Punxsutawney Theatre Arts Guild Presents “Ripcord” As 50th Summer Show
The Punxsutawney Theatre Arts Guild is continuing its 50th season with award-winning playwright David Lindsay-Abaire’s comedy “Ripcord.” If you love the efforts of Punxsutawney’s local troupe, then this is a show aimed to please. The play will first appear at the Punxsutawney Elementary School stage on Friday, June 27, and Saturday, June 28, with performances beginning at 7:30 pm each night. Then, the following weekend, the absurd comedy will be staged at the Cook Forest Verna Leith Theater from July 3 to 5, beginning at 7:00 pm. Tickets are sold at the door at each venue. Patron tickets can only be honored on the Punxsutawney dates.
The show is part The Golden Girls and The Odd Couple as two ladies endure putting up with each other. The two leads are Abby Binder (played by Debra Dinsmore) and Marilyn Dunne (played by Kathy Dinsmore). Marilyn is a recent arrival at the Bristol Place Senior Living Facility, where the unsociable Abby has enjoyed the single-occupancy comfort of her upper-floor room with a view for most of her four years of residency. Attempts by the staff, namely Scotty (Michael Shaffer), to induce her to share the space have invariably been short-lived once potential roommates get a taste of her acerbic tongue and brittle manner. But Marilyn proves harder to deter.
It is the silly tug of war these two ladies get into that makes this show a treat, but that game does lead to a few serious moments as well. Family even gets mixed up in it all. Colleen (Jessica Schidlemeier) and Derek (Tim Cooper) are Marilyn’s daughter and son-in-law, and Lewis (Jef Dinsmore) is her son. The absurdities they encounter, along with the audience, make “Ripcord a laugh riot not to be missed.
The troupe states, “It seems that high camp comedy and farce have replaced the grand musicals as our summer production choice, and ‘Ripcord’ does not disappoint. The play is the perfect combination of unexpected silliness and serious poignancy in a well-blended tale about living your life to the fullest despite what has knocked you down before.” The show’s director, Jef Dinsmore, simply states, “One sentence of Lindsay-Abraire’s dialogue says – ‘Slow yourself down and take a good look while you can.’ I’ll add to that – as long as it includes a night out to see PTAG’s production of “Ripcord.”
So, during all the summer festivities in town, make sure to include the Theatre Guild’s theatrical hi-jinks. You have two weekends to see the show, either in Punxsutawney or at the Sawmill Theater. PTAG would like to thank those who made this production possible: Dramatic Publishing Company, Mulberry Square Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center, Mike Krach and the School District, Guild Patrons, and YOU. The Theatre Guild concludes with this thought, “The Punxsutawney Theatre Arts Guild does not know how many more shows we can stage, so please, show your support of what we do. Come see David Lindsay-Abaire’s “Ripcord.”
The Punxsutawney Theatre Arts Guild hopes to see new faces in the audience and great theatrical fun for all in 2025. Get active, get acting, and have fun doing it with this long-standing troupe. They’d love to have you! You can reach out to the Theatre Guild at (814) 938-0378, drop a note to PTAG at P.O. Box 152, or link up with the troupe on Facebook or punxsytheatre.org.