Danielle Rousseau knows what it is like to live in a small town full of a seemingly endless supply of colorful characters and tight-knit families.
She said in some ways, her hometown of Arp is not so different than Fayro, the fictional small Texas town that is the setting of "Southern Hospitality," Tyler Civic Theatre's current production.
The comedy is the third in a trilogy centered around the Futrelle sisters: Frankie, Twink, Honey Raye and Rhonda Lynn.
Tyler Civic Theatre previously has staged the trilogy's first two plays: "Dearly Beloved" and "Christmas Belles."
Rousseau, who also plays Rhonda Lynn, said patrons who have not seen the first plays will still be able to enjoy this play, which has a story that stands on its own.
In "Southern Hospitality," the residents of Fayro are up in arms because businesses are closing and people are moving away in droves. To show the world that Fayro is a great place, Honey Raye sets out, at the last moment, to organize a big-time community festival.
In typical Futrelle-sisters fashion, things don't go as planned and the tension between characters boils to the surface in hilarious ways.
The challenge, Rousseau said, is to make the characters relatable.
"I don't want them to come off as caricatures and turn it (the play) into slapstick," Rousseau said. "They are humans and they have a heart."
She is thankful cast members, some of whom are revising the same roles in previous plays in the trilogy, work well together.
"I'm relying a lot on my cast," she said. "We put our heads together and figure out whether something really fits in. They're great. I love these people (in the cast)."
Traci Smith plays Frankie.
"I relate to her," Smith said. "I came from a big family and we would always be getting together with my cousins and getting into fights. ... I don't have to reach that far to play her and I love to make people laugh."
Smith said that Frankie is the "sensible" sister until she gets really upset and then she "blows her stack."
Regina Money, who plays Honey Ray, said that the residents of Fayro include the types of people most of us have known for years.
Money said Honey Ray is the type of person who always is looking for love and says the most outrageous things.
"I play her as a little bit fast and loose but lovable," Money said. "That's Honey Ray."
No matter what happens and despite their differences, Money said the sisters always pull together as a family.
"They would really do anything for each other," she said.
Performances at the theater, 400 Rose Park Drive, are set for 7:30 p.m. Oct. 4 and 5 and Oct. 10 to 12 and 2:30 p.m. Oct. 6 and 13.
Tickets cost $18 for adults and $15 for students and are available at tylercivictheatre.org or by calling the box office, 903- 592-0561.
