MSC OPAS new virtual show ‘I Saw the Lights’ premieres Friday

COLLEGE STATION, Texas (KBTX) - MSC OPAS is continuing its season with a new virtual show premiering on Friday.

MSC OPAS Executive Director Anne Black and playwright/performer Jaston Williams joined BVTM Thursday to talk about their new show called “I Saw the Lights.”

The show is set in Lubbock during the 1950s. Williams wrote the show and stars in what he calls more of a reality than a satire, which is a departure from his previous well-known work, “Greater Tuna.”

“I wanted to write a play about the differences in people and how we can be drawn together by something that we don’t understand,” said Williams. “And, and at the same time, I wanted to entertain people, and I want to make people laugh because this is a tough time.”

The show will premiere online Friday, Jan. 29 at 7 p.m. The performance, once live, will be available to view for 48 hours.

Tickets are available for purchase now. Prices range from $25 for general viewing to $35 for VIP access. VIP tickets include access to a post-show Q&A.

For more information and to purchase tickets, visit www.MSCOPAS.org.

Full details are below from MSC OPAS:

MSC OPAS is thrilled to present the new virtual show “I Saw the Lights,” starring Texas favorite (and OPAS favorite) Jaston Williams of “Greater Tuna” fame in a darkly funny solo performance. The show, filmed at the State Theatre in Austin, will premiere online Friday, January 29 at 7 p.m., and it will be available to view for the 48 hours to follow. Tickets are $25 (general)/$35 (VIP) and are on sale now. Visit www.MSCOPAS.org for more information. The virtual performance is sponsored by Nikki Pederson Talent Network, Premier Properties and West, Webb, Allbritton & Gentry.

When mysterious lights appeared over Lubbock, Texas, in 1951, people wondered aloud whether they were part of some government plot, an invasion by the Russians or just seeing space aliens out to abduct Francine Whitharrel’s Persian cat. In “I Saw the Lights,” you will hear from the preacher with too much sense of humor, the hippie whose girlfriend longs to become a Comanche, a socialite from Connecticut who holds grudges against trees, and the cowboy with a chronic fear of water. All in all, nine variant characters are drawn together by the inexplicable and are forever bonded through their humanity and humor.

OPAS Executive Director Anne Black states, “Our patrons have a wonderful connection to Jaston through his many performances in Rudder as part of the Tuna series. He’s a remarkable performer and a gifted comedic and dramatic actor. We are thrilled to partner with our Texas presenter contemporaries to offer this virtual premiere of his one-man tour-de-force on January 29.”

Playwright and performer Jaston Williams is best known as the co-author and co-actor of the hilarious “Greater Tuna” quartet of plays, each set in the fictional town of Tuna, Texas, the “third-smallest” town in the state. But he’s been a part of many celebrated stage presentations throughout his career. Williams’ performances have played on and off Broadway, throughout the US, and in all corners of Texas. He received the national Marquee Award, a lifetime achievement award from the League of Historic American Theatres. And among other honors, he’s also the recipient of the Texas Governor’s Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Arts and the 2013 Texas Medal of the Arts award.

Tickets for “I Saw the Lights” are available for purchase now at www.MSCOPAS.org. A general virtual event ticket is $25; VIP tickets are also available and include access to a post-show Q&A.

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