'Still Life With Iris' runs Oct. 28-Nov. 1

Appalachian State University's Department of Theatre and Dance presents Still Life With Iris Oct. 28 - Nov. 1 in the Valborg Theatre. Performances begin at 7 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday, and 2 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 1.

Tickets are $12 for adults and $6 for students. The box office is open Monday through Friday, 2-5 p.m., and one hour prior to show time. Those interested in attending may purchase tickets in person, by phone at (828) 262-3063, or online at http://www.theatre.appstate.edu/performances/.

Still Life With Iris by Steven Dietz is a fantastical adventure, which centers on a little girl's search for the simplest of things: home.

Iris (Ariel Nicastro) lives with her mother in the land of Nocturno, a magical place in which workers make, by night, all the things we see in the world by day. For example: flower painters are busy painting all night the colorful blooms of the next day.

In Nocturno, memories do not reside in people's minds, but in their coats, called "PastCoats." The rulers of Nocturno, the "Great Goods," are determined to have the "best" of everything on their island, and therefore take Iris away from her home and bring her to Great Island to be their daughter. The Great Goods take her PastCoat away in order to ease the pain of being taken from her family.

Fortunately, Iris was able to keep a single button from her coat, which serves as a clue to help her get back home. With the help of friends she meets along the journey, Annabel Lee (Colleen Longo) and Mozart (L.B. Brown), she frees herself from the Great Goods and returns to Nocturno, having found her past and her home once again.

A beautiful story full of magic, empowerment and hope, Still Life With Iris is the first play for young audiences to receive the Kennedy Center's Fund for New American Plays Award.Currently one of the most widely-produced plays for young audiences in the country, Still Life With Iris is an interdisciplinary art experience, with stunning visual images, magic effects, and an underscore of music by Mozart. Teresa Lee directs the production.

The Department of Theatre and Dance sends loud applause to its 2009-10 season sponsors, Boone Bagelry and Joe's Italian Kitchen, and warmly thanks Stick Boy Bread Company and Tupelo's World Cafe for their generous support.

The Valborg Theatre is located at 480 Howard St., behind the Turchin Center for the Visual Arts. Parking is available on campus in faculty lots, the parking deck behind the Carol G. Belk Library, and behind the Turchin Center.