Final weekend for 'Dear Brutus' - Aug. 8-11

Tuesday, July 30, 2013

photo The Ensemble Theatre of Chattanooga production of "Dear Brutus" features Joseph Tipton, at left and in the mirror image, Cashey Keelen and Maggie Bradshaw.

IF YOU GO• What: "Dear Brutus"• When: 7:30 p.m. today-Saturday, Aug. 8-10; 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 11• Where: Ensemble Theatre of Chattanooga, inside Eastgate Town Center, 5600 Brainerd Road• Admission: $15 adults, $10 students with ID• Phone: 423-987-5141• Website: www.ensembletheatreofchattanooga.com

Ensemble Theatre of Chattanooga has opened the second half of its 2013 season with the classic play “Dear Brutus.” Remaining performances run today, Aug. 8, through Sunday, Aug. 11, in the ETC space inside Eastgate Town Center.

“Dear Brutus” is the work of Scottish writer J.M. Barrie, best known as the creator of Peter Pan. The title of the play refers to a line from Shakespeare’s “Julius Caesar”: “The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves, that we are underlings.”

In Barrie’s tale, seven strangers are brought together in the home of an eccentric old man. In the enchanted forest behind his house, each discovers a second chance at what might have been.

“When I read this play in grad school, I fell in love with the simplicity of the story and the humor of Barrie, shared mostly in his paragraphs of character description and his intrinsic British wit,” says director Garry Posey. “Almost everyone can relate to the ‘what ifs’ that plague everyday life. What if I hadn’t dropped out of school? What if I didn’t stay when I should’ve left a certain relationship? What if I had done what I wanted instead of what was expected of me? ‘Dear Brutus’ is the play for anyone who has ever indulged these ‘what ifs’ and shows you what could’ve been.”

The production features Jennifer Arbogast, Maggie Bradshaw, Chelsea Christian, Kyle Dagnan, Randal Fosse, Casey Keelen, Kimberlin Lacy, Ryan Laskowski, Brenda Schwab, Joseph Tipton and Eric “Red” Wyatt. Sanford Knox Jr. serves as stage manager.

Tickets may be purchased by phone, online or at the box office one hour before each performance. Discounted tickets are available for groups of 10 or more. Doors open 30 minutes before showtime.