College Theater Teams Up With Fire Department to Remember Fallen Heroes

Panola College theatre will present its first show of the 2008 – 2009 season on Thursday, September 11, at 7:00 p.m.  The production, “The Guys” by Anne Nelson, will be performed in the Q. M Martin Auditorium.

Based on a true story, this play relates events that happened shortly after the September 11th attacks. New Yorkers were still in shock. One of them, an editor named Joan, received an unexpected phone call on behalf of Nick, a fire captain who had lost most of his men in the attack. The captain is looking for a writer to help him with the eulogies he must present at their memorial services. Nick and Joan spend a long afternoon together, recalling the fallen men through recounting their virtues and their foibles, and fashioning the stories into memorials of words. In the process, Nick and Joan discover the possibilities of friendship in each other and their shared love for the unconquerable spirit of the city. As they make their way through the emotional landscape of grief, they draw on humor, tango, the appreciation of craft in all its forms—and the enduring bonds of common humanity.

The play will star two talented returning actors, Latoya Townsend from Mt. Enterprise and Travis Ponikiewski from Irving.  Latoya attended and graduated from Mount Enterprise High School where she first pursued acting.  Audiences will remember her as Gertie in the Dinner Theatre last year as well as her roles in “Rhinoceros,” “Once Upon a Mattress,” “Brigadoon,” and many other roles.  She is the daughter of Myrtle Faye Townsend and granddaughter of Dora Mae Townsend.  After graduating, she plans to attend Stephen F. Austin State University to study political science.  Travis graduated from McAurther High School and appeared last year as Prince Dauntless in “Once Upon a Mattress,” and Scab in “She Left Her Heart in Texas.”  Travis won numerous awards for acting during his high school One Act Play Days.

Following the performance, Fire Marshall, Bryan Rickert will introduce our local firefighters and talk about fires fought in and around Carthage. For additional information please call 903-693-2064.