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POPLARVILLE – High Tide Productions, Picayune Memorial High School’s theater troupe, will present Property Rites by Alan Haehnel at 7 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 15, at the Ethel Holden Brownstone Center for the Arts on the Poplarville campus of Pearl River Community College.

While there is no admission charge, donations are encouraged to help defray expenses for the troupe’s travel to the Southeastern Theatre Conference. Expenses are estimated at $14,000.

High Tide recently received the Dominic J. Cunetto Award for Best Production at the 2014 Mississippi Theatre Association State Competition in Vicksburg. The award, given annually to the top theater program in the state, entitles HTP to compete at the SETC. The SETC festival will take place the first week of March at the Arthur C. Outlaw Convention Center in Mobile, Ala.

HTP competed with Property Rites, the story of a young man named Kyle Macmanus, who invests millions in an artificially intelligent sculpture. The art piece, which consists of 15 animatronic females, begins to come alive, resulting in harrowing consequences for its owner, who is trying to sell it.

The play received high marks at the MTA Regional DramaFest in November. Along with advancing to the state festival, cast member Taylor Danner received the award for Best Actress.

The troupe received awards for Best Ensemble and Overall Technical Excellence. Noah Frank was named to the All-Star Cast.

At the MTA state competition, Danner again received the award for Best Actress, and the troupe was awarded the Technical Excellence plaque.

wIn addition to her acting awards, Danner was the recipient of the $2,000 MTA College Scholarship. Daniel Mitchell, playing the role of Kyle, was named to the All-Star Cast.

This will be HTP’s second trip to national competition. They were named Runners-Up in 2013 when they performed George Brant’s Elephant’s Graveyard in Louisville, Ky.

To assist with expenses, contact William Rester at 601-543-6316 or william.rester@gmail.com.