"Driving Miss Daisy" March 9 presentation is chamber fundraiser

The Bluffton Area Chamber of Commerce will present “Driving Miss Daisy,” a drama by Alfred Uhry, performed by the Van Wert Civic Theatre, at 8 p.m., Saturday, March 9, at The Centre, Bluffton, 601 N. Main St.

Tickets are $10 each and are available in Bluffton at Greg’s Pharmacy, Village Cut ‘n’ Curl and the Bluffton Senior Citizens Center. Tickets may also be ordered by contacting the Bluffton chamber at [email protected]. Tickets will also be available at the door the evening of the performance.

The three-member Van Wert Civic Theatre cast includes Jan Miller of Delphos in the role of Daisy Werthan, Everett Collier of Bluffton in the role of Hoke Coleburn, and Joe Warnement of Kalida, in the role of Boolie Werthan.

This cast performed the drama in November at the Van Wert Civic Theatre. The Bluffton performance is a chamber fundraiser to purchase seasonal banners for downtown Bluffton.

George Dunster directs the performance and Deb Duncan-Faul is the assistant director.

The plot
The place is the Deep South. The time  is 1948. Having recently demolished another car, Daisy Werthan, a rich, sharp-tongued Jewish widow of 72, is informed by her son, Boolie, that she must rely on the services of a chauffeur.

The person he hires is a thoughtful, unemployed black man, Hoke, whom Miss Daisy regards with disdain. Hoke is not impressed with his employer’s patronizing tone and, he believes, her latent prejudice.

In a series of scenes spanning 25 years, the two grow ever closer and more dependent on each other. Eventually, they become almost a couple. In the drama’s end they two find they have more in common than they realized.