Wild women clear life’s clutter
“Wild Women of Winedale” are not really wild. They are three lovely women at a crossroads of their lives—the Wild sisters of Winedale, Virginia.
Theater On the Ridge, 3735 Neal Road, Paradise, will present this two-act comedy August 26 through September 12. Under the direction of TOTR director Judy Clemens, this is a joyful yet thoughtful play. It was written by Jessie Jones, Nicholas Cope and Jamie Wooten.
The feisty and fun-loving trio of women featured in this hilarious play are the Wild sisters Willa and Fanny, performed by Lorry Coots and Pattie Pardini-Barrett, and their quirky sister-in-law Johnnie Faye by Samantha Shanner. Assistant director Ginny Brown and a talented TOTR staff make this comedy not to be missed.
The “Wild Women” trio has supported and helped one another through life’s highs and lows, including the early demise of two of their husbands. They invent ways to clear the clutter from their lives, their homes and their relationships and move on with their lives. They need all the support they can get in these stressful times. Fanny has a hilariously inappropriate reaction to her 60th birthday. Willa is so stressed from her nursing job she resorts to vodka and speedknitting to cope. Johnnie Faye, determined to put her year of widowhood behind her, desperately tries to find a man. She prefers a man with a house, since hers is totaled at the bottom of a Florida sinkhole.
The lives of the three women are further troubled with the caring for their free-spirited, ailing aunt. They are also burdened under loads of family keepsakes and possessions nobody wants. Together they prove it is never too late to take another venture on life’s paths for a thrilling new adventure.
Director Clemens is happy with these wild women. “I love the plays of Jones, Hope and Wooten,” she said. “Their shows are full of such heart and celebrate women with strong, quirky and loveable characters. I am blessed with a wonderful cast and crew and rehearsals are more fun than should be legal. I can’t wait to share it with our audiences.”
Clemens explained, “We are thrilled to be open once again and are cautiously optimistic we will be able to continue to provide the magic of live performances to our theater patrons. We evaluate our safety protocols for the theatre on a dayto-day basis. We require our casts, crews and volunteers to be fully vaccinated against the COVID virus. At this time we will require all patrons to wear masks inside the theatre, regardless of vaccination status. We appreciate everyone’s cooperation with these efforts to keep us all safe and assist us in remaining open.”
Tickets for “Wild Women” will not be sold through TOTR ticket outlets at this time. Ticket prices are $12 general, $16 reserved, $18 at the door. Tickets are available online at http://www.totr. org
For information call the TOTR box office (530) 877-5760.