HAYS, Kan. -- Fort Hays State University Theatre's final production of the 2009-2010 season is Sam Shepard's award winning play "A Lie of the Mind," at 7:30 p.m. from April 29 to May 1 in the Felten-Start Theatre in Malloy Hall on the FHSU campus.

This is the fifth play in a cycle Shepard wrote about families, the American West and the ties that bind us all. "A Lie of the Mind" won the 1986 New York Drama Critics' Circle Award for best play. The original production was first staged off-broadway and directed by Shepard.

Based partially on Shepard's life, "A Lie of the Mind" tells the story of two families joined in marriage and now in tragedy. It focuses on male and female relationships, centering on the abuse of one female that lands her in the hospital and subsequently at her childhood home. Love and passion, especially the latter's destructive nature, are the basic themes.

Performers include, in order of appearance, Marc Hertel, Hays junior, as Jake; Zach Weeks, Beattie sophomore, as Frankie; Samie Pfeifer, Hays senior, as Beth; John Simmonds, Hays junior, as Mike; Leanne Mersmann, Osage City sophomore, as Lorraine; Melody Miller, Almena junior, as Sally; Bill Brown, Hays resident, as Baylor; and Rebecca Jaquay, Salina senior, as Meg.

A matinee performance will be at 2:30 on Sunday, May 2. Tickets are $14 for the general public and $10 for FHSU students. To purchase tickets, call the FHSU Theatre box office at (785) 628-4225.