Frankly, Gilda, we do give a damn!

Parody isn\’t as harsh as a lampoon. It doesn\’t bite as deep as satire. Parody is a loving form of flattery, taking something familiar because it\’s well loved, and having some fun with its petticoats.

My all time TV favorite shows were those that featured sketch comedy. There was something so friendly about seeing the same cast play a variety of different roles each week in a vehicle designed to make you laugh for an hour or so. The best were SCTV, Kids in the Hall, Monty Python, Laugh-In, SNL (at times), and Mad TV (at times). But the undisputed grandmama of them all was the Carol Burnett Show.

Carol and company parodied the most beloved classics with abandon, because parody is loving flattery. Carol\’s Nora Desmond was a classic itself, her Mildred Fierce was brilliant, and who can ever forget her Starlett O\’Hara? Her drapery dress holds a sacred spot in the Smithsonian. And so it is that Gilda Shedstecker Presents! performs an annual parody of some of our most loved favorites. Our first send-up in 2013 was a twisted combo of Harry Potter and Twilight. We followed that the next year with Whatever Happened to Baby Jane. Last year was the Golden Girls. And yes, this year, as ambitious as it seems, we proudly announce we\’re about to go there.

This October, Gilda Shedstecker Presents! an original parody of the beloved classic, our Go On With Your Wind. The opportunity for our players to play! We proudly announce the cast:

Spoilitt O\’Hairy – Craig May
Thrett Cutlet – Jacki Dietz
Melancholy Cameltoe – Roman Feemster Marshall
Freshly Wilts – Michael Burkhardt
Mamsy – Tiffeny Brown
Jerry \”Pa\” O\’Hairy – Linda Alexander-Radak
Mellen \”Ma\” O\’Hairy – Ellen Fox
Overseer Joneses Willikers et al Manuel Halkias
Spoilitt\’s sister Swellin O\’Hairy – Amy Wyler
Spoilitt\’s sister Clean O\’Hairy – Grace Worley
Prissy Poppins – Jess Swank
Aunt FlippyFlop Cameltoe – Kitty Deames Burgett
Atlanta bad girl Frill Gatling – Patrice Rittenhouse
Phlemmy Slatternly – Trudy Kohler
And as little miss Bumble Boo Cutlet – Roman Feemster Marshall

Stage manager is Tawny Plumley Burkhardt. Assistant stage manager is Dana Marshall, with director Doug Tennant. So plan on visiting the Kathleen Howland Theatre at Avenue Arts in Canton in October. It will be the hottest thing since MGM burned a bunch of old sets to simulate the burning of Atlanta!