Joe Gardner and daughter Beth Gardner Helfrich have the leads in “Proof.” (Bill Giduz photo)

Joe Gardner and daughter Beth Gardner Helfrich have been cast as leads in Davidson Community Players’ March production of David Auburn’s “Proof.” Tickets are now on sale for the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winning play about a young woman dealing with emotions, romance and mathematics after the death of her famous mathematician father.

Mr. Gardner, in his first onstage role in 20 years, will play the role of Robert, the brilliant but unstable mathematician. Mr. Gardner has been a Davidson College theater professor for 33 years. He’s also a respected stage designer who has worked with many area companies.

Ms. Helfrich, who grew up in Davidson and graduated with a theater degree from the college, is cast in the role of Catherine, Robert’s daughter and primary caregiver. She teaches middle school humanities at Woodlawn School.

The play, directed by Martin Thompson, runs March 6-9 at Davidson College’s Alvarez College Union 900 Room. Shows are March 6, 7 and 8 at 8 p.m. and matinees March 8-9 at 2 p.m. Reservations 704-892-7918 or www.carolinatix.org.

SYNOPSIS

On the eve of her twenty-fifth birthday, Catherine, a troubled young woman, has spent years caring for her brilliant but unstable father, a famous mathematician. Now, following his death, she must deal with her own volatile emotions; the arrival of her estranged sister, Claire; and the attentions of Hal, a former student of her father’s who hopes to find valuable work in the 103 notebooks that her father left behind. Over the long weekend that follows, a burgeoning romance and the discovery of a mysterious notebook draw Catherine into the most difficult problem of all: How much of her father’s madness—or genius—will she inherit?

For more about the play or Davidson Community Players, visit the theater group’s website, www.DavidsonCommunityPlayers.com.

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