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Human Race in Erma's hometown to stage 'At Wit's End' in spring 2018
The Human Race Theatre Company will stage a special spring 2018 production of Allison Engel and Margaret Engel's Erma Bombeck: At Wit's End in the 54-seat performance space at its Caryl D. Philips Creativity Center.
Dayton's own Erma Bombeck takes center stage in this touching one-woman comedy titled after her long-running newspaper column and directed by Heather N. Powell. Human Race Resident Artist Jennifer Joplin stars as the literary icon whose candid commentary on life as a woman, spouse and mother made her the champion of suburban housewives everywhere and her newspaper columns a mainstay on kitchen refrigerators for more than 30 years. Full of personal anecdotes and sprinkled with plenty of Bombeck's famous one-liners, it's a charming biography that proves "if you can't make it better, you can laugh at it."
"I'm thrilled this funny and poignant play is coming to Dayton, Erma's hometown," said Teri Rizvi, founder and director of the Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop at the University of Dayton. "Her wit and wisdom have stood the test of time - and remind us that the foibles of family life will always make us laugh."
Special preview performances of Erma Bombeck: At Wit's End for the Bombeck Writers' Workshop are Thursday, April 19 - Sunday, April 22. The public preview performance is Thursday, April 26. Opening night is Friday, April 27.
Director Powell helmed HRTC's 2015 production of Steel Magnolias at the Loft Theatre, as well as the company's touring productions of Change and A Dickens of a Time. Joplin is a Wright State University graduate who has appeared in dozens of productions at the Human Race Theatre Company and throughout Cincinnati.
Performance and special event information
Tickets for the April 26 - May 13 performances of Erma Bombeck: At Wit's End are currently only available to 2017-2018 Eichelberger Loft Season subscribers and will go on sale to the general public for $25 starting November 21. Seating is general admission.
All performances are in The Human Race's Caryl D. Philips Creativity Center, located at 116 North Jefferson Street, 2nd floor, in downtown Dayton, Ohio. Show times for Erma Bombeck: At Wit's End are 8 p.m. on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings and at 2 p.m. on Sundays.
More information on Erma Bombeck: At Wit's End is available at www.humanracetheatre.org.