Hickory – “What is she saying to you when she tells you to behave? When she says sit down, stay still? She is saying stay small. Be less. Be little. Which was fine when you were a child. But what about now?” So says the puppet Tyrone to his “handler”, Jason in Robert Askins’, Hand to God. The dark comedy opens this Friday, October 16 in the Firemen’s Kitchen and runs through Saturday, October 31.

In Hand to God, Askins introduces us to Jason, whose mother Margery runs an after-school puppet ministry in the basement of a local church. Unfortunately, Jason’s yarn-haired, google-eyed sock puppet sidekick, Tyrone, is possessed—or at least that’s what everybody decides when Tyrone starts speaking directly from Jason’s id.

There are two other members of Margery’s puppet troupe, which she calls the Christketeers: Timothy, who’s got a crush on Margery, and Jessica, who would rather be studying Balinese shadow puppetry but will take what she can get. Speaking to Jessica, Tyrone tattles on the guy whose hand is up his backside: “He thinks you’re hot.” And that’s just the beginning. Performances of Hand to God are Fridays and Saturdays, Oct. 16–31 at 7:30 p.m.; Sundays at 2:30 p.m.; and Thursday, Oct. 29 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $18 for adults and $12 for students 18 and over. Tickets are available online at hickorytheatre.org, or by calling 828-328-2283. Because of the content, this production carries a strict 18+ rating and is not recommended for younger patrons. Hand to God is produced in association with Friends of the Theatre. Hickory Community Theatre is a funded affiliate of Arts Culture Catawba and receives sustaining support from the North Carolina Arts Council, a division of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. Season 78 community support is provided by the City of Hickory, A Cleaner World, David and Maria Williams, Shurtape Technologies, and Acuña & Acuña Dentistry.

PHOTO: Trenton Stiles plays the dual roles of Jason and his puppet Tyrone in Hand to God, opening this weekend at the Hickory Community Theatre. Performances run October 16-31 in the Firemen’s Kitchen. Photo by Eric Seale.