Sock It To Me: Meet Tyrone from HAND TO GOD

"Thing about a savior is you never know where to look. Might just be the place you saw the devil before."

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 his diabolical HCT debut in this production, as demonic sock puppet Tyrone, is demonic sock puppet Tyrone.

Originally hailing from Cleveland, Ohio, Tyrone left behind the fiery history of the Cuyahoga River to take up residence on the River Styx, gateway to the City of Lies. Tyrone holds a...uh, "degree"?...in Political Science and Economics from Devry Institute, which he promptly applied to his employment at Hell and Amazon, Inc. In addition to his hobbies of HOA Compliance, Generative AI development, and dolphin hunting, he is a card-carrying member of The International Spoiler Alert Syndicate for Movies and TV, the World Association of Ugly People, Bohemian Grove, the Illuminati, and PETA.

An America's Got Talent third runner-up (Puppets & Haunted Dolls Division) and three-time divorcee ("But, ladies, if you like what you see, please check out his Bumble account."), Tyrone's recent run-ins with the law have fortuitously brought him to the friendly confines of Hickory, where he has been living for the past 666 days, and has once again found himself performing in HAND TO GOD.

"I didn't have a choice. The stupid playwright wrote me into the script. Without even getting my ****ing permission! It's identity theft and defamation!"

And even though Tyrone feels no fondness of live theatre ("Dumb. I prefer working in long-form internet sketch comedy.") he has found personal satisfaction with this production in other ways. "The ghosts have a weekly poker game, and none of them know how to cheat. Oh, and I like being mean to Trenton. I try to make him cry at least once per rehearsal. And sometimes Emma brings snacks."

Given his disdain for live theatre and its patrons, it comes as no surprise that Tyrone prides himself on being "the actor most likely to bite an audience member."

To those of you sitting at the front four tables: You've been warned.

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.