Southern Baptist Sissies, good ole down home drama
Contributed by Trustus Theatre

Trustus Theatre mounts Del Shore's "irreverent, butt kicking, Southern fried humor play," Southern Baptist Sissies, directed by Chad Henderson, the young critically acclaimed director of 2007s Dog Sees God and Hedwig and the Angry Inch May 9, 2008. 803-254-9732 or www.trustus.org.

Southern Baptist Sissies is cathartic as well as comical. It combines a "good old down home" farcical comedy with sparkling lines in the first act and a more serious soul- searching drama in the second. The play investigates the enormous fear and guilt suffered by four clean cut, white young men whose lives are centered around the church. They soon discover they sometimes have desires that are often considered "unnatural" and an abomination to their reactionary church and traditional family life.

This all- star cast of Columbia's favorite performers include, Monica Wyche as the good old Mother, Dewey Scott Wiley as Odette the proud alcoholic, Gene Aimone as the fire and brimstone preacher, and, of course, the beloved Gerald Floyd as the extremely entertaining Peanut.

Mark (Jonathan Jackson) serves as narrator as the play follows his life and that of three Baptist choir singing boyhood friends: T.J. (Brandon Martin), an all American straight shooting future preacher, Andrew (Nate Herring), who is questioning and prays about his sexuality and Benny (Sean Stephens) who seems to lean toward feminine pursuits rather then the manly sports of small town Texas. The audience will follow their lives as they attempt to justify their own lifestyles with an embedded love of church and family.