Sauk Valley Theatre Alliance: Nunsense

STERLING – The Sauk Valley Theatre Alliance presents the award-winning musical comedy “Nunsense” in its seventh year of Theatre In The Park. Free performances are planned for Thursday-Saturday, July 12-14, with show times at 7 p.m. on the outdoor stage on the back lawn of Woodlawn Arts Academy in Sterling. The production is sponsored by Savant Capital Management.

“Nunsense” follows the Little Sisters of Hoboken who are in dire need of funds for the burials of 52 of the sisters, who were accidentally poisoned by their cook. The sisters decide to put on a variety show in the school auditorium. Here the audience meets Sister Mary Regina, Mother Superior, a former circus performer; sister Mary Hubert, the Mistress of Novices; a streetwise nun from Brooklyn named Sister Robert Anne; Sister Mary Leo, a novice who is a wannabe ballerina; and the delightfully wacky Sister Mary Amnesia, the nun who lost her memory when a crucifix fell on her head. Featuring star turns, tap and ballet dancing, an audience quiz and comic surprises, “Nunsense” is sure to please audience members of all ages.

The production brings together directors, actors, musicians and designers from across the Sauk Valley area. Kerensa Pink, who played Rona Lisa Peretti in last year’s production of “25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee,” returns to the stage as Sister Robert Anne. She is joined by Karen Kaufman as Mother Superior, Dawn Arndt as Sister Mary Hubert, Bethany Megill as Sister Mary Leo and Jordann Langner as Sister Mary Amnesia. The show is accompanied by Sister Philomene Reiland. The creative team consists of Faith Morrison (director), Mardi Huffstutler (music director), Chuck Price (set designer), Ian Wankerl (technical director), Ashley Aurand (costumes) and Kaitlin Haley (props/set dressing) and Mary Hildebrand (stage manager).

“We are very excited to bring ‘Nunsense’ to the Theatre in the Park stage and are grateful for the continued support from Savant as well as from the Sauk Valley community,” said Faith Morrison, director. “We have an amazing cast that will be sure to make you laugh and will have you dancing in your seat, so don’t miss this show!”

Bring a chair and grab a place on the lawn at Woodlawn Arts Academy in Sterling. Guests may bring their own snacks and beverages. In case of rain, “Nunsense” will be performed inside the Academy in the J. Mark Beaty Performance Center.

The Sauk Valley Theatre Alliance is a partnership among Centennial Auditorium, Sauk Valley Community College and Woodlawn Arts Academy to provide the community with quality theatre experiences.

For more information about the show, call Woodlawn Arts Academy at (815) 626-4278 or email faithrmorrison@comcast.net.

VCCT: The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged)

ROCHELLE – Rochelle’s Vince Carney Community Theatre will be staging the comedy, “The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged)” in July. Performance dates for the comedy are July 13 14, 15, 20 and 21. Curtain time for the Friday and Saturday shows is 8 p.m. while the Sunday matinee begins at 2 p.m. The show features a three-member cast performing all of Shakespeare’s works in 90 hilarious minutes. Directed by Carrie Johnson, it is a fast paced, high energy show with plenty of laughs. The cast includes Terry Camplain, Chris Johnson, and Curt Helgren. Performances will be held in Paddock Hall located inside the Hickory Grove Center, 1133 N. Seventh St. in Rochelle. Tickets are $12 and can be purchased online or at the door. For more information, or to purchase tickets, visit www.vcctrochelle.org.

Festival 56: The Addams Family

PRINCETON– Festival 56 presents The Addams Family, running July 6–13 at Princeton’s Grace Performing Arts Center.

The Addams family live in a macabre Victorian mansion. They have picnics in a cemetery. For recreation, the kids torture each other on a rack. At dinner, someone drinks Grandma’s dark-truth-about-yourself potion. In an attempt to calm a family quarrel, the family’s ancestors get together and conjure up a terrible thunderstorm. No wonder Morticia and Gomez grow worried when their 18-year-old daughter, Wednesday, falls in love with a sweet boy and invites his respectable family to their mansion for dinner. What if she becomes normal?

Playwrights Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice wrote the book for this new musical while Andrew Lippa provided music and lyrics. Based on characters created by cartoonist Charles Addams, the play includes the familiar characters of Morticia, Gomez, Wednesday, Pugsley, Uncle Fester, Grandma, and Lurch, with the addition of the “normal” family Mal, Alice, and Lucas Beineke.

After the play’s tryout in Chicago in 2009, it played on Broadway and toured North America, South America, Asia, Australia, Japan, continental Europe, and the United Kingdom. During its Broadway run, it ranked third in ticket sales after Wicked and The Lion King.

Festival 56’s 2018 summer production is directed by Jimmy Calitri and sponsored by Norberg Memorial Home. Season sponsors are Heartland Bank and Trust, Princeton Tourism and Visitors Bureau, and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Curtain times are 7:30 p.m. July 6, 7, 10, 12, and 13 with 2 p.m. matinees on July 8 and 11.

The Grace Performing Arts Center is located at 316 South Main Street in Princeton and is fully accessible with public parking nearby. To purchase tickets, visit www.festival56.com, call (815) 879-5656, email boxoffice@festival56.com, or stop by the theater. The box office is open noon to 5 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays and one hour before performances. Tickets are $29, $26 (seniors 65+), and $14 (students). Beer, wine, soft drinks, and the famous Festival 56 cheesecake are available for sale at the lobby bar. For further information, please contact the box office at (815) 879-5656.