PHOTO PROVIDED BY CYNTHIA WILLIAMS

Credit: Steve Schirra

The Kent State Stark campus will end its 2005-06 season on a light-hearted note with Sundries, a light-hearted comedy from local playwright Rod Lang.

Sundries opens tomorrow night and shows again Saturday, with additional showings from April 19 to 22 at 8 p.m. with a matinee show on April 23 at 2:30 p.m. There will be American Sign Language interpretation available for Saturday’s performance.

“I believe that Sundries is going to be very entertaining,” said Cynthia Williams, Stark public relations coordinator. “The playwright always strives to add humor and wisdom to his productions.”

The play focuses on main character Jack Tovel and his adventures running a sundries shop left to him by his best friend, Sammy. The performance at Stark campus is the first time Sundries is being performed in Northeastern Ohio.

In 2004, Lang won the Bellevue Society for Arts playwriting competition with his script for Sundries.

Williams likens the opportunity to present a play written by an award-winning local playwright to a sneak peek at a rising career.

“Rod Lang has been featured in many Kent State Stark productions,” she said. “He has a lot of knowledge and experience when it comes to putting together a successful play.”

Working with Lang on this production was nothing new for director Phillip Robb. The two worked together in 2003 on a production of Lang’s play Birdie.

“Rod Lang has been to most of the rehearsals,” he said. “This has been a highly collaborative experience for me and the cast. An experience like this is a fine example of how collaborative an art form theatre is.”

Williams is looking forward to seeing what the two men have to present this time around.

“In Fall 2003, Birdie was a huge hit,” she said. “I’m looking forward to seeing his latest creation.”

Both Williams and Lang said they hope the students of Kent State’s main campus are excited to see the production as well.

“We always hope that students, faculty, and staff of the university, as well as the community, will come to the campus to appreciate the talent that it takes to create a production,” she said. “Everyone from the actors to the directors to the stage hands put forth their best effort to produce a play that will entertain and engage the audience.”

Robb agreed, saying that his hope for the play is that students from the university and people from the community will take this opportunity to see an original work by a local playwright and share in the experiences of both the actors and the director.

Admission to Sundries is free to Kent State students. Tickets are $5 for all non-KSU students, children under age 17, and senior citizens and $8 for adults. For more information please contact the theatre box office at (330) 244-3348. The box office is open Monday through Friday from 1 to 5 p.m.

Contact regional campuses reporter Tessa Carroll at [email protected].