Photo Flash: First Look at CHURCH BASEMENT LADIES Onstage at Sierra Rep

Sierra Rep calls The Church Basement Ladies, "Prairie Home Companion meets The Carol Burnett Show and I Love Lucy, [plus] lots of singing, dancing and good-natured fun." Inspired by the best-selling book Growing Up Lutheran by Janet Letnes Martin and Suzann Nelson, the show and its sequels have been delighting audiences across the country. SRT Guest Director Marc Liby, had a great experience directing the show for his former theater in Kansas and says that he can't wait to bring it to SRT audiences.

As the show's original Producer-Director, Curtis Wollen said, "People like to laugh at themselves, and there are so many women like this out there, who are under appreciated for all they've given," Wollen said.

In comedy and song, Church Basement Ladies celebrates the finely tuned kitchen team at the East Cornucopia Lutheran Church of the Prairie - Vivian, Mavis, Karin and Signe, four hearty Minnesotan Lutherans, with a strong work ethic, a quirky dialect and a way with butter. They're a familiar foursome who can handle anything their pastor asks - the matriarch who runs the show, her next-in-line waiting to take the reins, the youngster about to fly off on her own and the community historian who can rattle off everyone's lineage just as soon as her hot flash passes. We follow them through several seasons - the record-breaking winter lutefisk feast, the funeral of a dear friend, an unconventional HawaiIan Easter Fundraiser and a joyful and much anticipated wedding. Each episode dishes up lots of comedy, as the ladies trade barbs, peel potatoes, avert kitchen disasters, and poke fun at each other and their friends the Catholics all while smoothly serving up hundreds of meals. The show is suitable for ages 12 and up.

For more information or reservations, call Sierra Rep's box office at (209) 532-3120 or visit Sierra Rep at www.sierrarep.org. General admission ranges from $26-$32 depending on the day of the performance, with senior, student and child rates available.