THEATRE + COMEDY

Houston Family Arts Center (HFAC) continues its 6th season of bringing family-friendly entertainment to Houston with its Main Stage production The Trip to Bountiful by Pulitzer Prize- and Academy Award-winner Horton Foote. The Trip to Bountiful, directed by Sedric Willis, opens on Friday, April 15, at the HFAC Garza Main Stage, 10760 Grant Road, Houston, TX 77070, and runs through Sunday, May 8, 2011.

This graceful and elegant drama tells the story of the aging widow Carrie Watts takes place in Houston in 1953. Mrs. Watts imagines that if she can only return to her childhood home of Bountiful, she will regain her strength and dignity, but an adversarial daughter in law constantly thwarts her attempts. When she is finally able to make that visit, she returns to Houston with closure, secure in the knowledge that her life has been enriched by her last visit to her old home.

Author Horton Foote has a long and storied pedigree writing about the south. Foote wrote more than 60 plays, including the 1995 Pulitzer Prize-winning The Young Man From Atlanta. Foote also won two Academy Awards for best screenplay, first for his adaptation of Harper Lee's "To Kill a Mockingbird" in 1962 (perhaps the best literary film adaptation ever) and for 1983's "Tender Mercies."

“He had a unique ability to capture the voice of the South, particular the Gulf States,” says Lisa Garza, HFAC Play Reading Committee Chair. “In The Trip To Bountiful, he captures the poignant yearning of aging widow Carrie Watts to return to her roots in rural Texas. He shows the deep connection we feel for the dirt beneath our feet and the "bounty" it gives us. Along the way, he also introduces the central idea of family and how important those connections can become. For those seeing the show, it is fun to realize that Foote was often writing about his hometown of Wharton and the generations of Texans who lived and worked there.”

Sedric Willis, The Trip to Bountiful Director, says “We have assembled the finest cast and crew I have ever had the pleasure to work with. After seeing The Trip to Bountiful, you will leave with a greater appreciation for the past and present!”

The talented Houston cast includes Elaine Edstrom as Mrs. Carrie Watts, J. Blanchard as Ludie Watts, Stephanie Morris as Jessie Mae Watts, Anita Darby as Rowena, Reagan Lukefahr as Thelma, Jeffrey Brown as Sheriff, Robert Kaltreider as Ticket Seller #1, Chris George as Ticket Seller #2, and Jacque Dowell and Kevin Gunter as Travelers.

The Trip to Bountiful opens April 15 with performances on Friday and Saturday evenings at 8 PM and two Sunday matinees at 3 PM on May 1 and May 8. The box office opens one hour before each performance and the house opens 30 minutes before each performance.

HFAC SEASON SPONSORS
Dr. Mario and Lisa Garza
National Oilwell Varco
North Cypress Medical Center

HOUSTON FAMILY ARTS CENTER – FAMILY THEATRE AND ACTORS ACADEMY
Houston Family Arts Center (HFAC) is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, founded in November 2005 to provide a fun outlet for creative community involvement through the production of high-quality, family-friendly, affordable entertainment. Each year, HFAC produces family-friendly musicals, comedies, and dramas.

The HFAC Actors’ Academy provides numerous acting, singing and dance classes and workshops for children, teens, and adults. HFAC is the recipient of the 2009 & 2010 Nickelodeon Parents’ Picks Award for “Houston’s Best Theater Group for Kids.”

To purchase tickets, sign up for auditions or classes, or for more information, please visit www.houstonfac.com  or call the HFAC box office at 281-685-6374 or the HFAC Actors Academy at 281-685-2623.

Photo: Elaine Edstrom stars as Mrs. Carrie Watts in HFAC’s production of The Trip to Bountiful. Photo credit: HFAC by Bob Clark.