River Campus director seeking additional dates for 'Catechism,' Twain show

Robert Cerchio, assistant director of the Holland School of Visual and Performing Arts, announced Friday morning that the River Campus is seeking to provide additional performances of "Late Nite Catechism" and Hal Holbrook in "Mark Twain Tonight!" as part of the touring series at Bedell Performance Hall.

The two shows, scheduled for February and April, respectively, are sold out and booked for a single night each.

Cerchio told the crowd gathered this morning for the Cape Girardeau Area Chamber of Commerce's First Friday Coffee.

The Mark Twain performance is Holbrook's signature work. He has been performing the show, taken from the writings and sayings of the American literary icon, for more than 40 years.

"Late Nite Catechism" is a comedy by Maripat Donovan, Jimmy Doyle, Kathryn Gallagher and Marc Silvia that takes the audience into an adult catechism run by a habit-wearing nun. The play has earned rave reviews across the nation.

Most other touring shows on the schedule are also either sold out or nearly so, Cerchio said.

The River Campus box office already has a waiting list for both shows, Cerchio said. The procedure that will be followed if the additional performances are confirmed, he said, will work as follows:

• Patrons with tickets will be contacted to determine if they wish to switch to the second show, which is an opportunity to get better seating.
• Anyone contacting the River Campus box office can have their name placed on the waiting list. As soon as the second show is booked, staff will make calls to offer seating to those on the waiting list.

If any tickets remain, they will be offered to the public, he said.

The box office is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the River Campus Performance Building, 518 S. Fountain St. The phone number is 651-2265.

rkeller@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 126