Hickory – Local actors Taylor Edwards and Donovan Harper will be back on stage together in the Hickory Community Theatre upcoming production of the landmark rock musical of Hair, opening Friday, September 6th. Information and tickets are available on the theatre’s website at hickorytheatre.org.

Edwards plays the character of Woof, a gentle soul who extols sexual practices and loves to grow things. Hair is Edwards’ third show with HCT. He played Dave (of Dave and the Sweethearts) in Dreamgirls and was one of the pit singers for Mamma Mia!. He says he enjoys acting at HCT because of the diversity of shows presented by the theatre. He considers Hair to be a once in a lifetime opportunity for an actor. He lives in Hickory and is the site manager for the Henry River Mill Village.

Harper is playing Hud, a man who describes himself as “the president of the United States of love.” Harper is a very familiar face with local audiences and Hair is his fifteenth show at HCT in the past six years. He made his debut in Willy Wonka Jr. in 2013 as the iconic candy maker. His most recent role was the romantic lead, Orlando, in As You Like It. He has performed with other local companies including Foothills Performing Arts in Hudson, where he received the Willy Award for Best Actor for his performance as Horton the Elephant in Suessical the Musical. He is a home care worker for ARC of North Carolina.

Performances of Hair are Fridays and Saturdays (Sep 6, 7, 13, 14, 20 & 21) at 8:00pm, Thursdays (Sep 12 & 19) at 7:30pm and Sundays (Sep 15 & 22) at 2:30pm. Tickets for Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays are $20 for adults, $18 for seniors and $10 for students and youth 18 & under. Thursday night tickets are $16 for all adults and $10 for students and youth 18 & under.

Call the box office at 828-328-2283 or visit hickorytheatre.org to purchase tickets or get more information.

The Hickory Community Theatre is a funded affiliate of the United Arts Council of Catawba County and this production is supported by an Arts Council grant through the North Carolina Arts Council, a division of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, with funding from the State of North Carolina from the National Endowment for the Arts. The 2019-2020 Season is sponsored by A Cleaner World, Paramount Automotive and Sunbelt Xpress.

PHOTO: Taylor Edwards (left) and Donovan Harper are part of the outstanding cast of Hair, opening on September 6th at the Hickory Community Theatre. Photo by John Koval.