Auditions start for ‘Southern Hospitality’ at Hill Country Community Theatre in Cottonwood Shores

COTTONWOOD SHORES — Auditions are scheduled Sept. 26-27 for "Southern Hospitality," Hill Country Community Theatre’s second production of its 2011-2012 season.

The cast for the down-home comedy, which is a sequel to the theater’s 2009 production of "Christmas Belles," includes five men and eight women.

The auditions are 7 p.m. at the theater, 2003 FM 2147 West.

Written by "Christmas Belles" playwrights Jessie Jones, Nicholas Hope and Jamie Wooten, "Southern Hospitality" again features the deep-fried antics of the Futrelle sisters.

This time they’re up to their elbows in trouble as they try to save their beloved hometown of Fayro, Texas, from extinction. Along the way — although presented as a farce — the play delivers a testament to Southern strength and ingenuity, organizers said.

Directed by veteran director Mary Ann Fletcher, "Southern Hospitality" runs Dec. 1-11, with 7:30 p.m. performances Thursday through Saturday and 2:15 p.m. matinees on Sundays.

Fletcher was a teacher and the director of theater at Marble Falls High School for 21 years before retiring in 2008. She is a member of HCCT’s Board of Governors, the chair pro-tem of the Texas Coalition for Quality Arts Education, a member and past secretary of the Highland Lakes Service League and a volunteer for the Marble Falls/Lake LBJ Chamber of Commerce.

"Southern Hospitality" is being produced by special arrangement with Dramatists Play Service Inc., New York City.

Currently running on an all-volunteer basis, HCCT is one of the oldest continuously operating community theaters in Texas. During its 26-year history, productions have drawn more than 100,000 audience members.

Some 5,000 volunteers from surrounding communities have given their time and support to the theater’s operations, from management to acting, backstage work and onstage production, organizers said.