WTC presents dramatic comedy ‘Evelyn in Purgatory’
Whitefish Theatre Company presents "Evelyn in Purgatory," a must see for teachers. The cast features Flathead Valley actors Joy James as Evelyn Reid; Andy Wilton as Candace Metzger; Merannda Button as Lila Wadkins; Dawn Watland as Roberta Burke; Mikey Winn as Toby Fleming; Malcolm Sharbutt as Fred DiSalvo and Laura Abernethy as Ms. Atwood. (Photo courtesy of Whitefish Theatre Company)
The Whitefish Theater Co. presents the dramatic comedy “Evelyn in Purgatory,” referred to as “The Breakfast Club” for teachers.
This clever show opens with a sneak preview night at 7:30 p.m. April 6 at the O’Shaughnessy Center in Whitefish. WTC’s fourth mainstage show of the season is being presented as cabaret theatre with both table and fixed seating available. All teachers who show a school identification will get special vouchers for drinks and snacks.
The poignant and funny drama unfolds when a complaint is filed against one of the 70,000 teachers in New York’s public schools and the teacher is sent to a “reassignment center,” an empty office in the Department of Education building. The teacher must wait for their case to be reviewed — usually for months, sometimes for over a year.
A claim of improper behavior by a failing student lands Evelyn Reid in “the rubber room,” where she encounters a group of teachers — some guilty, some not — who have long since lost any hope of returning to a classroom. Over the course of the school year, these colleagues learn French, workshop a screenplay, and ultimately form an unlikely alliance, reminding each other of forgotten passions, and emerging to face life outside in unexpected new directions.
“Evelyn In Purgatory” is “an uncommonly smart and restrained commentary on the public education system,” according to a press release.
“I was shocked when I discovered that not only is the premise of this show true, but much of the action of the play is taken from stories from actual teachers,” WTC director Kim Krueger said. “The cast and I dove down a huge rabbit hole to research this premise and ultimately create real, lovely, complicated, funny, and sometimes scary characters, who all reside together in the rubber room.”
“I think everyone will find something to talk about with this very funny, heartfelt script, complete with twists and turns,” Krueger said
The cast includes Flathead Valley actors Joy James as Evelyn Reid; Andy Wilton as Candace Metzger; Merannda Button as Lila Wadkins; Dawn Watland as Roberta Burke; Mikey Winn as Toby Fleming; Malcolm Sharbutt as Fred DiSalvo and Laura Abernethy as Ms. Atwood.
Tickets for the sneak preview performance will be sold at the door at $12 for adults and $10 for students. Performances continue at 7:30 p.m. April 12-15. Tickets are $20 for adults, $18 for seniors, and $10 for students with reserved seating. Tickets may be purchased at the box office, 1 Central Avenue in Whitefish. Tickets may also be purchased by calling 862-5371 or visiting www.whitefishtheatreco.org.