House Resolution 91

A RESOLUTION COMMENDING AND CONGRATULATING THE CENTER PLAYERS COMMUNITY THEATRE OF MADISON, MISSISSIPPI, FOR ITS AMAZING PRODUCTION OF PATIO BY JACK HEIFNER, WHICH RECEIVED NUMEROUS AWARDS AT THE MISSISSIPPI THEATRE ASSOCIATION COMPETITION AND THE SOUTHEASTERN THEATRE CONFERENCE COMPETITION.

WHEREAS, the Center Players Community Theatre, our state's own little slice of Hollywood, located in Madison, Mississippi, recently received riveting reviews, standing ovations and multiple state and regional honors for its production of PATIO by Jack Heifner; and

WHEREAS, as the curtain drew back, the stage backdrop for PATIO, a two-woman, one-act show with a four-person crew, resembled the picturesque backyard of a middle-class Texas home, where the younger sister Pearl, performed by LeLane Ray Higgins, scurried about to prepare a going-away party for her older sister Jewel, performed by Kathryn Dawkins, a beautician bored of the same old, small-town living she has known her whole life who yearned for her new start in the big city; and

WHEREAS, as Pearl and Jewel hustled and bustled throughout their home to prepare for Jewel's party, setting out food and putting up decorations, their conversation slowly began to uncover their true aspirations, peeling back each difference and dream like an onion, one layer at a time, a flurry of intense, raw emotions that LeLane and Kathryn brilliantly portrayed in such a way that theatre buffs and critics alike began to feel the warm heat of the Texas sun as if they too were experiencing the events unfold in the Texas backyard with the sisters as they became keenly aware of the emptiness pervading both of their lives; and

WHEREAS, under the direction of Dianne Brown, PATIO received coveted honors at the highly respected Mississippi Theatre Association Competition and Southeastern Theatre Conference Competition, and while the competition at the Mississippi Theatre Association was intense, it proved to be no match for the whimsical yet forlorn characters of PATIO, portrayed exceptionally well by the Center Players, who won the prestigious Warren McDaniel Award for Best Production Runner-up on January 16, 2016, entitling them to advance to the Southeastern Theatre Conference Competition, the self-proclaimed Largest Amateur Theatre Competition in the World, in Greensboro, North Carolina, on March 4, 2016; and

WHEREAS, in addition to winning the Warren McDaniel group award at the Mississippi Theatre Association Competition, Dianne Brown was named the Best Director among a plethora of other creative and determined directors all vying for the title, and Kathryn Dawkins and LeLane Ray Higgins won an All-Star Cast Award and Best Costume Award for captivating the audience with their amazing personifications of the thoughts and attitudes of the two sisters while cleverly donning the most quintessential "Texas" attire; and

WHEREAS, the performances of LeLane and Kathryn so mesmerized the judges, audiences and fellow actors at the Southeastern Theatre Conference Competition that they each received Outstanding Achievement Awards in Acting, Costuming, Hair and Makeup, a true testament of their innate talent for characterizations and zealous commitment to dress the part, from head to toe; and

WHEREAS, none of the awards would have been possible without the hard work, long hours, dedication and patience of the very skillful PATIO crew, which includes the following invaluable members: Assistant Director and set designer Robby Scucchi; Master Carpenter and Lighting Director David Higgins; and Props Assistant Mandy Hackman; and

WHEREAS, the Center Players Community Theatre of Madison not only provides a positive self-image, courage to take a different path, the ability to dream big and a lifelong love of the theatre to each and every person who volunteers for a play or witnesses an award-winning production, but the team also enriches the lives of the people in their community and enhances the cultural landscape of the City of Madison, Madison County and the State of Mississippi; and

WHEREAS, it is the policy of the House of Representatives to recognize and commend inspirational artistic and creative achievements in Mississippi, especially those garnered by the Center Players Community Theatre of Madison, Mississippi, a local community theatre, bursting with a passionate flair for the dramatic, that channeled the most memorable roles played by some of Hollywood's most astonishing stars in its award-winning and awe-inspiring theatrical rendition of PATIO:

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, That we do hereby commend and congratulate the Center Players Community Theatre of Madison, Mississippi, for its amazing production of PATIO by Jack Heifner, which received multiple state and regional honors at the Mississippi Theatre Association Competition and the Southeastern Theatre Conference Competition and extend our most sincere wishes for its continued success in the future.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be furnished to the Center Players Community Theatre of Madison, Mississippi, Kathryn Dawkins, LeLane Ray Higgins, Dianne Brown, Robby Scucchi, David Higgins, Mandy Hackman and to the members of the Capitol Press Corps.