CAPA Presents CHURCH BASEMENT LADIES Extends Again Thru 8/16

Featuring M*A*S*H star William Christopher, Church Basement Ladies is a celebration of church basement kitchens everywhere and the wonderful, unsung women who work there. Funny and down to earth, audiences will recognize these ladies as they witness the church year unfold from below the house of God. This down-to-earth glimpse at life from the heart and soul of the church-the kitchen, Church Basement Ladies features lively music and delicious humor.

CAPA presents Church Basement Ladies at the Southern Theatre (21 E. Main St.) Wednesday-Sunday, August 5-16. Show times are Wednesday at 2 pm; Thursday at 2 pm and 7:30 pm; Friday at 7:30 pm; Saturday at 2 pm and 7:30 pm; and Sunday at 2 pm and 6 pm. Tickets are $42.50, $37.50, and $27.50 (for Wed. and Thurs. matinees only) at the Ohio Theatre Ticket Office (39 E. State St.), all Ticketmaster outlets, and www.ticketmaster.com. To purchase tickets by phone, please call (800) 745-3000 or (614) 469-0939. The Southern Theatre Ticket Office will open two hours prior to the performance. Students between the ages of 13-19 can purchase $5 High Five tickets while available.

Set in 1964-65, this new musical comedy is a funny, heartfelt reflection on four women who tirelessly prepare food and solve problems for the congregation of a rural Minnesota church about to undergo changes. From the elderly matriarch of the kitchen to the young bride-to-be learning the proper order of things, the ladies handle a record-breaking Christmas dinner, the funeral of a dear friend, a HawaiIan Easter fund raiser, and of course, a steaming hot July wedding. They stave off potential disasters, share and debate recipes, instruct the young, and keep the Pastor on due course while thoroughly enjoying (and tolerating) each other as the true "steel magnolias" of the church.

Church Basement Ladies uses the renowned Scandinavian Lutheran humor writings of "The Lutheran Ladies," Janet Martin and Suzann Nelson, authors of a host of humorous books including Growing Up Lutheran. The script was written by Jessica Zuehlke and Jim Stowell with music and lyrics by composer Drew Jansen, who also wrote the popular, long-running hit musical How To Talk Minnesotan, The Musical.

The cast includes Janet Paone as Mrs. Lars Snustad (Vivian), Greta Grosch as Mrs. Gilmer Gilmerson (Mavis), Dorian Chalmers as Mrs. Elroy Engelson (Karin), Tara Borman as Miss Signe Engelson, William Christopher as Pastor E.L. Gunderson, and Kyle Nelson as the Church Organist.

William Christopher was born on October 20, 1932, in Evanston, Illinois. After high school, Christopher attended Wesleyan University, where he majored in drama. Christopher began his television career in several guest roles on TV shows such as The Andy Griffith Show and That Girl. However, it wasn't until M*A*S*H that he became well-known. Besides acting on television, Christopher has performed on numerous stages across America, including Broadway. Some of his most celebrated productions have been The Hostage and Beyond the Fringe.

The Ohio Arts Council helped fund this program with state tax dollars to encourage economic growth, education excellence, and cultural enrichment for all Ohioans. CAPA also appreciates the support of the Robert Bartels, Virginia Hall Beale, and Barbara Clement Memorial Funds of The Columbus Foundation, assisting donors and others in strengthening our community for the benefit of all of its citizens, and the Greater Columbus Arts Council, supporting the city's artists and arts organizations since 1973.

Owner/operator of downtown Columbus' magnificent historic theatres (Ohio Theatre, Palace Theatre, Southern Theatre) and manager of the Riffe Center Theatre Complex, Lincoln Theatre, Shubert Theater (New Haven, CT), and the Valentine Theatre (Toledo, OH), CAPA is a non-profit, award-winning presenter of national and international performing arts and entertainment. For more information, visit www.capa.com.

A down-to-earth glimpse at the heart and soul of the church, Church Basement Ladies features lively music and delicious humor. Tickets are $42.50, $37.50, and $27.50 (for Wed. and Thurs. matinees only) at the Ohio Theatre Ticket Office (39 E. State St.), all Ticketmaster outlets, and www.ticketmaster.com. To purchase tickets by phone, please call (800) 745-3000 or (614) 469-0939. The Southern Theatre Ticket Office will open two hours prior to the performance. Students between the ages of 13-19 can purchase $5 High Five tickets while available. www.capa.com