Old Barn play second to ‘nun’
From Sept. 20 to Oct. 12, Cache residents can see both singing and dead nuns in the musical “Nunsense.”
“It’s a comedy about nuns who put on a variety show to earn money to help bury some dead sisters,” said Brent Kirkland, the producer of the show.
Gary Willden, one of the 11 members of The Old Barn Community Theatre, Inc. board of directors, said one of the nuns in the convent accidentally killed all but five of the other sisters with food poisoning from bad soup she gave them.
“They don’t have enough money to bury them, so they stick the bodies in the freezer and hold a variety show to raise the money to bury them,” Willden said.
“It sounds pretty bizarre, but it’s hilarious,” he said.
There are six main characters in the comedy, the only remaining nuns after the soup incident, Kirkland said. The cast has been rehearsing since the end of July.
The barn is one of the oldest buildings in the area, Kirkland said.
“It’s been there a long time,” he said. “It’s next door to the historical stagecoach place. It hasn’t been around as long as that has, but it’s been there for as long as I can remember.”
The barn was first converted into a theater in the early 90s, Kirkland said.
“Some people came in and tried to run a business there,” he said. “But they weren’t successful at making it into a business.”
The theater got a second chance three years ago when Terry Munns wanted to bring back the theatre, Kirkland said. His idea was to turn it into a non-profit organization instead of trying to run it as a business.
“It was the brainchild of Terry Munns,” Kirkland said. “It’s grown a bit since then, and things have been going really well.”
Four shows each year are performed in the theater, and “Nunsense” will conclude its third season, he said.
Everyone involved with the theater is a volunteer, from its board of directors to the actors in its shows, Kirkland said.
“We just have fun doing it,” he said. “We want to see the thing succeed.”
Some of the actors in “Nunsense” have been in previous shows in the theater, but many are first timers, Kirkland said.
“We have auditions for every show, and we always have new people that haven’t been in a show before,” he said.
The board rotates who is the director of each performance.
“We all take turns being the director,” he said. “We need someone to be a go-between between the board and the people who are doing the show. I happen to be that for this one.”
“Nunsense” is directed by Michael Fox. The performances will be on Mondays, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m., and there will be a matinee performance on Sept. 28 at 3:00 p.m, said Lynn Percell, the advertising director.
Tickets for the show cost $7 for adults and $6 for seniors and children aged 12 and under.
Season Tickets (four plays) are $22 for adults and $18 for seniors and children under 12.
“It is a fun show, and I think people will really like it,” Kirkland said.
The Old Barn Theater is located at 3605 Bigler Road in Collinston, located near Tremonton.
Auditions for “Annie” will be held Sept. 25 – 26 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the theater with callbacks on Sept. 28 from 8 a.m. to noon, according to the Web site www.oldbarn.org.
“Annie is being directed by Audrey Mason and will run from Dec. 6 to Dec. 21, stated the Web site.
For ticket or play information, call the Old Barn Theater at 458-2276 or visit its Web site.
kcartwright@cc.usu.edu