Nuns and wine: Players open new show
Mistaken identities, romances and
accusations plague the Sisters of Perpetual Sewing Convent in the
Bigfork Community Players’ farce “Drinking Habits,” which opens
Friday at the Bigfork Center for the Performing Arts.
The show is directed by Erin Flores,
who is in her third show in that role for the Players. Flores
debuted last season, when she directed both “Christmas Belles” and
“Break a Leg.”
In choosing her show for this spring,
Flores said she had to keep in mind factors of the time of year,
like that it should include a smaller cast since it opens during
local schools’ spring break. She stumbled on “Drinking Habits,”
written by Tom Smith.
“I just laughed through the whole thing
the first time I read it,” Flores said.
She hasn’t stopped laughing, even after
weeks of rehearsals.
The comedy is about two nuns at the
Sisters of Perpetual Sewing who have secretly been making wine to
keep their convent’s doors open.
Two reporters, on the trail of a story,
go undercover as a nun and priest. Between the two of them and
another new nun, paranoia spreads through the convent that spies
have been sent from Rome to shut it down.
“All I say to people is it’s about nuns
and about wine,” she said. “That’s all you have to know.”
The eight-person cast contains a mix of
newcomers and old-timers to the Bigfork Community Players, an
amateur theater group in the Village that puts on three shows a
year with people from throughout the Flathead Valley. The cast
includes Jodie Thole as Sister Augusta and Shannon Bagley as Sister
Philamena.
“We have a good mix of people and
ages,” Flores said. “I like just seeing the characters come
together.”
The comedy is appropriate for all ages,
Flores said, and its humor makes it a worthy evening even for those
who aren’t regular theatergoers.
“I think that it’s a great show if
you’ve never really been into plays,” she said.
The show hits the stage at 8 p.m. April
1, 2, 8 and 9 at the Bigfork Center for the Performing Arts.
Matinees will be at 2 p.m. April 3 and 10.
Tickets are available at Kalispell
Grand Hotel, Sliter’s Ace in Somers, Bigfork Drug and at the
door.
Ticket prices are $15 for adults, $10
for seniors and Bigfork Community Players members and $5 for
children under 12.
For more information, visit
bigforkcommunityplayers.com.