‘Old Ties’ wins Chattanooga Theatre Centre’s Biennial Festival of New Plays

The wait for the medical examiner is long, so Hank (Rex Knowles) tries to fill time by getting up a card game with a family member (Nikki Sneed) and the two policemen (Octavius Lanier and Jared Kane) who are waiting with him. The wait for the medical examiner is long, so Hank (Rex Knowles) tries to fill time by getting up a card game with a family member (Nikki Sneed) and the two policemen (Octavius Lanier and Jared Kane) who are waiting with him.

By Susan Pierce April 20, 2017 4 min read

If you go

› What: “Old Ties” by Rex Knowles› Where: Chattanooga Theatre Centre, 400 River St.› When: 8 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays, April 21-22, 28-29 and May 5-6; 7 p.m. Thursdays, April 27 and May 4; 2:30 p.m. Sundays, April 30 and May 7› Admission: $30 opening night, $25 Fridays and Saturdays; $12.50-$25 Thursdays and Sundays› For more information: 423-267-8534

Cast

Officer Thirkill: Octavius LanierOfficer Scardoni: Jared LaneAnn: Nikki SneedHank: Rex Knowles

Special events

› Friday, April 21: Opening night drinks before curtain, desserts following performance.› Saturday, April 22: Playwrights honored following performance. Checks presented.› Thursday, April 27: Real-time captioning for deaf and hard-of-hearing patrons.› Friday, April 28: Talk-back with cast, playwright and director after the show.› Friday, May 5: Girls’ Night Out sponsored by Brewer Media, complimentary drinks and snacks at 7 p.m.

A friend’s story shared over breakfast in a New York deli sparked the idea for a play that won the Chattanooga Theatre Centre’s Biennial Festival of New Plays.

“She told a story about a distant relative whose spouse had died and the police had to go over and wait with them until the medical examiner arrived to declare the person dead,” says Rex Knowles, who turned that into his winning work, “Old Ties.”