There are somewhere in the neighborhood of 40 professional, community/volunteer and collegiate theatre organizations going on in the Triad, and each of them have their own unique strengths. When it comes to plays that fall into the "edgy" and "excellent" categories, The Winston-Salem Theatre Alliance has certainly found its niche.

On Friday night at 8:00pm, November 30, it’s opening night for Sordid Lives by Dell Shores. By popular demand, they’ve added four shows this year, and it’ll run through Sunday, December 16, at the Theatre Alliance building, 1047 Northwest Blvd., in Winston-Salem.

There will be evening performances at 8:00pm, and Sunday matinees at 2:00pm. Artistic Director Jamie Lawson has directed well over 100 productions for community theatres in the Triad, and he recently dropped by to talk about the 1996 play that won 14 Drama League Awards.