Footlight Players to present “Close Ties”
The Footlight Players will be performing “Close Ties” in March. The play centers on Josephine and the decisions her family makes about her future. Pictured here are Lydia Quillen, Amanda Bailey-Gress, and Mickie Galajda, who portrays Josephine.
COSHOCTON – The Coshocton Footlight Players will be performing a play that is very heartwarming and deals with a serious situation with a bit of humor.
“Close Ties” by Elizabeth Diggs centers on Josephine, played by Mickie Galajda, and her family in their summer home in the mountains. Despite getting on in years, Josephine is still as spunky as ever and continues to be very active and vocal within her family. But the family is starting to realize that Josephine is becoming senile and they might need to make some tough decisions about her future.
“I just thought people could identify with the characters and the scenario, and I liked the characters,” said Director Nathan Mayse. “It’s a glimpse into how a family deals with an aging member of the family and the trials that go along with that.”
Mayse said there are many touching scenes in the play that audiences can identify with. One such scene is between Josephine and one of her daughters, Bess where Bess has to play more of a mothering role to Josephine. Another scene is where Josephine finally finds out the plan her family has decided for her future.
“I hope audiences remember that Josephine was strong and passionate and in the end, very realistic about herself and her family,” said Galajda.
The setting of the play is Josephine’s kitchen in her summer home in the mountains. Mayse had the set nearly complete before rehearsals began and used a lot of personal touches to make Josephine’s kitchen warm and inviting.
Although there are fights throughout the family, and a little bit of sibling rivalry between two of the granddaughters, the main underlying theme is the love they feel for one another.
“My character just talks about love,” says Sarah Kittner, who plays one of the granddaughters. “Because we love her, we want to do what’s best for her.”
Amanda Bailey-Gress, who also portrays one of Josephine’s granddaughters, said that the play had some very relatable moments for audience members.
“It’s kind of a universal theme,” she said. “We’ve all seen elderly family members go through what Josephine does. We have to do things that are unpleasant, but we do them out of love.”
“Close Ties” will be performed at the Triple Locks Theatre in Roscoe Village on March 7, 8, 14, 15, 21, and 22 at 8 p.m. The play features cast members from Coshocton County as well as surrounding counties.
“It’s a really wonderful group of people here,” said Andrew Duffy who plays one of the granddaughter’s boyfriend and travels from Mount Vernon. “It’s worth making the drive. We have fun and make good shows.”
Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for students. Reservations can be made by calling the box office at 622-2959 from 7 to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday or from 2 to 4 p.m. on performance days. Reservations can also be made online at footlightplayers.com.
“I think the audience will leave valuing the relationships in their families,” said Galadja, “and how each person in the family deals with the changes life brings.”
beth@coshoctoncountybeacon.com
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