'Honest Pleasure' from light-hearted lawyer jokes

Longtime Athens resident Rex Totty has written several plays. And Totty's directed several plays.

But until now, Totty never has directed a play that he has written.

"It was an ideal situation for me," says Totty, whose comedy "Honest Pleasure" will have its debut this weekend courtesy of Athens-based Stray Productions, which was founded in 2007 by Totty, Catherine Clayton and Steve Elliott-Gower.

"But it was Steve who said, 'You know this play better than anyone - you know what you want out of it, so you direct it.' So I went ahead and accepted that role."

With an all-star ensemble that includes actors featured regularly in productions by Town & Gown, the University of Georgia's drama department, Rose of Athens Theatre and John Vance Productions (among others), Totter says he's learned even more about his own play through the work of his cast.

"When you're writing a play, you hear the words in your head, and you visualize the rhythm of the lines, and you have an idea of how the characters work," he says. "You're encouraging the actors to explore their ideas of their character, and then

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