Hickory – In The Kitchen Witches, a comedy opening February 9th at 8pm in the Firemen’s Kitchen at the Hickory Community Theatre, the plot centers around two cooking show hostesses but there are two supporting characters also essential to the story. There’s the show producer, Stephen, and the camera operator, Roberta. Stephen also happens to be the son of Dotty, one of the hostesses.

In the Hickory production Justin Thomas plays Stephen and Kelsey Faye Perry is Roberta. Perry has three prior on stage credits at HCT going back to 2012. Thomas joined the Theatre in 2017 for the production of Hamlet.

Thomas is not new to the stage however. He has performed in several productions with Foothills Performing Arts, the resident theatre company at the J.E. Broyhill Civic Center in Lenoir. In addition to playing Rosencrantz in Hamlet, he most recently played Ellard in The Foreigner. A native of Sawmills, NC, he works in maintenance for Merchants Distributors and attends Caldwell Community College.

Perry is doing double duty in this show. In addition to playing Roberta she is also the assistant stage manager. She is equally comfortable and adept on stage and off. Some of her work at the theatre includes playing Aggie in The Game’s Afoot and most recently being stage manager for The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. She resides in Hickory and works for Estate Solutions in Statesville.

Performances of The Kitchen Witches are Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm (Feb 9, 10, 16, 17, 23 & 24); Thursdays at 7:30pm (Feb 15 & 22); and Sundays at 2:30pm (Feb 18 & 25.)

All seats are $16, seniors and students are $14. Tickets are now on sale online at hickorytheatre.org or through the Theatre box office, in person or by phone at 828-328-2283. Box office hours are 12-5 Wednesday through Friday.

HCT is a Funded Affiliate of the United Arts Council of Catawba County. The 2017-2018 Season is sponsored by Paramount Automotive and A Cleaner World. The Kitchen Witches is produced by Dr. George Clay, III, DDS and Robert Abbey, Inc.

Photo: Justin Thomas and Kelsey Faye Perry are part of the cast of The Kitchen Witches at the Hickory Community Theatre. Performances begin on February 9th in the Firemen’s Kitchen. Photo by John Koval.