LATE NITE CATECHISM Brings Hilarity to Walton Arts Center

Whether you attended 12 years of Catholic school or think Hail Mary is a football play, you don't want to miss the wholesome, interactive comedy of Late Nite Catechism during its five-show engagement Sept. 6-9.

Single tickets range from $25 to $32 plus fees and can be purchased in-person at the Walton Arts Center Box Office, by calling 479.443.5600 or by visiting waltonartscenter.org. Groups of 10 or more can purchase discounted tickets by calling 479.571.2719 or emailing groups@waltonartsenter.org.

Show Times:

• Thursday, Sept. 6 at 8 pm
• Friday, Sept. 7 at 8 pm
• Saturday, Sept. 8 at 2 and 8 pm
• Sunday, Sept. 9 at 2 pm

Late Nite Catechism is an uproarious piece of interactive theater that takes audience members back - sometimes nostalgically, sometimes fearfully - to the children they once were as Sister teaches an adult catechism class to a roomful of "students" (the audience).

During the course of the play, Sister goes from benevolent instructor, rewarding the students for correct answers with glow-in-the-dark rosaries and laminated saint cards, to authoritative drill sergeant. These abrupt mood swings are bound to strike a resonant chord with everyone who survived the ups and downs of going to a school with an omniscient authoritarian at the helm.

The longest running one-woman show in Off-Broadway history, Late Nite Catechism was nominated for an Outer Critics Circle Award in New York and won the L.A. Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Lead Performance for Maripat Donovan.

Vicki Quade and Donovan wrote Late Nite Catechism, and since its debut in 1993 it has grossed more than $100 million in box office receipts. Presented in more than 410 cities around the world and six countries, 3.5 million people have attended a performance. The show has raised over $4 million for retired Sisters and Catholic Organizations. There have been over 100 "Sisters" presenting the eight shows now in the series.

"Sister" Nonie Newton-Riley will be visiting Walton Arts Center for these performances. Newton-Riley began honing her comedy skills at her large Irish-Catholic family's dinner table in Chicago, before expanding to Chicago's famed Second City Theatre where she learned to "write on her feet" for several years.

In the last 15 years, Nonie has toured the country in the one-woman Late Nite Catechism plays. She was nominated for a Wilde Award in Detroit for best solo performance 2011 for "Will My Bunny Go to Heaven", the Easter Catechism show.

More information about Late Nite Catechism is available at waltonartscenter.org.

Walton Arts Center is Arkansas' largest and busiest performing arts presenter. Each year more than 195,000 people from Arkansas, Missouri, Kansas and Oklahoma and beyond attend more than 400 events at Walton Arts Center, including performances, rehearsals, community gatherings, receptions, weddings and more. Approximately 45,000 students and teachers participate annually in arts learning programs at Walton Arts Center, and almost 200 volunteers donate 21,000 hours of time each year to its operations. Walton Arts Center presents entertainers and artists from around the world including Broadway musicals, renowned dance companies, International Artists, up-and-coming jazz musicians and more. As a non-profit organization, Walton Arts Center enjoys the generous support of public sector funding, corporate sponsorship and private donors who help bring world-class arts experiences to Northwest Arkansas. To learn more about Walton Arts Center, visit www.waltonartscenter.org.

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