The production of the Vanguard Theater’s play The Foreigner was performed Feb. 24 through Feb. 27. This funny comedy had the audience bursting with laughter at many times with never ending jokes. The actors timed the jokes just right for the audience to receive the full effect.

“The audience was great,” said Derrick Casey, a sophomore Theater major from Humboldt, Tenn., who played the role of Charlie Baker. “The audience is important to a performancer because of the energy they give to the actors.” His character was the foreigner staying at Betty Meek’s fishing lodge resort that learned all the guest’s secrets because they thought that he did not understand English.

The set itself drew audiences into the time frame and setting of the old fishing lodge with props and set design.

Jennifer Horbelt a senior Theater major from Memphis, Tenn. played Ms. Meek the elderly southern women that owned the lodge in Tilghman County, Ga.

“The play was magnificent. It was wonderfully cast, and the performances were excellent. As I have watched her grow and learn, I have especially come to admire the range and depth of Jennifer Horbelt. She is such a natural,” said Dr. Robert Nanney, chair of the communications department. “The Foreigner made us laugh out loud and think at the same time. Its underlying message also tied in effectively to the Civil Rights Conference held this week on campus. It was also especially gratifying to see such a mixture of campus and community in the audience. The Vanguard Theater continues to bring us all together as no other medium can.”

Casey and Horbelt will be traveling to the South Eastern Theater Conference in March to display their talent with over 600 other actors for a possible acting opportunity after graduation.

“It was a great production with wonderful acting, stage design, and direction overall—a beautiful great production,” said Dusty Dean, a double major in English and Political Science from Huntingdon, Tenn.

The process of casting began before the Christmas break with auditions and then with rehearsals six days a week.

“They work well together and have grown since the beginning of the rehearsal process. They have mined the material each day, constantly finding new things,” said Director Ken Zimmerman. Zimmerman also said that he feels the audience will walk away understanding “all the hard work the actors and all the production staff have put into the performance and how entertaining the comedy is.”

This play also had some social undertones in it as well. There was a process of self discovery for the character Charlie, played by Casey, as well as the appreciation for newly formed friendships between the people staying at the lodge who were perfect strangers. Also the reality of bigotry was addressed in a way the audience could understand using laughter instead of anger.

The invisible force of this time frame was the Klu Klux Klan and also the instrument of racism in this play.However, it was presented with humor inoffensive to the audience.

“It was cleverly written and the actors performed very well,” said Jacob Crouch, a junior English major from Paris, Tenn.

“This was the best play I have ever seen since I have been attending UTM. All the actors did a great job of making the audience laugh,” said Amy Devasier, a senior Education major from Paducah, Ky.

When Zimmerman was asked why he chose this play for their spring production he said it was for two reasons, “The play has had enormous popularity because of the revival on Broadway and because it was so funny and entertaining.”

Vanguard production auditions are open to anyone on campus who would like to audition.