Actor John Calure, directed by Lavin Cuddihee, will take on the persona of Hollywood legend Orson Welles when he presents Rosebud, the Lives of Orson Welles on June 1 and 2 at historic Sunnydale in Tryon.
A two act play by Mark Jenkin chronicles the “roller-coaster” life of Welles from the 1940s and 1950s. Calure, as Welles, takes us on an autobiographical journey of the man who became famous after one of his radio broadcasts War of the Worlds panicked thousands of people in 1938. This theatrical journey follows the well known actor and director from his prep school days in Woodstock, IL to acting on radio in New York in the late thirties, to Hollywood and some of the films for which he is most famous- most notably films like Citizen Kane and The Third Man
“This script is quite wonderful, not an easy walk-in-the-park, but a real gem,” director Lavin Cuddihee said. “The author has masterfully woven scenes from some of Orson’s films with bits and pieces from various works of Shakespeare, who was the playwright who guided Welles’ spirit from his earliest years, to personal thoughts that sound like they could have been written by Welles himself.”
“Doing a one-man show has always been a dream, it’s certainly on my bucket list of things to do”, Calure said. “I just never thought I’d pick a script that so accurately portrays the life of a very complicated but loveable character. It’s definitely the biggest role challenge I’ve had in fifty years of community theater. I am honored to be presenting it to benefit the Sue Hipps Memorial Scholarship Fund.”
The play will take place on Sat. June 1 at 7:30 pm and Sun. June 2 at 3 pm at Sunnydale on South Trade Street in Tryon (between the IGA and The Dollar General.)
Ticket prices are $20 each with all proceeds going to the scholarship fund. Price includes light hors d’oeuvres and beverage. Tickets can be purchased at TLT Workshop by calling 828-859-2466 or at the Book Shelf in Tryon.
