Karen Grassle, Ma on TV's "Little House on the Prairie," women's rights activist and former Broadway player, finishes her stint as Dr. Vivian Bearing in the Arizona Theatre Company's production of Wit, closing Feb. 25 in Phoenix. The show started at the Herberger Theater Center Feb. 8 after transferring from the company's venue in Tucson, where Wit ran Jan. 19-Feb. 3.

Grassle's theatre credits include Broadway's Butterflies Are Free, The Gingham Dog, Sweet Sue, Imogene in the Public Theatre's Cymbeline and several years with the Actors Theatre of Louisville. She is best known, however, for her TV stint as Caroline "Ma" Ingalls on the popular "Little House," which ran eight seasons.

Samantha K. Wyer directs. Joining Grassle in the cast are Robert Guajardo (Dr. Harvey Kelekian), Lizzy Davis (Nurse Susie Monahan), Jason Kuykendall (Dr. Jason Posner), Jean Burch (Professor E.M. Ashford), Jennifer Fisk Wilken, Ravi Gahunia and Tale Allen.

The 1999 Pulitzer Prize-winning Wit tells of a strict, but brillant college poetry professor brought low - to humility and humanity - by her bout with ovarian cancer. Edson, a kindergarten teacher in Atlanta, GA, made her playwriting debut with Wit.

The Wit design team features Peter Beudert (sets), Sam Fleming (costumes), Traci Odishaw (lighting) and Adam Wernick (sound). Elizabeth Lohr is the stage manager. Tickets in Tucscon are $35-$22. The Alice Holwsclaw Theatre in the Temple of Music and Art is located at 330 South Scott Street. For reservations, call (520) 622-2823.

— By Christine Ehren