By Karah Wilson

karah@southerntorch.com

RAINSVILLE, Ala.—Northeast Alabama Community College’s theatre department’s newest production Nunsense is set to finish this weekend on Nov. 15. Written in 1982 by Dan Goggin, Nunsense is a musical comedy performed by five memorable actresses.

Sister Mary Regina is played by Katie Strickland, Sister Mary Hubert by Kayleigh Smith, Sister Robert Anne by Savannah Owens, Sister Mary Amnesia by Allison Dixon, and Sister Mary Leo by Emilee Harris. In the play, one of the nuns has accidentally poisoned all but five of her sisters who are left to raise money to bury the deceased nuns. The five nuns then perform musical numbers for their audience to try to solicit donations. During the production, the cast interacts directly with the audience.

“We are given the freedom to pick whichever audience members we want to interact with,” Strickland said.  “It’s random and unique to each performance.”

Strickland said the personalities of the cast mix very well with the personalities of the characters. “I can’t really speak for the rest of the cast but I know that when I audition for a show I tend to look at what characters I think I would have the best chance at getting cast for.”

Director Mark Webb agrees. “I was looking for a fun show for our audiences and also a play with opportunities for several of our young women to play leading roles in a musical,” Webb said. “The actors are a beautiful fit for the characters.”

Being a part of any theatre allows the performers to express their personalities and channel new sides of them they might of not known they had. It is also a great place to meet people who are like them and work with others. “I’ve really been able to connect with all of the girls and I think that has to be the best part. I get to share the stage every night with four of my best friends and we get to create and bring to life a piece of art that brings happiness to us as well as the audience. It’s an indescribable feeling,” Strickland said.

The remaining show times for “Nunsense” are Nov. 13-15. Tickets are $5 and available at the event. The next production Northeast will be showing will be “Big Fish” which was written in 1998 by Daniel Wallace and then captured on the big screen in 2003 by director Tim Burton. The dates for this production are Apr. 21-24 and 28 and May 1.