Mission’s Opening Nite Theatre Society presenting a new drama, Evelyn in Purgatory by Topher Payne to the stage.
Opening April 22, Evelyn in Purgatory is the story of five suspended teachers awaiting their hearings.
Their crimes range from swearing in front of the students to breaking a student’s arm, but they are all left in the same limbo.
When Evelyn arrives, she thinks she’ll be out in a matter of hours. To her chagrin she finds that some of her fellow “inmates” have been there for almost a year. Along with the proctor assigned to the room, the gang develops a bond, and as the seasons pass, a lot of things are revealed about each of them, ending with a fiery reckoning.
Evelyn stars Norma Rushton as Lila, the matriarch of the group, Nate Drury as Fred, a bullish coach, Tammy Wood in the titular role of Evelyn, and Allen Weins’ nebbish Toby, a highly-strung science teacher.
Cathe Busswood, a theatre veteran but ONTS first-timer, brings fire to the role of Roberta, the one teacher who gets herself suspended on purpose. Bailey Malchy rounds out the group in her second foray on-stage, playing the room’s aloof but fallible proctor, Candace.
Tickets are on sale now, and can be purchased online at www.openingnitetheatre.com or at the door, 33223 Railway Ave in Mission.
The show runs Thursdays to Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m.. Tickets are $15, and Thursdays are two-for-one.
