STAFF PHOTO BY MURRAY JUDSON Dress rehearsal Ethel and Dee Dee, played by Ken Yarbrough, left, and Mike Jones, rehearse for ‘Greater Tuna,’ the new production by the Port Aransas Community Theatre, on Tuesday, Dec. 22. The two actors play a total of 20 characters in the play, which opens Saturday, Jan. 2. Performances of the newest production of the Port Aransas Community Theatre will begin this weekend.

PACT will present “Greater Tuna,” a comedy about Texas’ third smallest town, beginning Saturday, Jan. 2.

Performances are scheduled for Jan. 2, 7-9, 14-16 and 21-23, at 7:30 p.m., with matinees on Sunday, Jan. 3 and 24, at 2:30 pm. Tickets, $15 each, are available at the theater box office, 2327 State Hwy. 361, or by calling 749-6036. PACT is also offering special pricing of $10 on all floor seats for the Jan. 2 performance.

Under the direction of Darryl Meadows, Mike Jones and Ken Yarbrough will portray more than 20 characters and will have 44 costume changes while dealing with the important news of Tuna such as: The homeless duck population, the Polynesian-themed production of “My Fair Lady,” and the recent UFO sightings, among others.

The eclectic band of citizens that make up the town of Tuna, where the Lions’ Club is too liberal and Patsy Cline never dies, are portrayed by only two performers. This satire of life in rural America is delightful as they depict more than 20 of the eccentric inhabitants of Tuna, including men, women and children. The story is tied together through two radio station disc jockeys as they broadcast to the Greater Tuna area.

“Greater Tuna” began as a simple party skit based on a political cartoon more than 20 years ago in Austin, written by Joe Sears, Jaston Williams and Ed Howard. A production opened in New York’s Circle in the Square Theater in the early 1980s, and by 1985 it was the most produced play in the United States. The authors were invited to give two command performances at the White House for President and Mrs. George H. W. Bush, one in 1990 and again in 1991.