Sock It To Me: Birdy Baughman plays Jessica & Jolene in HAND TO GOD

“I’m really more into Balinese shadow puppetry. But I’ll take what I can get.”

In the wake of his dad's sudden death, a grieving Jason works through his doubts by helping his equally distraught mother with her Christian puppet show. Little do they suspect that Jason's new puppet persona will take on a fiendish life of its own and force them to exorcise their destructive inner desires and impulses.

The Tony-nominated HAND TO GOD is a fiercely challenging, foul-mouthed satire about the fraught ties that bind us to our faith and each other.

It plays in the Firemen's Kitchen at Hickory Community Theatre from October 16 through October 31.

Making a memorable Hickory Community Theatre debut in this production as rock-steady human Jessica, and sultry sock puppet Jolene, is Birdy Baughman.

Originally hailing from Cypress, Texas—which just happens to be the setting of HAND TO GOD—Baughman moved to Hickory four years ago for the cooler temperatures, and currently works at Olde Hickory Taproom. An avid roller skater but not one for musical theatre, Baughman is grateful for Jessica's warm-hearted irreverence and the show's spirit of blasphemous hilarity. "It's fun."

Performances of HAND TO GOD are Fridays and Saturdays, October 16, 17, 23, 24, 30 and 31 at 7:30pm; Sundays, October 18 and 25 at 2:30pm; and Thursday, October 29 at 7:30pm.

This production is recommended for audiences ages 18 and up. It contains VERY adult language and inappropriate situations, with evil puppets doing naughty puppet things. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!

Tickets are $18 for adults and $12 for youth and students 18 and under. Tickets are available at hickorytheatre.org or by calling 828‑328‑2283.

Hickory Community Theatre is a funded affiliate of Arts Culture Catawba and receives sustaining support from the North Carolina Arts Council, a division of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. Season 78 support is provided by the City of Hickory, A Cleaner World, David and Maria Williams, Shurtape Technologies, Acuña & Acuña Dentistry.