Grand Marais Playhouse starts in-person theater with a comedy

Rehearsals are underway for the next Grand Marais Playhouse production, The Birthday Club.

WTIP’s Rhonda Silence stopped by rehearsal this week to talk with the actors in The Birthday Club. She caught up with four of the five women who seem to be having the time of their life bringing this eclectic group of friends to life on the Arrowhead Center for the Arts stage.  

Cast members include Diane Stoddard as Cheryl, a married, successful business owner, with perhaps some “control issues.” Claire Smith is Emily, a twice-divorced high school teacher, and prolific Tinder-dater. Alyssa Hedstrom plays friend Abbie, a stay-at-home with an elegant house with a pool and luxuries such as pocket doors. Amanda Hand plays the “rough around the edges” Kathy who is married with four kids and who works in law enforcement—although she “can’t talk about it.”

Jaye White as Sarah rounds out the cast as the newest member of The Birthday Club, an odd addition as she is a member of the very strict “Heemish” religion and quite naïve about worldly things.

The play debuts in front of a live audience at the Arrowhead Center for the Arts on Thursday, July 22. It will also be live-streamed that night.

There will be other performances on July 23, 24 and 25. All shows start at 7 p.m.

This is the first play before an audience in nearly two years.  Director Sue Hennessy, as well as the cast members of The Birthday Club, encourage everyone to come out for a good laugh as these five women get together for their birthdays,  to drink, celebrate, commiserate and support each other as they negotiate through marriage, work, divorce, birth and kids, while solving the problems of the world.

Photo information: The interesting women starring in The Breakfast Club--Jaye White, Claire Smith, Diane Stoddard, and Amanda Hand. Not pictured: Alyssa Hedstrom. Photo by Rhonda Silence

Here’s Rhonda Silence’s report from rehearsals.