CHURCH BASEMENT LADIES 2: A SECOND HELPING Comes to the BDT Stage Tonight

A hilarious musical comedy series is sweeping the nation and heading to Boulder! Highlighting recipes, food, and change in the church, the regional premiere of Church Basement Ladies 2: A Second Helping is a celebration of the church basement kitchen and the women who run it. Church Basement Ladies 2 is dishing up laughs at BDT Stage (formerly named Boulder's Dinner Theatre) tonight, September 12 through November 8, 2014.

Authors Janet Letnes Martin and Suzann Nelson joined forces with Twin Cities based production company Troupe America, Inc. and its Executive Producer Curt Wollan to transform their national best-selling book Growing Up Lutheran into a musical comedy. Wollan wanted to create a show that celebrates the women who work so hard and with such dedication in the church kitchen whether they are Lutheran, Methodist, Jewish or Catholic. "I know about these 'Steel Magnolias' of the church, because my mother was one of them while I was growing up," says Wollan. And through this collaboration, the musical Church Basement Ladies was born.

Because of the original musical's phenomenal success, Wollan decided to continue the story of this same group of women, as they deal with life, death and new adventures in the world and their lives. Teaming up this time around with writer Greta Grosch, and music and lyrics by Dennis Curley and Drew Jansen, the year is 1969 and the world is changing. As folks protest the Vietnam War and women are demanding equal pay for equal work, in their small rural Minnesota community, the ladies of the Lutheran church basement kitchen are dealing with changes of their own. With their heartwarming humor and hilarious antics, the show takes us from serving the high school students at the Luther League Banquet to a church sponsored Missionary Night and the rise and fall of a Viking's Super Bowl Sunday. From the elderly matriarch of the kitchen to the young mom-to-be, these women find strength in each other as they deal with the joys and upheavals from below the "House of God!"

BDT Stage's production features an all-star team of comedic genius: Barb Reeves, Bren.Eyestone Burron, Tracy Warren, Sarah Grover, and Wayne Kennedy. "We had such a great time producing the original Church Basement Ladies, we simply had to launch the sequel!" explains BDT Stage artistic director Michael J. Duran. "Church Basement Ladies 2 isn't so much about 'The Church' - it's about the dynamics, the successes, and of course the fiascos that happen when four ladies join forces to reign in and organize an entire congregation of people. We're having a hard time keeping straight faces in rehearsal - the material truly is a blast to work with!"

Tickets for Church Basement Ladies 2: A Second Helping are on sale now. Prices start at just $37, and include both the performance and dinner served by the stars of the show. All tickets for opening weekend (September 12 - September 14, 2014) are just $37. Group rate tickets and season subscriptions are available for all performances throughout the year. Call (303) 449-6000 or log on to www.bouldersdinnertheatre.com for reservations and/or additional details about the show.

BDT Stage is the new name for Boulder's Dinner Theatre. Only the name has changed - BDT Stage retains the same ownership, same quality productions and same great dining that audiences have enjoyed for years. BDT Stage presents four Broadway-quality musicals each season, and has been recognized locally and nationally for theatrical excellence. Boulder's Daily Camera praises BDT's "consistency in technical achievement, performance and overall production level as it sets a high standard for theatrical professionalism in the Boulder area." BDT Stage opens its 37th Season on September 12, 2014 with Church Basement Ladies 2: A Second Helping, followed by the Broadway classic Fiddler on the Roof, opening November 14, 2014, Forever Plaid, opening March 6, 2015, and Mary Poppins, opening May 16, 2015. And don't forget BDT Stage's Cabaret Series -- Face returns to the stage December 1, 8 and 15 and The Jerseys perform on New Year's Eve, December 31 by special arrangement. Tickets to all performances are on sale now.

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