Among Tuscaloosa’s many cultural gems, its local theater scene, anchored by Theater Tuscaloosa, is among the most precious. And Theater Tuscsaloosa is no stranger to Tuscaloosa Rotarians – in fact the group has performed at Indian Hills in recent times. This week they return again, again under the able leadership of Tina Turley.

Turley (in cooperation with Shelton State Community College) has been the Executive Producer for Theatre Tuscaloosa since 2006. She has a diverse background in the arts and over 25 years experience as a director, actor, writer, teacher and theater manager. She has directed well over a hundred shows for over 15 theatres in the southwest. She has most recently directed The Drowsy Chaperone for Theatre Tuscaloosa, and has directed other musicals there including Nunsense, The Sound of Music, The Music Man, and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.

This week, Rotarians will be treated to live performances of selections from one of the Theater’s current productions, Smoke on the Mountain. The musical comedy, to be shown April 18-22, is one of Theater Tuscaloosa’s most requested shows by far, and has been staged repeatedly in recent years. It tells the story of a traditional church revival set at Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church in North Carolina in 1938.

―Our previous productions of Smoke were directed by Paul Crook,‖ says Turley. ―Together with our cast, Paul laid a strong foundation for the work we’re doing now. Most of the cast from our 2007 production is back with the addition of Wheeler Kincaid in the role of Dennis.