Little Sisters of Nunsense Take to the North Suburban Stage

Liberty Town Productions presents the musical-comedy, Nunsense, featuring  performers from throughout the North Suburbs as the five Little Sisters of Hoboken holding a benefit for the Mount Saint Helen's Convent and School, Thursday - Saturday,  October 20 - 22 at 7:30 pm (with an additional 2 pm Saturday matinee).

All shows will be on the stage at Austin's Fuel Room, 481 Peterson Rd., Libertyville, IL. General admission tickets are $18 online and $20 at the door ($15 for students and groups of 10+). Tickets and Information are available at http://www.libertytownproductions.com.

This Liberty Town production is directed and choreographed by Libertyville's Annie Snow with assistance from Libertyville's Terry Bangs. Musical direction is by Libertyville's Jonathan Weppler and Adler Cultural Center instructor Kevin Reeks. It features local performers with numerous stage credits: Carley Wilson Alcorn, Erin Callahan, Laila B. Hermano, Deb Smith and Marilyn Roland.

"Our audiences are in for a real treat," says Bangs. "They'll immediately hear the great vocal blend of these five talented ladies. Add Annie's staging and choreography and, as is the goal with all Liberty Town shows, we'll set the bar higher for whatever the company decides to do next."

Indeed, Nunsense brings Liberty Town Productions back to its roots--sort of. The three-year-old not-for-profit entertainment company began out of Libertyville's St. Joseph Catholic Church in 2005 as Joe! Productions. But after staging Godspell and Children of Eden to multiple sellout audiences at St. Joseph, church leadership balked at the prospect of future shows.

So lead producers, Bangs; Libertyville's Lizz Dabney, Cathy Heller and Barry Reszel; and Grayslake's Dustin Helvie, cast their nets into the larger community and formed Liberty Town Productions in 2008. Since then, the group has produced three musicals, two a cappella concerts and three summer musical showcases, featuring local performers, including Libertyville's home-grown Broadway star, Ian Liberto, in "Best of Broadway" cabarets.

The company was joined by Los Angeles actor Scott Metzger in 2010, who had just moved home to Libertyville to raise his family. It has also received its 501(c)(3) designation as a public charity, allowing for tax-deductible donations and dreams of even greater things to come.

"We began and continue to do this because it's fun," says Reszel. "People need more joy in their lives. So we set the stage for terrifically talented performers who, for whatever reasons, didn't pursue entertainment professionally but still love to perform. Others love working backstage. Our audiences are the ultimate beneficiaries of all this passion.

"Our invitation is out there to everyone in greater Libertyville to join in the fun--onstage or backstage. And if you have a theatre building you'd like to donate, please let us know. Truly, we'd like everyone to check out the "fan club" page at libertytownproductions.com to let us know how you'd like to get in on the action.

"And while you're there, get your tickets to Nunsense. You don't want to miss it."