Different Strokes Performing Arts Collective presents “Next Fall,” Nov. 6-22

From a press release:

Different Strokes Performing Arts Collective presents “Next Fall,” Nov. 6-22

Different Strokes Performing Arts Collective is excited to announce the final production of its fourth season: Next Fall by Geoffrey Nauffts, running November 6 through 22 at The BeBe Theatre, located at 20 Commerce St. in downtown Asheville. Showtime is Thursday through Saturday evenings at 7:30 p.m., and audience talk-backs follow Friday and Saturday performances.

Next Fall, which the New York Times called “a smart, sensitive, immensely appealing and utterly contemporary comedy,” takes a witty and provocative look at the dichotomy that exists between sexuality and religion. While the play’s central story focuses on the five-year relationship between Adam and Luke, Next Fall goes far beyond a typical love story; Luke is a devout Christian, while Adam is an equally confirmed atheist.

In theory, the characters line up in camps, with Adam and his best friend Holly wryly waving the banner of atheism, while the others toe the line of a literal-minded Christianity. But it gradually becomes clear that no one believes in exactly the same way and that, like it or not, religion is as individual and ingrained as a fingerprint. Next Fall alternates between flashback and present-tense scenes to examine those differences and to consider the leaps of faith that any relationship requires.

A portion of the proceeds from Next Fall will benefit Land of the Sky United Church of Christ. The United Church of Christ, as an organization, was instrumental in the recent demise of Amendment One, which banned same sex marriage in North Carolina. In Asheville, Land of the Sky United Church of Christ upholds its philosophy of welcoming and affirming all people, and the congregation provides funding for several local non-profit agencies, including Blue Ridge Pride and Western North Carolina AIDS Project.

“For this production, we felt it entirely logical to name a beneficiary that not only exemplifies the themes represented, but offers solutions to questions raised in the play,” said Different Strokes’ Managing Artistic Director Steph Hickling Beckman.

Next Fall is directed by Scott Keel and features Dwight Chiles, Courtney DeGennaro, Paul Gallaher, Kay Galvin, Michael Lilly and Sean David Robinson.

Tickets are $15 when purchased in advance online at www.differentstrokesavl.com. Tickets at the door are $18, or $15 for students and seniors.

For more information about Different Strokes Performing Arts Collective and Next Fall, please visit www.differentstrokesavl.com