“Girls' Weekend" at the Playcrafters Barn Theatre -- May 2 through 11.
Friday, May 2, through Sunday, May 11
Playcrafters Barn Theatre, 4950 35th Avenue, Moline IL
Hailed by the Des Moines Register as a "punchy comedy" with a "tightly coiled script," the zany farce Girls' Weekend makes its Quad Cities debut at Moline's Playcrafters Barn Theatre May 2 through 11, this comic delight the first full-length published play written by Des Moines native Karen Schaeffer.
In the lightning-quick farce that is Girls' Weekend, four women travel to Dot’s Northwoods cabin to consume copious amounts of wine, laugh at their lives, trade stories, and chat about their book club’s latest selection. However, after the third case of wine comes through the door, it becomes clear there will be more stewing than reviewing, and as the bottles tip up, a host of secrets spill out and a group of uninvited guests sneak in. The madcap, door-slamming chaos of playwright Schafer's stage hit comes to a head when Dot wakes up to a mortifying realization, resulting in a hilarious slapstick that the Enterprise-Record described as "a rip-roaring great comedy."
Helming Girls' Weekend for Playcrafters is Barn Theatre veteran Jacque Cohoon, whose previous directorial offerings for the venue have included A Number, The Dixie Swim Club, The Red Velvet Cake War, and Stocking Stuffers. Portraying protagonist Dot is area-theatre favorite Pam Cantrell (Quad City Music Guild's Kinky Boots and A Little Night Music), with Cohoon's cast completed by Storm Marie Baca, Tim Burrow, Bradley Franks, Izzy Holmes, Esteban Lopez, Tabitha Oles, and Jaren Schoustra. Grey White, meanwhile, serves as the production's stage manager, with additional members of the Girls' Weekend creative team including: producer Karen Dubberke; sound designer Ellie Gradert; set designer Jaina Gliva; costume designer Bailey Hager; props master McKenna Coskie; set builder Craig Cohoon; and poster designer Makis Witt.
Girls' Weekend will be staged at Moline's Barn Theatre May 2 through 11, with performances Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m. Admission is $16-18, and more information and tickets are available by calling (309)762-0330 and visiting Playcrafters.com.
