Peach State Summer Theatre Presents “Ring of Fire” June 17-July 16

Peach State Summer Theatre will kick off a 10-performance run of “Ring of Fire” at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, June 17, at Valdosta State University’s Sawyer Theatre.  “Ring of Fire” is a jukebox musical celebrating the music of the late, great Johnny Cash. “Ring of Fire” is not a biography about Cash but rather a collection of real life moments inspired by more than 30 of the Man in Black’s most popular country songs, such as “I Walk the Line,” “Folsom Prison Blues,” “Hurt,” “Sunday Morning Coming Down,” and “Jackson.”  Tickets for "Ring of Fire" are on sale now.

VALDOSTA — Peach State Summer Theatre will kick off a 10-performance run of “Ring of Fire” at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, June 17, at Valdosta State University’s Sawyer Theatre. Tickets are on sale now.

Conceived by Bill Meade and created by Richard Maltby Jr., “Ring of Fire” is a jukebox musical celebrating the music of the late, great Johnny Cash. Unlike most theatre productions, it is not a series of dramatized scenes on stage but rather a collection of real life moments inspired by more than 30 of the Man in Black’s most popular country songs, such as “I Walk the Line,” “Folsom Prison Blues,” “Hurt,” “Sunday Morning Coming Down,” and “Jackson.”

“Ring of Fire” is not a biography about Cash because that was not “the most important story available to tell,” Maltby wrote for The Guide to Musical Theatre. “Taking all the songs together, adding in the life he led, the person he was, the people he knew, loved, and sang about, it seemed to me that there is another story here. It's an almost mythic American tale of growing up in simple, dirt-poor surroundings in the heartland of America, leaving home, traveling on wings of music, finding love, misadventure, success, faith, redemption, and the love of a good woman and eventually returning home. It's about the journey of a man in search of his own soul, which is what in fact emerges when you consider all the details of Cash's life together. That seemed to be a worthy story to put on a stage — and the best part is we could tell it entirely in the songs.”

Individual admission is $31.28 for adults and $25.93 for students and senior citizens, including taxes and fees. A discount is available for groups of 10 or more.

The Peach State Summer Theatre Box Office is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sundays. It is located on the first floor of the VSU Fine Arts Building, at the corner of Brookwood Drive and Oak Street, and can be reached by calling (229) 259-7770. The online box office at www.valdosta.edu/psst is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Peach State Summer Theatre, or PSST!, is Valdosta’s premiere professional summer stock theatre. Dozens of singers, dancers, technicians, managers, and creators gather on the campus of Valdosta State University for 10 weeks each summer, and during that time, they rehearse, build, and present three musicals in rotating repertory. The 2016 season opened June 3 with a 15-performance run of Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast” and also includes “Nice Work If You Can Get It,” which opens June 24.

The 2016 Peach State Summer Theatre season marks the 27^th year of VSU producing professional theatre for the city of Valdosta, the state of Georgia, and beyond. From 1990 to 2004 VSU produced the Jekyll Island Musical Theatre Festival. In 2005 the summer theatre program was relocated to the university and renamed PSST!

The Georgia Legislature designated Valdosta State’s summer stock theatre program the Official Musical Theatre of the State of Georgia.

VSU’s Jacque Wheeler serves as the artistic director of Peach State Summer Theatre. H. Duke Guthrie is the managing director.

Visit www.valdosta.edu/psst for more information.

NOTE: “Ring of Fire” is rated PG.

Visit https://www.facebook.com/vstatenews/ for more photos and a complete cast and crew list.

Also on the Web:

http://www.valdosta.edu/about/news/releases/2016/06/peach-state-summer-theatre-presents-disneys-beauty-and-the-beast-june-3-july-16.php

http://www.guidetomusicaltheatre.com/shows_r/ringoffire.html

Peach State Summer Theatre’s “Ring of Fire” Performance Schedule

• 7:30 p.m. on Friday, June 17

• 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, June 18 (Pay What You Can Performance)

• 3 p.m. on Sunday, June 26

• 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, June 29

• 7:30 p.m. on Friday, July 1

• 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, July 6

• 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, July 7

• 2 p.m. on Saturday, July 9

• 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, July 13 (Interpreted for the Deaf in American Sign Language)

• 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, July 16

Valdosta State University’s 2013-2019 Strategic Plan represents a renewal of energy and commitment to the foundational principles for comprehensive institutions.

Implementation of the plan’s five goals, along with their accompanying objectives and strategies, supports VSU’s institutional mission and the University System of Georgia’s mission for comprehensive universities. 

The story above demonstrates VSU's commitment to meeting the following goals: 

Goal 1: Recruit, retain, and graduate a quality, diverse student population and prepare students for roles as leaders in a global society.

Goal 3: Promote student, employee, alumni, retiree, and community engagement in our mission.

Goal 4: Foster an environment of creativity and scholarship.

Goal 5: Develop and enhance Valdosta State’s human and physical resources.

Visit http://www.valdosta.edu/administration/planning/strategic-plan.php to learn more.