Published: September 28, 2009 12:37 pm      

'Sister' to interact with audience during catechism at playhouse

By TOM LAVIS

TLAVIS@TRIBDEM.COM

“Sometimes people feel guilty because they are guilty” is an expression that “Sister” will use in her second catechism class soon to be in session at Mountain Playhouse in Jennerstown.

“Sister” is Kim Richards, Pittsburgh-born and California-raised, who will star in the one-woman show, “Sister Strikes Again! Late Nite Catechism 2.”

The sequel, and second in a series of four “Late Night Catechism” productions, opens Wednesday and continues through Oct. 11.

The two-hour experience relies more on improvisation and audience participation than on its loose script, said Richards.

“I conduct an adult catechism class and the audience plays the role of the students,” Richards said.

“The houselights are up and members of the audience usually bring attention to themselves.”

She enjoys interacting with audience members because they set the pace.

Richards said her character is equipped with an automatic motion detector that she relies on to seek out a victim.

“I also look for inappropriate clothing, tattoos, gum chewers and body piercings, any of which makes a person an easy target,” Richards said.

Richards has had some memorable experiences all revolving around the improvisational nature of the show and unusual audience behavior that triggers her quick remarks.

“One night in the middle of a show, a woman was crawling up the aisle of the theater,” she said.

The audience was looking at her wondering what was going on.

“When I asked, ‘What are you doing dear,’ she said she was too embarrassed to raise her hand to be excused to go to the restroom.”

The fun continues in Sister’s second catechism class. She comes equipped with felt banners, a filmstrip, handouts, historical facts and hysterical insights to explain the goal of every nun: Getting into heaven and bringing along as many of the faithful as possible.

She conducts her “class” in an overview of heaven and hell, comparing them to a Catholic version of the children’s game Chutes and Ladders.

Richards quickly addressed the inescapable question of, do audience members have to be Catholic to enjoy the show?

“If a person went to school and had a strict teacher along the way, then they are going to get it,” Richards said.

Richards, who lives in Berkeley, Calif., joined the order of funny nuns more than eight years ago and has done extended tours around the country.

“In Pittsburgh’s City Theatre and starting in May 1995, I had a run of 653 shows,” Richards said.

“That was just in Pittsburgh, but this is my favorite show of the four-part series and have done it a total of nearly 1,300 times.”

It’s not a stretch to say that nuns are some of the productions’ biggest fans.

“My aunt, a nun for 56 years,” is a big fan of the series,” Richards said.

Moving to California at age 13, Richards attended Holy Name High School for the last four of her 12 years in Catholic school. She has been performing onstage for more than 35 years as a professional dancer, illusionist, choreographer, aerialist and comedienne.

Long before taking on the role of Sister and becoming a member of the order of Sorrowful Sisters of the Weeping Nun, Richards spent 15 of her formative years in the ’70s and ’80s performing in Las Vegas.

“Sister was always covered,” Richards laughed, as she discussed her years in Sin City.

“We did wear costumes, what there was of them, but never topless.”

Richards admits not all actors would be comfortable with the spontaneous nature of the show, saying it requires improvisational skills to pull in the audience night after night.

Richards performs some 30 weeks on the road each year as Sister. When not traveling with “Sister,” Richards is a director and choreographer.

The evening ends by asking for donations to assist retired nuns in need.

Proceeds from a collection the first week will benefit the Sisters of Charity at Seton Hill.

Beginning Oct. 7, proceeds will go to the Carmelite Community of the Word in Altoona.



Houselights, please

What: “Sister Strikes Again! Late Nite Catechism 2.”

Where: Mountain Playhouse, Jennerstown.

When: Wednesday through Oct. 11.

Tickets: Visit www.MountainPlayhouse.org or call 629-9201, option 1.

Cost: Range from $15 to $32.