By Mary Owen
Aumsville Community Theatre is taking its newest play on the road.
Nunsense, dubbed a “hilarious spoof about five nuns putting on a talent show as a fundraiser” by director Shannon Rempel, will run in Mill City, Shaw and Macleay.
“This play should attract audiences that like to laugh and sing along,” Rempel said of the musical comedy. “Catholic audiences will relate and get a kick out of the jokes; others will enjoy learning about the humor of the nun. If you like fun music, hilarious jokes and contagiously funny characters, you will love this show!”
The play kicks into gear with the death of 52 nuns who contract botulism after eating vichyssoise prepared by Sister Julia, leaving only 19 sisters in the order to carry on.
The talented, ballet-loving Sister Leo (Samantha Smith), streetwise Sister Robert Anne (L.C. “Max” Graff), befuddled Sister Mary Amnesia (Mary Hildebrandt, the Mother Superior, Sister Regina (Sonja Persey), and mistress of the novices Sister Mary Hubert (Aletha Kindle) show off their talents while borrowing the high school set of Grease.
Tickets: $10 adults,
$8 for seniors,
$6 for children 4-18
Available by calling 503-302-0936
or log onto staytonevents.com
“A successful fundraiser will help them bury their dearly departed,” said Rempel, who is working with assistant director Kevin Crawford. Choreography and music is under the direction of Kathy Crawford.
The play will run for three weekends, with shows at 7 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays and 2 p.m. on Sundays.
The schedule is: May 11-13 at the Santiam High School auditorium in Mill City; May 18-20 at St. Mary’s Parish in Shaw; and May 25-27 at the Macleay Grange in Macleay, where the theatre company has finally found a home after their start in the Aumsville Community Center.
“We are going into our second year and will start making plans for our next season of plays,” Rempel said. “A possible fall holiday play is in the future as well as more musicals and family fun performances.”
At the end of the year, ACT will roll out the Red Carpet Aumies Awards, featuring entertainment, food and recognition to the actors, directors, designers and crew from all ACT shows. The fundraising event for the nonprofit group will be open to the public.
“I’m very excited by the success of ACT,” said Rempel, who founded the group last year to bring theater and appreciation of the arts to Aumsville and the Santiam Canyon. The group’s first production, Three Murders and It’s Only Monday, was performed as a kick-off activity to Aumsville’s Centennial Celebration.
“I could not have imagined the overwhelming response we’ve gotten… It is a pleasure to entertain our audiences and to partner with others interested in the arts.”
Rempel said ACT’s production of Nunsense has been “blessed by the partnerships with Hearts to Arts and Macleay Grange.”
“We are so thankful for their generosity and passion for theater and the arts,” she said. “I would also like to thank the citizens of Aumsville and their open arms that helped us get started. We could not have done all the great plays we’ve done without them. We look forward to many more years of entertaining this community and all our neighbors.”
For more information about ACT, call Rempel or visit
aumsvillecommunitytheatretroop.webstarts.com.
