Sue Mrotek of Mundelein,(from left), Manny Schenk of Glenview, and Tom Akouris of Arlington Heights, discuss the trials and tribulations of fundraising,in "Parish Play."
BY JOANNA BRODER
CONTRIBUTOR, PIONEER PRESS
June 16, 2011
For anyone who’s ever suffered through an interminable, unproductive meeting, yet still had the wherewithal to laugh about it later, a new play debuting on Chicago’s Northwest Side, will ring true.
“Parish Play,” an original comedy about a church fundraising committee, homes in on the chaos created when everybody on a team has differing opinions and agendas.
“Anybody who’s ever been a volunteer at any kind of organization that tries to organize something is going to also relate to this,” noted Tom Akouris of Arlington Heights. He plays the level-headed church pastor trying to cope with mounting bills and a series of failed fundraisers.
Fast finish
Sue Mrotek, who wrote and directed “Parish Play,” finished it in just 10 days. “I always had ‘Parish Play’ on my mind,” said the Mundelein resident, whose day job is a sales recruiting coordinator.
Akouris notes that Mrotek is a brilliant writer who writes from real-life experience. While she has written comedy sketches in the past, “Parish Play” is her first full-length play.
How does she stay motivated to write?
“When people read it and laugh, that’s enough motivation for me,” she said.
Akouris described the show as “hilarious,” likening it to the classic “Carol Burnett Show.”
“It’s a farce,” he said of the play, but there is no shortage of realism. “Having served on a parish counsel for many many years at two different churches, it’s exactly what goes on.”
Akouris noted that while “Parish Play” is about a Catholic church fundraiser, the show’s themes could come from any denomination. “All church organizations function the same because they’re all, you know, everybody’s personality plays into what they want to do,” he said. In fact, he said, it doesn’t have to be a church, because the same thing could happen at a Jewish temple.
The audience is “going to be entertained,” Akouris emphasized. “I know that for a fact.”
The entire “job” of one character, the fictional men’s club president, is to get coffee for other committee members. There is also the committee member with seven children, who cannot agree on a date to next meet with the committee without first unloading a desk-sized calendar complete with all her children’s name and activities highlighted.
Personal agendas
All the characters come up with crazy ideas about what to do with the raised funds, Akouris said. One wants to buy energy-efficient appliances. Another wants a full-size baptismal font. “Their own agendas are thinly veiled for ‘the good of the parish,’ ” he noted.
One thing that makes the play unique, according to Akouris, is its structure. The first act takes place at a committee meeting, but during the play’s intermission, the fictional parish holds its variety show. Audience members are then able to interact with the actors. “It’s really creative,” Akouris said.
“Parish Play” will have broad appeal, Akouris said.
The play will run the weekends of June 17-18 and June 24-25, at 7:30 p.m. Fridays and at 1:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Saturdays.
Cast members for "Parish Play" include: Tom Akouris as the pastor, Sue Mrotek, Paul Barile, Linda Sak, Hilary Black, David Retseck and Lili Mitchell as his finance committee; and ensemble members Mark Kroon, Rick Hollander, Terry Maloney, Ron Denham, Leah Israel, Danelle Baroja, Judiel Bibat, Kevin Ramirez, Micah Fortenberry, Manny Schenk, Alexis Stein, Carl Bley, Dave Downing, Theresa Hart and Gloria Fields.
