They say

the neon lights are bright in... Fayetteville?

Starting

Thursday, July 13 and running over the next two weekends,

Fayette Community Theatre will present the hit Broadway

musical "Guys and Dolls" at Sams Auditorium.

The musical, which won eight Tony awards in 1950 and four

in 1992 when it was revived, is the largest production

that FCT has ever undertaken in its 17-year history.

There are

35 actors, some playing as many as three roles in the

play, and 35 behind-the-scenes volunteers. There are also

79 individually designed, custom made costumes, 29 set

pieces, 18 musical numbers with individual choreography,

and a designer-original wedding gown created by Melissa

Sweet of Bridal of Atlanta for the character of Miss

Adelaide. The cast and crew have definitely put a lot of

time into the production as they have had 40 rehearsals,

rehearsing over 170 hours.

The play is

directed by Ryan Pierini, a graduate of McIntosh High

School and Georgia State University. Pierini got his

theatrical start with FCT, performing in productions of

"A Christmas Carol," "Beauty and The

Beast" and "The Wizard of Oz." He is

currently studying for his master's degree in theater

arts at the University of Mississippi.

"We

are truly pleased to have Ryan back with us," said

FCT Chairman Sylvia Wade. "He has assembled a truly

remarkable cast of actors from throughout the

metropolitan area that is sure to make our first

production of the original Broadway musical one of the

most memorable in our 17-year history."

"Guys

and Dolls" also gets help from Millie Turek and

Jonsie Pollock. Turek is the musical director for the

production. Currently the choral director for Sandy Creek

High School, Turek is steeped with experience in the

field of choral and musical direction. She served as the

accompanist and assistant director to the Spivey Hall

Children's Choir and also has served as the Georgia

president of the American Choral Directors Association.

Pollock, a

Peachtree City resident, received her dance training at

Connecticut's Ballet Etudes Academy and Repertory

Theatre, and in New York at Ballet Theater and the school

of the Joffrey Ballet. She is currently on the faculty of

The Studio in Fayetteville and is ballet mistress for the

Georgia Youth Ballet.

Both

Pollock and Turek are excited about the production and

the effort the members of the cast have out in to each

aspect of the show.

"The

men playing the crap shooters are fabulous," said

Turek. "They have some of the best songs in the show

and their voices are well-trained for this type of

role." Pollock believes the audience is in for a

real treat. "One of the fun things about the show is

the great latitude for choreography," she added.

"Most shows have perhaps one or two great dance

numbers. `Guys and Dolls' has several, and our dancers

are some of the hardest working I've had the privilege to

be associated with."

Another

amazing aspect of the production is the use of

"virtual orchestra." This new form of sound

technology supplements the live musicians and provides

the sound of a full orchestra. It has been used in only

two productions so far; New York City Technical College's

production of "Evita" and a Connecticut

theater's production of "Annie."

"Our

theater was selected because of our commitment to

excellence and our long history of exceptional

productions," explained Wade. "We are the first

theater in Georgia to use the virtual orchestra

technology and theater personnel from throughout the

state are planning to be in the audience to hear this new

breakthrough in theater sound."

"Guys

and Dolls" is a family-friendly musical about a man

named Nathan Detroit who makes a bet with Sky Masterson.

Detroit bets Masterson that he can't take Sarah to Havana

with him, while Detroit struggles with keeping his lady

friend and keeping his floating craps game alive. The

musical features such classics as "Luck Be A Lady

Tonight," "Sue Me" and "Sit Down,

You're Rocking The Boat."

Tickets are

available now at the Peachtree City Library and Artistic

Flowers in Griffin. Ticket prices for the 8 p.m. Thursday

shows July 13 and 20 are $8 regardless of age. The Friday

and Saturday performances at 8 p.m. July 14, 15, 21 and

22 and the Sunday, July 16 performance at 3 p.m. are $10

for adults and $8 for seniors, students and children over

2. Tickets can also be ordered over the phone at

770-631-1542 or via e-mail at www.geocities.com/gofct .

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