TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Beth Henley’s “The Miss Firecracker Contest” will open at The University of Alabama Marian Gallaway Theatre on Sept. 25.

“The Miss Firecracker Contest” will run in the Gallaway Theatre through Sunday, Sept. 30. Performance times are 7:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, with 2 p.m. matinees Saturday and Sunday.

Following the Saturday matinee is the University of Alabama’s inaugural Talk Back event, in which audience members can ask questions of the cast and crew.

This sweet tale of a small-town Southern girl who wants to win the local beauty pageant first captivated Broadway audiences in 1984 with a then-unknown Holly Hunter, who later reprised the role in a film version that starred Tim Robbins and Alfre Woodard.

With a cast of sad yet funny characters, the play centers on Carnelle Scott, who has crimson hair, a crimson dress and a scarlet reputation. If she can only be crowned “Miss Firecracker,” she believes, her neighbors will finally stop calling her “Miss Hot Tamale.” Aiding her in her quest are two cousins, one a former beauty queen and the other just released from a mental institution, and a gawky seamstress who once designed outfits for bullfrogs. Will Carnelle’s fireworks-twirling and tap-dancing routine earn her the crown? Will the town ever forget her past?

Tickets are $13 for adults, $11 for UA faculty, staff and seniors and $9 for students (all listed ticket prices include a $1 ticket service fee). Group rates are available for parties of 10 or more. Tickets can be purchased at the box office in Rowand-Johnson Hall from noon-5 p.m. (205/348-3400) or anytime at www.crimsonartstickets.com.

The University of Alabama, a student-centered research university, is in the midst of a planned, steady enrollment growth with a goal of reaching 28,000 students by 2010. This growth, which is positively impacting the campus and the state's economy, is in keeping with UA's vision to be the university of choice for the best and brightest students. UA, the state's flagship university, is an academic community united in its commitment to enhancing the quality of life for all Alabamians.