Fire Hall Theatre presents final weekend of "Brighton Beach Memoirs" The Fire Hall Theatre presents the final weekend of Brighton Beach Memoirs, Neil Simon’s beloved coming-of-age comedy which explores the life of a teenager (experiencing puberty and a search for identity) in a struggling Jewish household, raising such enduring issues as guilt ridden parent-child relationships and hunger for dignity in a poverty stricken world. Julia Porter directs this wonderful comedy. Set in Brooklyn, New York's Brighton Beach in 1937, the semi-autobiographical coming-of-age comedy is the first play in what is known as Simon's "Eugene Trilogy." The small cast consists of Eugene (Wonderfully played by 8th grader Ryan King), his brother Stanley (Sam Ivory) and their parents Kate (Wendy Swerdlow-Pederson) and Jack (UND Professor Jeff Weatherly), as well as Kate's sister Blanche (UND Senior English Lecturer Kathy King), and her two daughters, Nora (Amanda Zimmerman) and Laurie (Carly Flaagen). His protagonist is Eugene Morris Jerome, a Russian-Jewish teenager who experiences puberty, sexual awakening, and a search for identity as he tries to deal with his family, including his older brother Stanley, whom he idolizes and his cousin Nora whom he develops intimate feelings towards. Kate and Blanche also develop through the play, as Blanche finally decides to support herself following a fight with Kate. Production runs Thursday through Saturday evening, May 15-17, beginning at 7:30 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at the Chester Fritz Box Office (777-4090) or at the door. Cost is $18/adults; $15/students and seniors. The Fire Hall Theatre is located at 412 Second Ave. nestled between Central High School and City Hall, downtown Grand Forks. Special Backstage with the Arts following Friday's performance, with wine and hors d'oeuvres, sponsored by the North Valley Arts Council. For more information, visit www.culturepulse.org. -- Benjamin Klipfel, Executive Director, Greater Grand Forks Community Theatre, benjamin.klipfel@und.edu, 701-777-4090