BUCKHANNON – The Department of Theatre at West Virginia Wesleyan College will be presenting the bittersweet comedy Five Women Wearing the Same Dress as part of its Fall 2018 season.

The comedy was written in 1993 by Alan Ball, the creator of the hit TV series True Blood and the film American Beauty.  Taking place in Knoxville, Tenn., the story is based upon five bridesmaids hiding in the bride’s bedroom upstairs of a wedding reception.

While these five ladies each have their own reasons for seeking refuge upstairs, they learn that they have more in common than they realize.

This wickedly funny performance will touch your heart, as it depicts the many similarities and differences between women in a comedic yet charming manner.

Gregory Mach, associate professor of theatre at Wesleyan, leads the creative team as the director for this production.

Mach is excited to work on this piece and says, “It’s not often we get to work on a character-driven piece, as this one is. Each character is so rich, and funny, and well-written, that we feel we know these people up on stage, like those relatives we only see at special occasions like weddings and funerals.”

Scenic and lighting design for the show are by Keith Saine, and costume design is by Brandon Ulrich.  Isabella Hutchinson will be leading the technical team as stage manager with Pippa McGinley as assistant stage manager.

The cast includes Wesleyan students Faith Bell of Harts, W.Va. as Frances, Kari Conaway of St. Marys, W.Va. as Meredith, Maya Eberhart of Brooklyn, N.Y. as Trisha, Taylor Pugh of Oak Hill, W.Va. as Georgeanne, Savannah Teter of Girard, Ohio as Mindy, and Brett Smith of Charleston, W.Va. as Tripp.  While the cast is small, the characters and their personalities are large, unique, and worthy of attention.

Director Mach says that, “The characters are so different from each other, each one with a contrasting world view and values, and the actors we have cast to play them in the play all show a really exciting mix of personalities, too.”

Due to adult language and situations, this show is for mature audiences only.  Show dates run November 8-10 at 8 p.m. with an additional matinee performance on November 10 at 2 p.m.  All shows will be performed in the Virginia Thomas Law for the Performing Arts Center’s Culpepper Auditorium at Wesleyan.