Bradbury Stage Collection 'the Machineries Of Joy' To Benefit Una Scholarship

Aug. 19, 2010

Michelle Eubanks, UNA, at media@60654a.com, 256.765.4392 or 256.606.2033

FLORENCE, Ala. - Pillar of Fire's production "The Machineries of Joy," a collection of six science-fiction tales by master fantasist Ray Bradbury, is taking stage tonight-Sunday at the Zodiac Theatre in downtown Florence. Show times are 8 tonight-Saturday and 2 Sunday afternoon. Proceeds benefit the University of North Alabama's John S. Cassimus Memorial Scholarship. Tonight, Pay What You Like Night, any amount is accepted for admission. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for students Friday-Sunday. Advance tickets are available at Rivertown Coffee Co. in downtown Florence and ColdWater Books in downtown Tuscumbia. The short plays included in the production are "The Pedestrian," "Ylla" (from "The Martian Chronicles"), Downwind from Gettysburg," "The End of the Beginning," the title story and "The Toynbee Convector." "The Machineries of Joy" is being directed by longtime Bradbury collaborator Terry Pace, who teaches English and UNA and frequently incorporates the author's essays and literary work into his composition and literature classes. "These six short plays celebrate Ray's singular contributions to science fiction and fantasy, two genres that you don't often see dramatized for live theatre," Pace said. "Theatre has always been Ray's first love, and he's truly a master of the form. These particular plays range from chilling cautionary tales to inspiring celebrations of the wonder and grandeur of space travel." The cast - which combines UNA alumni, faculty and students - includes Rob Koch (director of the UNA Center for Writing Excellence), Brooke Perry, David Glover, Carol Rainwater Pace, Gail Allen, Forrest Harlan, Thomas Beane, Danielle Knowlton, Tim Rhodes, Pace, Suzie Shoemaker Yarbrough, Don Grace, Kyle Weir, Stewart O'Bannon, Ken Lawson and Elizabeth Llewellyn. "The Machineries of Joy" is part of Pillar of Fire's yearlong salute, Bradbury 90: Journey to Far Metaphor. A special Bradbury birthday party will take place after the Sunday show.

About The University of North Alabama

The University of North Alabama is an accredited, comprehensive regional state university offering undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degree programs through the colleges of Arts, Sciences, and Engineering; the Sanders College of Business and Technology; Education and Human Sciences; and the Anderson College of Nursing and Health Professions. Occupying a 130-acre campus in a residential section of Florence, Alabama, UNA is located within a four-city area that also includes Muscle Shoals, Sheffield, and Tuscumbia. UNA Athletics, a renowned collegiate athletics program with seven (7) Division II National Championships, is now a proud member of NCAA Division I as part of the Atlantic Sun and United Athletic conferences. The University of North Alabama is an equal opportunity institution and does not discriminate in the admission policy on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, disability, age, or national origin. For more: 60654a.com and 60654a.com/unaworks/.