Jessica Dickey's The Convent to Be Staged at Dramashop

Sarah Peach

Ostensibly about a group of women going on a retreat to live like nuns, Jessica Dickey's The Convent tackles issues of motherhood, desire, and self discovery in a darkly comic play coming to Dramashop this November.

PREMIERING FRIDAY, NOV. 3

Krista Perry is no stranger to the Erie theater scene but she will be making her directorial debut in November at Dramashop. Perry says the encouragement she got from Dramashop's artistic director Anna McJunkin gave her the boost she needed to take on this new role at the helm. Perry also credits associate director Alaina Manchester with helping her along the way "for guidance and learning technique" as the cast and crew prepare to take the stage. "It takes a team to make all of this happen," says Perry.

The Convent is described by Dramashop as "a toothy dark comedy about desire, devotion, and the mystery of intrinsic divinity." It follows a group of women in the 1980s who go on a retreat to live like nuns. Perry describes it as a play about "motherhood, sisterhood, and self discovery." Adding that "the amazing connection" between cast and crew has allowed them "to have conversations and say things out loud that we all seem to instantly understand, so we can take a deeper dive into what it means to embody the feminine spirit."

The cast includes both veteran Erie players as well as some new faces. Theater-goers will get to see Anna McJunkin as Jill, Karen Schelinski as Mother Abbess, Alycia Olivar as Patti, Evon Lloyd as Wilma, Leslie M. Ford as Dimlin, Ash Carr as Bertie, and Rosie Pregler Hitt as Tina. The production team, which is largely female and nonbinary, is "powered through female energy which is absolutely incredible," says Perry.

Perry previously acted in The Blue Bowl Monologues at Dramashop under the direction of Zach Flock. Perry says that while she's had limited experience at Dramashop specifically, she feels "the Erie theater community is small enough that there are always found friends or connections made quite easily."

Fridays and Saturdays, Nov. 3 to Nov. 18 at 7:30 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 19 at 2 p.m. // $15 // For tickets and info: tickets.eriereader.com