton Rose, who has the leading role of Charlie Baker, has a B.A. in Theatre Arts and has been working in both community theatre and professional film and television since graduation. He also worked in radio for over 20 years at such stations as WFMX in Statesville and Joy 95 in Virginia Beach. When asked what he likes most about Hickory Community Theatre Rose said, “I love working on this stage and the talent pool here is amazing.” Rose is a four time Kay Award winner whose most recent roles were Sir Robin in Spamalot and James in Time Stands Still. He lives in Hickory with his partner Lisa Kemerait.
Peter Bost, who plays Charlie’s friend Froggy LeSeur, holds a Bachelors’ degree in Music Education which he has applied to being the Music Director at several area churches since 1975. In 1990 he became a soloist with the National Opera Company out of Raleigh, performing major roles in such famous operas as Cosi fan tutte and Die Fledermaus. Bost, like his co-star, also worked in radio. He was an announcer and producer at WDAV from 1995-2004 where he also hosted his own program on Saturday afternoons and produced promotional spots for the station. He also shared the stage with Rose in Spamalot and has many other roles at the Theatre since 1975. His most recent experience though was as a director, staging the sold out production of Glorious last January.
The Foreigner is a fun, two-act comedy that takes place in a fishing lodge in rural Tilghman County, Georgia where two Englishmen, Froggy and Charlie, arrive as guests. The shy Charlie agreed to accompany Froggy on the trip after his sick wife begged him to go. When people at the lodge try to talk to Charlie, however, he remains silent: he is terribly shy, depressed about his wife’s illness, and cannot find the words to reply. Froggy claims that Charlie cannot talk because he is a “foreigner” from an exotic country, and does not understand English. Taking the explanation that he’s a non-English speaker as fact, the lodge’s guests quickly begin revealing their secrets, and Charlie soon discovers scandals amongst some of the residents of the lodge.
Performances of The Foreigner are October 6th through 29th, Fridays and Saturdays (Oct 6, 7, 20, 21, 27 & 28) at 8pm, Thursdays (Oct 19 & 26) at 7:30pm, and Sundays (Oct 22 & 29) at 2:30pm. There are no performances the weekend of Oct 13-15 due to Oktoberfest.
Tickets are $18. There is a $2 senior discount for Fri/Sat/Sun performances. Tickets for students and youth 18 & under are $10. On Thursday night all adults are $14 and youth/students are $10. Tickets are now on sale online at hickorytheatre.org or through the Theatre box office, in person or by phone at 828-328-2283. Box office hours are 12-5 Wed-Sat from September 27th through October 28th.
The Hickory Community Theatre is a Funded Affiliate of the United Arts Council of Catawba County. The 2017-2018 Season is sponsored by Paramount Automotive and A Cleaner World. The Foreigner is produced by Alex Lee, Inc.
PHOTO (L-R): Peter Bost and Mark Alton Rose play a pair of Englishmen in The Foreigner, on stage October 6-29 at the Hickory Community Theatre. Photo by John Koval.
