The Oconee Performing Arts Society (OPAS) is pleased to announce the next show in their 2010 Season. On May 1 at 8 p.m., Festival Hall’s inaugural performance will be the Roman Terleckyj Memorial starring Oscar nominee, three-time Tony award winner, three-time Emmy winner for his role as Dick Solomon on the TV show “Third Rock from the Sun” and Golden Globe winner, John Lithgow in his National Touring production of Stories by Heart.

Stories by Heart, directed by Jack O’Brien and originally presented last season by Lincoln Center Theater, is a touching and humorous reflection on the art and essence of storytelling, the unacknowledged tie that binds humanity. Invoking memories of his grandfather and father before him, Lithgow traces his own history as actor and storyteller, a history spanning three generations. Interspersed with stories from his own life are two stories told to him and his siblings when they were children: P.G. Wodehouse’s Uncle Fred Flits By, in which Lithgow performs a bravura 40-minute monologue, portraying nine different characters in Wodehouse’s dazzling language; and Ring Lardner’s Haircut, a 1925 tale in which a barber, while giving a haircut to a stranger in town, catches him up on recent events in the community.

This show will have the added distinction of being the first performance in the newly renovated Festival Hall Cultural Center. Festival Hall, located in downtown Greensboro, is the result of a community wide effort. Originally constructed in 1939 as the Greensboro Auditorium/Gymnasium for the Greene County High School, the building later housed the County Annex offices until their move just outside of town three years ago. It had been a long-standing vision of the community to renovate the building so that it could be used again as a performing space. When Roman arrived in the Greensboro area he immediately fell in love with the building and quickly moved to partner with several organizations to energize the renovation project.

The building was deeded to the Greensboro Downtown Development Authority (GDDA) by the Greene County Board of Commissioners, and together the GDDA, the City of Greensboro, OPAS, Reynolds Plantation and the citizens of Greene County began the monumental project of rededicating the building to the arts. Additional funding was secured through a One Georgia grant as well as private donations from within the community itself. Plans for a community-wide Grand Opening celebration are in the works for later this year.

OPAS is proud to be the first presenter at Festival Hall, and to honor Roman’s memory with this show. Tickets are available in advance to OPAS Members and Festival Hall donors beginning Wednesday, April 7, through the OPAS Box Office (706) 999-1518, Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. only. Sales to the general public will begin Thursday, April 15, and tickets can be purchased through the OPAS Box Office or online at www.ticketmaster.com. Ticket prices are $75, $60, $45 and $35; to view a seating chart or for more information on this performance, visit our Web site at www.opas.org.