Support CASA Through Theatre!

G. Lee Gallery and CASA of Galveston County are presenting the new virtual show “I Saw the Lights,” featuring Texas favorite Jaston Williams of “Greater Tuna” fame in a darkly funny solo performance. The show, filmed at the State Theatre in Austin, will premiere online June 10 thru June 28.

Mysterious lights appeared over Lubbock, Texas, in 1951, people wondered aloud whether they were part of some government plot, an invasion by the Russians or just seeing space aliens out to abduct Francine Whitharrel’s Persian cat. In “I Saw the Lights,” you will hear from the preacher with too much sense of humor, the hippie whose girlfriend longs to become a Comanche, a socialite from Connecticut who holds grudges against trees, and the cowboy with a chronic fear of water. All in all, nine variant characters are drawn together by the inexplicable and are forever bonded through their humanity and humor.

Purchase your tickets today!

$25 for individual tickets

$35 for group tickets, you can watch with friends and family!

Ticket sales will be a 50/50 split between CASA of Galveston County and G. Lee Gallery

*Viewing will be available up to 48 hours after ticket purchase

Jaston Williams is the author and co- actor of the two person Greater Tuna plays, Greater Tuna, A Tuna Christmas, Red, White and Tuna and Tuna Does Vegas, all four of which played across the U.S. for over thirty years, with stops off and on Broadway and in such venues as the Kennedy Center, Ford’s Theatre, The Alley Theatre in Houston, Pasadena Playhouse in L.A., American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco, The American Spoleto Festival and as an official American entry to the Edinburgh Festival, as well as two command performances at the White House, (back in the time when such a thing was
an honor).
He also wrote the screenplay and performed in the Norman Lear H.B.O. version of Greater Tuna. The Tuna plays are still among the most produced scripts in America offered in the Samuel French catalogue and A Tuna Christmas was chosen for inclusion
in Best Plays of 1995. In a forty-year career, he has performed in plays running the gamut from the avant-garde works of Eugène Ionesco to the joy of musical comedy. For his recent solo work, Jaston was recently awarded the national Marquee Award for
Outstanding Contribution to Historical Theatres. He is a seven-time nominee for the prestigious Helen Hayes Award, which recognizes and celebrates excellence in professional theatre; a recipient of the L.A. Drama-Logue Award, and the San Francisco
Bay Area Critics Award. He has also received the Texas Governor’s Award for Contribution to the Arts in Texas, and the Texas Medal of The Arts. He holds an Outstanding Alumnus Award from Texas Tech University, where he is guest lecturer on the subject of playwriting.

NINE CHARACTERS, ONE ACTOR

In this 90-minute tour-de-force, Jaston Williams portrays nine unique, multi-layered characters. Because it’s a fast-moving, one-man-show, he doesn’t have time to get in full makeup and costumes for each. Therefore, the character’s image is projected on a large screen behind him as he slips in to each one. It’s a remarkable way of taking on these characters. Patrons are encouraged to watch the nuances of each individual – voices, hand gestures, gaits, mannerisms. The play is a must-see for fans of great acting.

CRACKER hippie whose girlfriend believed she was a Comanche in another life	DEAN BARLEY committed to the mental hospital because of his passion for costume jewelry	FORMBY fears a UFO absconded with his Persian cat, Fatima
NURSE PENNY pysch ward nurse known by her patients as Mrs. Hitler	PREACH minister way too funny even for a Methodist	SANDEE LAMPASS moved from Connecticut to Lubbock because of her intense dislike of trees
SCOTTY soft-spoken cowboy with a chronic fear of water	VITA TRINKLE denies seeing the lights on religious grounds	NANCELLA kindest beautician in all of Texas