September 7-9, 14-16, 20-23

LEAVING IOWA - Northwest Indiana Premiere a poignant comedy By Tim Clue and Spike Manton Leaving Iowa is presented through special arrangement with Dramatic Publishing.

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Directed by John E. Buranosky

It is the story of Don Browning, a middle-aged writer, who returns home and decides to finally take his father's ashes to his childhood home, as requested. But when Don discovers Grandma's house is now a grocery store, he begins traveling across Iowa searching for a proper resting place for his father. This father-and-son road trip shifts smoothly from the present to Don's memories of the annual, torturous vacations of his childhood. Don's existential journey leads him to reconcile his past and present at the center of the United States. Leaving Iowa is a postcard to anyone who has ever found himself or herself driving alone on a road, revisiting fond memories of his or her youth.

September 7, September 14, September 21 - Educator Appreciation Night
Teachers and Administrators will receive buy-one-get-one FREE tickets just show school ID. Reservations Required. This is a buy one get one free offer only. No half price tickets will be available.

September 20 - Industry Night
Present a picture/resume or playbill with your name for buy-one-get-one FREE tickets. Reservations Required. This is a buy one get one free offer only. No half price tickets will be available.

Student Rush
All evening performances will have a minimum of 10 buy-one-get-one FREE tickets available 1 hour before showtime. Must show current student ID. This is a buy one get one free offer only. No half price tickets will be available.
(Not available for Sunday Matinees)

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AUDITIONS
July 21 at 1pm & July 23 at 7pm
Nothing to prepare. You will be asked to read from the script. Audition cuttings will be available online at the Towle website in early July.

ROLES INCLUDE:
Don Browning: 30's-40's. Successful Boston reporter - too busy to attend his father's funeral three years ago. Must also play young Don in flashbacks - whiny, complaining, and antagonizing his big sister in the back seat of the car, as children have done since the dawn of the automotive age. He is the driver of the play in a gentle inviting way.

Dad: 50's-60's. He's a quiet ghost who, in his urn, is Don's passenger on his journey. Flashbacks show him as Dad the teacher, planning the family vacations around every educational and historical highlight of the American road. He never bought into the fun -- more commercial - attractions along the way, which left the kids begging to stop at "Ghost Caverns" and motels with a pool! He was the ultimate father; the loving boss of the family.

Mom: 50's - 60's - Don's mom past and present. In flashbacks, always there - the ever-calming
influence on Dad and the kids - the ultimate peacemaker on these family road trips - to a point.
Currently, still "mothering", but becoming a little flighty as she ages. Mom feels very guilty for having left Dad in his urn forgotten in the basement for the last three years.

Sis: 30's - 40's -- Don's older sister, past and present. In flashbacks, "Sweet Pea", as Dad called her, is the typical big sister - overbearing, teasing, sneaky - always baiting Don until he struck back and got blamed for causing the ruckus. The two were always united in their efforts to influence Dad on the vacation plans. In present day, Sis is controlling, somewhat critical, but obviously loves her family.

Man: Is a Comic Character who will play a wide variety of roles adding to the comic effect. Must play all the male characters Don encounters on his road trip - in flashbacks and present day vignettes: farmer with silo, Don's grandfather, grocery store clerk, Don's Uncle, farmer with a hoe, Amish peddler at flea market, Civic War performer, Dan's childhood friend (now a professor), mechanic, park ranger, unhappy old man, stoic waiter with a mullet, hog farmer.

Woman: Same only female. Is a Comic Character who will play a wide variety of roles adding to the comic effect. Characters encountered: farmer's wife with silo, Don's grandmother, Don's aunt, Amish peddler, museum assistant, mechanic, woman in hotel, talkative waitress, hog farmer's wife.