Brian Friel's drama, Dancing At Lughnasa, will open the 1996-97 season at Connecticut Repertory in Storrs, CT, Oct. 4.

Running through Oct. 13, Lughnasa tells of five unmarried sisters living in 1930's Ballybeg, Ireland. "Their one ray of hope shines through a radio which awakens a deep yearning for the pleasures in life they may never know."

Connecticut Rep's cast includes Robin Aronson, Claire Castel, Laura Celentano, Clare O'Connor, Steve Fales, Nafe Katter, Jennifer A. Larkin, and Ian A. Pfister.

Michael Montel directs the show, which will have sets by Kenichi Toki, costumes by David T. Howard, lighting by Scott A. Morris, sound by Stephen Hills, and choreography for the single, crucial dance number, by Christine Gambardella. Director Montel's previous productions at CRT include Fiddler On The Roof, Amadeus, and You Can't Take It With You (which starred Judy Kaye).

For tickets and information regarding Dancing At Lughnasa, which takes place in the Harriet S. Jorgensen Theatre on the campus of the University of Connecticut in Storrs, call (860)486-3969. -- By David Lefkowitz