This Thursday, April 9th, the UMass Amherst Theatre Guild presents August: Osage County, a drama that revolves around a dysfunctional Midwestern Oklahoma family.

It begins with the father mysteriously leaving the household with no sign of return, prompting the daughters and their loved ones to comfort their abandoned mother. It becomes understandable that the father, a poet and former professor, may have disappeared due to the family’s emotional issues displayed in the play. Within the dysfunction of the family, there are issues of substance abuse and dependency, abandonment, incest, illness, and the dark and repressed roots of instability.

It is a heavy play, one full of thrilling catharsis for the audience not akin to the Guild’s recent release of the lighthearted, kid-friendly, Dr. Seuss-adapted musical. The play is not suitable for all ages due to explicit and adult content. None-the-less, it is one that the UMass community has been waiting for with baited breath this semester and should not be missed.

The play is a recipient of the 2008 Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award, referred to by the Shows run on Thursday, April 9 at 7:00 P.M. (opening night), on Friday, April 10 at 7:00 P.M. and Saturday, April 11 at 1:00 P.M. and 7:00 P.M. Shows are held in Bowker Auditorium. Bowker Auditorium is located next to the parking garage at UMass Amherst near the Campus Center and Student Union.

Shows contain three acts and are three hours long.

Tickets are $8 for students, faculty, and seniors. General admission is $12. Tickets will be available at the door and can also be bought beforehand at the Fine Art Center’s box office or on the UMass Fine Arts Center website. More information on August: Osage County can also be found on the UMass Theatre Guild’s Facebook page.