The Highlands-Cashiers Players are back bigger and better than ever following a hiatus caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The group will stage “Parallel Lives” on Nov. 2-5 and Nov. 16-19.
The Highlands-Cashiers Players will once again enthrall audiences with their performances of “Parallel Lives,” rocking stages Nov. 2-5 and Nov. 16-19.
“Parallel Lives” is originally a 1986 series of vignettes starring Mo Gaffney and Kathy Najimy, the two directors, as they portray various skits of men and women interacting with each other. Nine actors will grace the Martin Lipscomb Theatre stage instead of the original two actors.
“Parallel Lives” is meant to be a provocative social commentary and has explicit language, but no graphic content.
Highlands-Cashiers Players is a true volunteer community theatre. Their mission is to deliver high quality, well done shows at an accessible price. They performed “Parallel Lives” over a decade ago and saw success. They decided to bring it back with hopes of reinvigorating the community.
Mary Adair Trumbly and Erik Bishop, co-directors of the plateau’s “Parallel Lives,” and Ron Leslie, president of Highlands-Cashiers Players, joined The Highlander to discuss Highlands-Cashiers Plateau and “Parallel Lives.”
“We think we’re vital to the quality of life in Highlands,” Leslie said. Leslie, who worked as a psychological researcher, pointed to artistic and economic opportunities, along with community participation, as essential for thriving communities.
The Highlands-Cashiers Players were like everybody else in that the pandemic caused strain and a loss in engagement, but Trumbly, Bishop, and Leslie want to assure the plateau they’re back and better than before. They are still delivering the same quality shows at a reasonable price.
To change things up a bit, Trumbly said they are offering cabaret seating for “Parallel Lives.” There will be two chairs per table and four rows of regular seating. Cabaret tickets are $35 and the rows are $25. Tickets can be found at highlandscashiersplayers.com.
“Our goal is to be the preeminent community theatre in western North Carolina. We have the best actors and directors available to us, we have this facility, and we generally have the most committed audience,” Leslie said.
Bishop followed that saying Highlands-Cashiers Players is what a community theatre should be.
“Instead of trying to do big, lavish productions, it’s focusing on the local performers, the actual pieces, and the writing of the pieces themselves,” Bishop said.
Along with “Parallel Lives” the first and third weeks of November, Leslie said Highlands-Cashiers Players has a great season planned for 2024, including “Love Note,” “Squabbles,” “Always a Bridesmaid,” and perhaps a retry of “Night Watch,” which was canceled following staff illness last year.