Comedy opening August 8 at Amelia Community Theatre

Amelia Community Theatre
Press Release
By Linda McClane, Managing Director
August 6, 201910:30 a.m.

The Savannah Sipping Society opens August 8 on the main stage at Amelia Community Theatre, 207 Cedar Street.

Written by playwrights Jamie Wooten, Jessie Jones, and Nicholas Hope, this comedy is about four middle-aged southern women who are ready to make some serious changes in their lives. Randa has lost her job as an architect, Marlafaye is newly-divorced, and Dot is a recent widow. They meet and instantly bond over their mutual dislike of a hot yoga class, and soon connect with Jinx, a life coach who offers to help them step out of their comfort zones and “bring on the happy.”

The four women decide to get together weekly to try new activities, like going dancing or swimming in the river, and then gather to talk and enjoy liquid refreshments on Randa’s Savannah verandah. As they urge each other to be spontaneous and fearless, they discover they are growing in confidence.

The cast includes Joan Averett, Natalie Blackwell, Doris Davis, and Phyllis Stabler, with a cameo appearance by Karen Harper King. The show is sponsored by Wendy Gilvey, a Mary Kay Beauty Consultant.

Director Geoffrey King says, “I am always attracted to a script which makes me laugh out loud on the first read, and then also subsequent readings. I hope that audiences will have an affinity with the issues the characters confront, and I think the play may also encourage those in the audience facing similar issues.”

ACT has produced two other comedies by this playwriting team with their trademark one-liners, The Dixie Swim Club in 2009 and Always a Bridesmaid in 2014.

Performances are at 8 p.m. on August 8-10, 15-17, 22-24 and at 2 p.m. on August 18. The show has a suggested PG-13 rating. Tickets are $22 for adults and $10 for students through college, available at www.AmeliaCommunityTheatre.org and by calling 904-261-6749. “The Savannah Sipping Society” is the final play in ACT’s 38th season; season tickets for the 39th season are on sale now. The ACT box office is open from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays.