Hickory- The Hickory Community Theatre’s upcoming production of the comedy Noises Off! features the return of two actors who have graced the stage many times. Dorothy Collier Best and Donovan Harper have between them a total of 26 productions over the past 10 years, but they’ve never appeared together.

Best’s first role was Martha in White Christmas in 2011 and she’s gone on to roles in nine other shows including Nine to Five and On Golden Pond. In 2016 she had the rare experience of receiving double Kay Awards in the same season when she received Outstanding Character Actress for playing Eulalie Shinn in The Music Man and Outstanding Supporting Actress for her side-splitting performance as Frau Blucher in Young Frankenstein.

Harper has averaged two shows a year at HCT since he first stepped on stage for the title role in Willy Wonka Jr. in 2014. His subsequent roles have included the Cowardly Lion in The Wiz and Colehouse Walker, Jr. in Ragtime. He has been recognized with Kay Awards twice, first an ensemble award for Ragtime and then an Outstanding Character Actor Award for playing James “Thunder” Early in Dreamgirls.

Performances of Noises Off! are Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays (Feb 11, 12, 13, 18, 19 & 20) at 7:30pm, and Sundays (Feb 14 and 21) at 2:30pm.

This production will be broadcast live online. Tickets are $12 for a single viewer and $30 for a household. Tickets for the general public are available through the theatre’s website at hickorytheatre.org. Due to limitations by the ticketing service provider, reservations for subscribers are only available by contacting the box office at 828-328-2283 or emailing [email protected].

It is hoped that state restrictions will be relaxed to allow live audiences before the play opens. That announcement will be made as soon as information becomes available.

The Hickory Community Theatre is a funded affiliate of the United Arts Council of Catawba County. Noises Off! is produced by Paul Sapp, Christy Lohr Sapp and Betty Lohr. A Cleaner World, Paramount Automotive, the City of Hickory, the United Arts Council of Catawba County, Sunbelt Xpress and Dr. George Clay, DDS are the sponsors of the 2020-2021 Season.

PHOTO: Donovan Harper is Garry and Dorothy Collier Best is Dotty in Noises Off! coming February 5th to the Hickory Community Theatre. Performances run February 11-21, 2021, broadcasting live from the Jeffers Theatre. Photo by Lauren Albers.