Artist Spotlight: Perfectly Normel People

FOOTLIGHT AND PICCOLO SPOLETO 2012 PRESENT

A NEW COMEDY FROM LOCAL PLAYWRIGHTS

The Footlight Players is proud to present alongside Thomas Burke Heath &  Judy Heath the world premiere of their second play, Perfectly Normel People.

For Charlestonians and festival visitors looking to be a part of something special from the very beginning, be sure not to miss Perfectly Normel People, a comedy that asks, “Isn’t every family normal?” This is a hilarious fish-out-of-water comedy about what happens when a college freshman from Kansas moves in with a dysfunctional Italian family from Queens! This funny and poignant memory play takes place in 1981 around the loud, but loving Normellino Family. They have survived many losses in their inner circle and often deal with their pain through biting humor and arguing. When the protagonist young Hadley Smith moves in, a transformation takes place for the naïve mid-westerner, as well as for the hurting family.

Performances include May 25, May 31, and June 2 at 8 pm; May 26 and June 3 at 3 pm; and May 28 at 5 pm. Tickets are $26 for adults and $21 for seniors/students, and must be purchased through Piccolo Spoleto by visiting http://www.PiccoloSpoleto.com or by calling 1-866-811-4111

The talented cast of Perfectly Normel People includes: Sean Marino (Adult Hadley), Steven Cardinal (Adam, Stranger), Katie Holland (Brenda, Rainbow, Bernadette), Jacqueline Helmer (Mom, Clerk, Margaret), Bronson Taylor (Hadley), Scott Cason (Dad), Tripp Hamilton (Frankie), Lara Allred (Angela), Thomas Burke Heath (Johnny), Paulette Bertolami (Connie), and Ross Magoulas (Pops).

Biography:

It was less than a year ago that the Heath’s first show, The Sunset Years, sold out every performance during The Village Playhouse Summer Series. Their plan is to publish their plays and have them produced up the coast at other theatres and hopefully make it to New York. The husband and wife playwriting team originally met up in New York during a regional production of Murder on the Re-Run where they played sniping characters that hated each other and then the two would laugh off stage at the craziness of the plot.

After a year as just friends, Thomas took a chance and kissed Judy and they’ve been together ever since! They were seen on stage 14 years later with Robert Ivey in the Footlight Players’ production of London Suite, which was directed by Clarence Felder. Thomas has also appeared locally in Glengarry Glen Ross, Rounding Third, Speed-the-Plow and The Weir. He plays as the “bad” father in the film Liberating Jesse, which was shown at this year’s Charleston International Film Festival.

For their day jobs, Judy is a board certified psychotherapist and co-founder with Thomas of the Life Guidance Center in West Ashley, as well as the author of No Time for Tears: Surviving Grief in America and the children’s book, I Miss Matthew. She was recently named one of the 50 Most Progressive People in Charleston. Thomas is owner of Heatherwood Entertainment & Media and just finished directing a music video for Charleston Indie Singer/Songwriter John Thomas.

Footlight Contact:

Chrissy Oddi  Chrissy@footlightplayers.net

Playwright Contact:

Thomas Burke Heath  Thomas@HeatherwoodLtd.com