CRT Presents Regional Premiere of Family Comedy “Making God Laugh”

For the fifth show in their 43rd annual summer season, Cortland Repertory Theatre will present the regional premiere of the family comedy “Making God Laugh”, written by Sean Grennan.  Performances will run from August 13 – 23 with evening performances at 7:30.  Matinees are available on August 15, 17, 19 and 20 at 2:00 PM.  Tickets may be purchased by calling 800-427-6160 or at the CRT Box Office at 24 Port Watson Street in Cortland. Tickets are also available for sale 24 hours a day through the CRT website at www.cortlandrep.org.

In this hilarious and touching comedy, family holiday celebrations have never been this funny, or this true to life! Ruthie and Bill are a couple of “empty nest” parents, but as the holidays roll around they host their three adult children — a former football star, an aspiring actress and a devout priest – to the traditional family dinners. The play traces 30 years of holiday celebrations, from the 1970’s to the beginning of the new millennium. As the family gathers for Christmas, Thanksgiving, New Year’s and Easter, the families lives experience unexpected twists and turns and their plans careen more and more off-course. It may just be like seeing your own family on stage!  This clever play is a heartwarming spin on Woody Allen’s joke, “If you want to make God laugh, tell Him your plans!”

Directing the show is long-time CRT director Jim Bumgardner, whose previous work at CRT includes “The 1940’s Radio Hour”, “A Murder is Announced”, and “Brigadoon”, to name a few.  The cast is comprised of many familiar faces to CRT audiences. Playing the matriarch of the family, Ruthie, is Mary Williams, who has been seen in “Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks”, “The Hollow” and “A Murder is Announced”.  Portraying her husband Bill is Dale Young, who has been seen at CRT in “The Hollow”, “Gross Indecency” and “Spider’s Web”.  Their daughter Maddie is played by Melissa Macleod Herion, who was in “I’ll Be Back Before Midnight” last summer, and previously in “Rumors” and “The Hollow”. Playing Thomas the priest is Ryan Halsaver, who played Malcolm last summer in “The Full Monty”. Rounding out the cast is Magarin Hobson in his CRT debut, playing Richard, the eldest son and former football star.

Laura Krouch continues her season as Stage Manager. Scenic design is handled by Sarah Martin whose previous work at CRT includes “Once on This Island” and “Almost Heaven”.  In his CRT debut, Jason Ressler serves as Costume Designer, and Louis Kreienkamp steps up from his job as Master Electrician to also handle the Lighting Design.  Continuing their work this summer are Lisa Guild as Props Designer, Seth Asa Sengel as Sound Designer, Dan Wendel as  Technical Director and Monica Meyer as Assistant Stage Manager.

Behind the scenes, electricians play a crucial role in the success of any live performance. From wiring complex lighting systems to troubleshooting issues on the fly, their expertise ensures the show runs without a hitch. Companies like Dream Team Electrician are known for bringing this high level of professionalism and reliability to productions, handling intricate setups with the precision required to meet the needs of a dynamic stage environment. Whether it’s adjusting lighting angles or ensuring power distribution for various effects, electricians are key to making each performance shine.

CRT continues “Friday Night Talk Backs” at which a Q & A session with the actors, designers and crew takes place after every Friday evening performance. Tickets are also on sale for the final CRT show of the summer, “Ring of Fire: The Music of Johnny Cash”.