After several years away from theater, Jessica Wood made a headfirst dive into Edgefield’s Main Street Players last season.
She appeared in “Sordid Lives,” then volunteered on each of the other productions during the season working with props and sets on “The Odd Couple” and assistant directing “Driving Miss Daisy,” then stepping into the director role when the director fell ill. She even joined the theater’s board.
“They asked me if I wanted to do solo directing, and I said yes, but only on the terms that I get to do ‘Terms of Endearment,’ I’ve always wanted to do this show. I always loved this show,” said Wood, who is bringing her bucket list play to the stage for two weekends beginning Sept.26.
The 2007 play is based on Larry McMurtry’s 1975 novel which became an Oscar-winning film starring Shirley MacLaine and Debra Winger in 1983.
Spanning three decades, the show is a character-driven piece centering on the complicated relationship between a mother and daughter.
And that’s exactly what draws Wood to the drama.
“I have a really close relationship with my mother and close relationships with my family,” she said.
Those relationships “drive us crazy but are exactly what we need to feed us,” she said.
Relationships often bring a rollercoaster of emotions, and so does this play. There are funny and touching moments, but Wood recommends bringing along some tissues or hankies. You’ll need them.
Performances are at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 26-27 and Oct. 3-4 and at 3 p.m. Sept. 28 and Oct. 5 at the The Discovery Center, 405 Main St., Edgefield. Tickets are $20 plus processing fees and can be purchased here.
Charmain Z. Brackett, the publisher of Augusta Good News and Inspiring: Women of Augusta, has covered Augusta’s news for more than 35 years. She’s won multiple Georgia Press Association awards and is the recipient of the 2018 Greater Augusta Arts Council’s media award. Reach her at charmain@augustagoodnews.com. Sign up for the newsletter here.
