Laughter, tears, the music of Elvis Presley and a tribute to the United States Armed Forces are in store for audiences at performances of two short plays, which begin tonight.

Two hour-long plays by Ellen Byron, "Graceland" and "Asleep on the Wind," will be performed today through Sunday and July 27-28. The plays, organized by the Greenville Theater Project, will be presented each night in the J.H. Rose High School Theater.

(ENLARGE)

Photos by Jenni Farrow/The Daily Reflector Linda Creech as 'Bev', left, and Madison Scott 'Rootie' look through Bev's Elvis photo album in 'Graceland'.

Jenni Farrow/The Daily Reflector (ENLARGE)

Ron Cooper, far left, plays the part of 'Beau,' a huge Elvis fan.

The GTP, best known for its improvisational comedy team, Ooops! Comedy Improv, combines theater with community outreach by donating a portion of the profits from each production to local charities. Since its formation in 2006, the group has contributed to the Pitt County AIDS Service Organization, the Pitt County Family Violence Program and Saving Graces 4 Felines.

"The shows are not only fun, but also literally give back to the community," said Anthony Holsten, who co-founded the GTP with his wife, Marlo. The troupe also offers comedy and acting classes, in addition to its main-stage shows.

The performances of "Graceland" and "Asleep on the Wind" will raise money for the Captain Christopher Scott Cash Memorial Scholarship Fund. The money will go to an endowed scholarship at North Carolina Wesleyan College in honor of Cash, a North Carolina National Guardsman and NCWC alumnus who was killed in Iraq in 2004.

GTP member Jane Sharp is directing the companion plays about a young woman who loses her brother in the Vietnam War and devotes herself to his favorite musician, Elvis Presley.

Sharp said the military themes of both plays and wartime setting of "Asleep on the Wind" — which will be performed second — make the scholarship fund an appropriate charity organization for the GTP to support.

"Even though the plays are not specifically about war and military, they are about the kind of loss that people experience when a family member is taken from them," she said. "One of the things that we wanted to do is something that gives a kind of pat on the back to people who have served in the military."

To show its gratitude for the efforts of the Armed Forces, the GTP designated July 27 Military Appreciation Night, with discount tickets to that night's performance for active military, veterans and their families.

Although "Asleep on the Wind" is somewhat somber, Holsten said a lot of laughs also are in store for audiences. One theme of the plays is a young woman's passion for all that is Elvis, which means that the music of the King will feature in the performances.

"It's great to teach people how to laugh a little bit because the world can get so darn serious sometimes," Holsten said.

The GTP has a hilarious challenge to any audience members who share the main character's love of Elvis.

"Anyone who shows up dressed like Elvis gets in free," Sharp said. "If they've got the nerve to do it, we've got a seat for them."