By Marisa Dawson

For three days, Bennington Community Theatre filled Bennington Elementary School with music, laughter and a healthy dose of “Nunsense.”

The community turned out in strong numbers for the theatre’s latest musical, Nunsense, which ran Sept. 25-27. From the opening moments through the final curtain, the production delivered the lighthearted comedy it promised while bringing the audience directly into the action. The room was consistently filled with laughter as the cast embraced their characters, interacted with the audience and brought their own personalities to each role.

For Joey Hartshorn (pictured below), who played Mother Superior, the relationships formed among the cast were one of the most rewarding parts of the production.

“I am the Mother Superior,” Hartshorn said. “She is just in charge of the nuthouse.”

But beyond the character itself, Hartshorn said she was most excited about the opportunity to work alongside the other women in the cast.

“We have such camaraderie and we have such a good connection,” she said. “We trust each other, which makes a really good cast.”

That camaraderie was evident throughout the performance. Each actor committed fully to the personality of their character while still allowing glimpses of their own individuality to come through. Hartshorn hoped audiences would leave with one thing above all else.

“Laughter,” she said. “Lots of laughter… And just things that make them click back to remember things when they were in school, if they were Catholic, but just laughter,” Hartshorn added. “I mean, the whole thing is just absurdly funny, and I want everybody to laugh. That’s what we should do most of the time anyway.”

Stephanie Olson (pictured below), who played Sister Mary Hubert, similarly saw the production as an opportunity to simply have fun.

“It’s a fun show,” Olson said. “I think it’s different, and it’s just a fun show, and I think we need that right now.”

“And what’s not funnier than nuns in a variety show?” she added.

Olson’s character provided her own source of comedy and conflict. Sister Mary Hubert is devoted to Mother Superior but also harbors ambitions of becoming Mother Superior herself.

“My character wants to be Mother Superior,” Olson explained. “She wants to be one step up where she is, but she loves what she does, and she loves Mother Superior, and so it’s this great conflict within her, but she’s just fabulous.”

The cast’s ability to fully embrace those character quirks was a major part of what made the show work.

Laura Janssen (pictured below), who played Sister Mary Leo, brought a particularly physical element to the production as the novice nun learning ballet.

“My character is Sister Leo, so I am the novice, which means that I’m not graduated into a full nun, essentially, so I’m the only white veil on stage,” Janssen said.

“It’s been super fun,” she added. “I’ve never done ballet in my life, and I’m assuming people can tell I’ve never done ballet in my life, but it’s a comedy, so that’s the point.”

Janssen said the experience also gave her the opportunity to return to the stage after moving back to Omaha and to meet people in the Bennington community.

“I’m just really excited to get back on the stage again,” she said. “I just moved back to Omaha, so it’s been a lot of fun, and I loved meeting everybody. I’ve never really gotten to know anybody in Bennington.”

For Janssen, one of her favorite parts of the show was the “dying nun” scene, which allowed her to put her own spin on the character.

“But I really love everybody’s solo numbers,” she said. “I’m kind of bummed that we’re backstage and we can’t really see them live, but hearing everybody in the audience laugh about it, I just know that everybody’s having a good time with it.”

Sophie Knauss (pictured below), who played Sister Mary Amnesia, also found inspiration for her character in her own experiences.

“I’ve taken so much inspiration from the kids I work with,” Knauss said. “Sister Amnesia just looks at everything with childlike wonder and I get to play and be really genuine with it still and yeah bring a very silly character.”

That childlike wonder became a defining part of the character and another source of the show’s humor. Knauss said the transformation from the first rehearsal to opening week was significant.

“It has been a time of growth for sure and having to take care of ourselves and such,” she said. “But seeing it from our first read through to opening week, it’s night and day… It’s so fulfilling.”

Another major component of the production was its music. Music director Susan Steinke said the show’s score travels through a wide variety of musical styles, giving the production an energetic and varied soundtrack.

“It covers a lot of classic genres,” Steinke said. “We have big band, we’ve got some waltzes, there is gospel music, rock and roll, and a lot of what I think of as a little bit old timey, vaudeville, classic theater sound.”

The variety of music added another layer to the production, with each style helping establish the tone and personality of different moments throughout the show. Bringing all of it together required extensive practice and communication.

“A lot of repetition and practice because communication is really important,” Steinke said.

“In a band, the communication happens with the conductor,” she explained. “The conductor keeps everyone together. They are setting the tempo and showing people when we’re holding, when we’re going on.”

The orchestra also faced the unique challenge of performing behind the set, where the musicians could not always see the singers.

“So a lot of that communication and lots of repetition and practice,” Steinke said. “Especially when the band is behind the set, the singers can’t see us.”

“We have to make sure that we’re playing pretty steadily,” she added. “We’re not changing things every night. We’re very consistent for them so that they know what to expect while we’re playing.”

The effort paid off. The music helped fill the room throughout the production, seamlessly supporting the action on stage and adding to the overall atmosphere.

For Steinke, hearing the audience laugh was one of the most rewarding parts of the experience.

“There’s just so many funny, funny spots in this show,” she said. “It’s just hilarious! And to see people in the audience laughing really makes it all worth it… It’s very heartwarming, you just feel very accomplished.”

And the accomplishment extended well beyond those performing on stage. Steinke pointed out that it takes an entire team to bring a theatrical production together.

“I’m on piano, but we also have a conductor,” she said. “We have every single musician in the pit who is taking time out of their week every night to be here.”

“We’ve got people running the sound, people running the lights, people who have to do costumes, people who are helping with props,” she added. “There’s just so many different things that you don’t even think about the set.”

Producer Donna Dahlsten also highlighted the contributions of local Bennington High School students who helped with the production.

Price Yates, a senior at Bennington High School, conducted the orchestra, while Preston Nocita worked with the lights, and other students serving in stage manager, spotlight, and other roles. Dahlsten said the student involvement was particularly meaningful.

“It really is a good thing for the community,” Dahlsten said.

The community itself became part of the show during the performances.

Nunsense frequently breaks the fourth wall, allowing the cast to directly acknowledge and interact with the audience. Rather than simply watching the story unfold from a distance, audience members were pulled into the action and made to feel as though they were part of the production all along.

That interaction helped create a lively atmosphere throughout the three performances, with laughter coming from the audience as the actors played off the crowd and one another.

Janssen also appreciated the show’s willingness to find humor within its religious setting.

“I grew up Catholic, and I think it’s funny,” she said. “I really hope that people can not necessarily poke fun at it, but just know that even something religious… You can laugh about it and you can still have a good time with it.”

The result was a production that offered much more than a series of jokes.

There were energetic musical numbers, physical comedy, moments of emotion, character-driven humor and plenty of opportunities for the audience to become part of the experience.

Every element, from the cast and orchestra to the lighting, costumes, set, props and behind-the-scenes crew, came together to create a polished and entertaining production.

For Hartshorn, the people involved were what made the experience particularly memorable.

“Once again, I have to say, the cast, the experience with the girls, they’ve been amazing,” she said. “And I’ve enjoyed every bit. When I say that, I mean it. I have enjoyed every second with them.”

That enjoyment was easy to see on stage, and even easier to feel from the audience.

With strong turnout across all three performances, Nunsense gave Bennington audiences exactly what the production promised: music, laughter, memorable characters and a whole lot of fun.

Bennington Community Theatre has done it again, bringing a high-quality theatrical production to the community and demonstrating just how much can happen when local performers, musicians, students, volunteers and audiences come together.

And the curtain may have just closed on Nunsense, but the next production is already getting underway. Bennington Community Theatre is holding auditions this week for its next show, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever.

Stay tuned to The Bennington Buzz for the upcoming cast announcement and more details about BCT’s next production.