In a small town church basement in Texas, there is a puppet that has gone rogue, and it seems as though nothing anyone does will ever be enough to stop him. The foul-mouthed puppet, Tyrone, has commandeered Jason’s hand and he’s causing chaos left and right among Jason, his mother, his classmates, and his pastor. Tyrone wreaks havoc on relationships as secrets are spilled, faith is questioned, and sex and sin run rampant.
Hand to God is a hilariously dark comedy about a demonic sock puppet who leads the main characters through a twisted journey of exploring good and evil, faith and morality, and the ties that bind us.
Director of the play, Patrick Michael Kelly, states, “I think everyone can enjoy this show because it has essential elements that everyone can relate to. ‘Hand to God’ is about human beings dealing with desire, frustration, and grief; with big feelings and moral dilemmas. It’s about organized religion; about the order it provides – order we need – and how that order empowers us, and about our desire to serve something greater. It’s also about how humans create “the devil” in their image, about morality and how we choose to behave in light of it – or in spite of it.”
Trustus Theatre has partnered with Lyon Hill and Jenny Mae to create the puppet cast of Hand to God. Lyon is the Artistic Director of the Columbia Marionette Theatre, and Jenny Mae is a soft-sculpture artist whose work has been seen in films such as Mr. Magorium’s Magic Emporium. Lyon and Jennifer are also members of Spork In Hand, a local production troupe that sells out rooms when they produce their highly popular Spork In Hand Puppet Slams – a fixture at the annual Indie Grits Festival.
Tickets for the play are on sale now and can be purchased at the Trustus Theatre Box Office or online at trustus.org. Opening night is Friday, April 21, at 8pm. The performances following are on Sunday, April 22, at 8pm, Sunday, April 23, at 3pm, Thursday, April 27, at 7:30pm, Friday, April 28, at 8pm, Saturday, April 29, at 8pm, Thursday, May 4, at 7:30pm, Friday, May 5, at 8pm, and closes on Saturday, May 6, at 8pm.