Closing weekend of WTC’s ‘Evelyn In Purgatory’

Only four shows remain of the Whitefish Theatre Company’s dramatic comedy “Evelyn In Purgatory”. Called “’The Breakfast Club’ for teachers”, this clever and funny play has performances on April 12, 13, 14, and 15 at 7:30 p.m. at the O’Shaughnessy Center in Whitefish. This show is being presented as cabaret theatre with both table and fixed seating available. All teachers who show a school ID will get special vouchers for drinks and snacks.

When a complaint is filed against one of the 70,000 teachers in New York’s public schools, they are sent to a Reassignment Center, an empty office in the Department of Education Building. They 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, emerging to face life outside in unexpected new directions. A poignant and funny drama, “Evelyn In Purgatory” is “an uncommonly smart and restrained commentary on the public education system.”

Directed by Kim Krueger, the cast is comprised of seven actors from around the Flathead Valley. Joy James plays Evelyn Reid, Andy Wilton plays Candace Metzger, Merannda Button plays Lila Wadkins, Dawn Watland plays Roberta Burke, Mikey Winn plays Toby Fleming, Malcolm Sharbutt plays Fred DiSalvo, and Laura Abernethy plays Ms. Atwood.

Tickets are $20 for adults, $18 for seniors, and $10 for students with reserved seating. Tickets can be purchased at the Box Office at 1 Central Avenue in Whitefish or by calling 862-5371. Box Office Hours are 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday and one hour before a performance. Individual tickets can also be purchased online at www.whitefishtheatreco.org. This show is sponsored by Harlow and Anthony Mead of Pure West Real Estate.