HAMILTON-GIBSON WOMEN’S PROJECT’S “HOLIDAY SHORTS & SWEETS” OPENS THIS FRIDAY, DEC. 8 AT 7:30 P.M. AND ENDS WITH TWO SHOWS THIS SATURDAY, DEC. 9
Photo by Lilace Guignard
Christie (Emily Cornell) can’t believe some of the scandalous things her grandmother (Kathryn Sheneman), who is reliving her days as a Radio City Rockette, says to her.
“Holiday Shorts & Sweets” is the first show the Hamilton-Gibson Women’s Project is performing as a Christmas on Main Street event.
The opening night performance is this Friday, Dec. 8 at 7:30 p.m. in the Warehouse Theatre at 3 Central Avenue in Wellsboro with a reception and refreshments. The show will end this Saturday, Dec. 9 with a matinee at 2:30 p.m. and an evening performance at 7:30 p.m.
The goal of Co-Producers Yolie Canales and Judith Sornberger is to delight people, elicit memories and inspire compassion.
“Holiday Shorts and Sweets” was conceived more than a year and a half ago when some men and HGWP women got together to discuss ideas. “Judith and I wanted to try a holiday show so we took it on,” said Canales. “The holidays are mostly centered around Christmas but there are other holidays like Hanukah, which actually starts on Dec. 7 this year. The holidays aren’t all joyous, either. Some people get depressed at this time of year. Some people even dread it. Judith and I wanted a show that would bring all these aspects of the holidays together. So what did we discover about the holidays? Come to a performance.”
Featured are three 10-minute plays, the reading of six letters written by women’s project members to represent those sent with holiday cards to family and friends, some just for fun and others humorous and touching, and the singing of holiday songs.
In “Rosie, The Retired Rockette,” written by playwright Daniel Guyton, a middle-aged woman, takes her two daughters to visit her mother at a nursing home on Christmas day. Rosie has dementia. She thinks she is still a dancer with the Rocketed and mistakes her granddaughters for fellow dancers. This play is funny, heartwarming and heart wrenching.
In the “I Hate The Holidays Support Group,” written by Sornberger, a single mother, a widow, a gay man, a middle-aged woman and a Jewish man share their holiday concerns at a support group meeting, and in the process find a community of caring. It is humorous and touching.
“The Christmas Tamalada,” written by Canales, is a hilarious play about three Mexican-American sisters who are following family tradition and making tamales together for Christmas. Their interactions reveal past and present sibling rivalries and their ongoing, loving support of one another.
The six holiday letters range from the absurd to touching to the all-too-familiar, eliciting nostalgia and laughter in the audience and reminding everyone of what the season is about.
Nancy Laudermilch is providing piano accompaniment for singers and piano lines in between the holiday letters and one-act plays. Pine Pitch A Cappella will sing several Christmas favorites during each performance. Chris Eckert and Lilace Guignard will perform Baby It’s Cold Outside” and Eckert will sing “Feliz Navidad.”
“I enjoy going to a show like ‘Holiday Shorts & Sweets’ that is fun, to relax and be entertained. We can all use a laugh and some holiday spirit,” said Laudermilch.
“This is not exclusively a Christmas show. The content references different cultural traditions and memories and is true to the experiences of many families and individuals at holiday time.”
” As producers, Judith and Yolie had the ideas and spent the time to develop the show and make it happen,” Laudermilch said.
“Most of the show is original local writing,” said Laudermilch. “Judith led a workshop for writers on composing a holiday letter. Actors portraying the character of each letter writer will dramatically read the letters. We believe that the audience will enjoy listening to them as much as we enjoyed writing and sharing them. There truly was laughter and tears.”
The production is appropriate for ages 16 and up.
Admission is $16 for adults ages 19 and up and $8 for students, 18 and under. Order tickets in advance at hgp.booktix.com. Email hamgib@gmail.com or call the H-G office at 570-724-2079 for more information.