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Signs Of Summer

Kechi Playhouse

In local theatre, among the seven signs of the impending summer includes the re-opening of the Kechi Playhouse, home of light comedy and farce.

From June to October, city-dwellers take the short drive out to Kechi for an evening of laughter. The theatre is a former Methodist church, and is an intimate space, one of the few stages that brings its audience so close to the players. From its first show, The Fantasticks, in 1983, to its current season, the Playhouse has operated for 33 seasons under the direction and ownership of Misty Maynard. Maynard is also a producer and playwright.

The Kechi Playhouse opens this season with a production of 'Til Beth Do Us Part, written by Jessie Jones, Nicholas Hope and Jamie Wooten, a trio of writers whose solo efforts, as well as their collaborations, have entertained people all over the world in television, cinema and stage.

'Til Beth Do Us Part presents the dilemma of Suzannah, a businesswoman who finds herself torn between the messy man she loves and Beth, the Southern whirlwind assistant who brings much-needed order and efficiency to Suzannah's chaotic business life. When Suzannah decides to allow Beth to streamline her personal life as well, the ensuing collision sparks that most necessary platform of humor and life: complications.

If summer comedy fits your bill, you can find it on stage at The Kechi Playhouse. 'Til Beth Do Us Part runs from June 4th to June 28th.

Sanda Moore Coleman received an MFA in creative writing from Wichita State University in 1991. Since then, she has been the arts and community editor for The Martha's Vineyard Times, a teaching fellow at Harvard University, and an assistant editor at Image. In 2011, she received the Maureen Egan Writers Exchange prize for fiction from Poets & Writers magazine. She has spent more than 30 years performing, reviewing, and writing for theatre.