Sister Solves the Mystery of the Greatest Christmas Heist

Sister’s Christmas Catechism: The Mystery of the Magi’s Gold; Dec. 1–27, 2009, Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts, Stage 2

(SCOTTSDALE, Ariz.) – Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts will present Sister’s Christmas Catechism: The Mystery of the Magi’s Gold from Dec. 1–27 in its intimate Stage 2 Theater.

Single tickets are available for $38 through the Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts’ Web site at http://www.scottsdaleperformingarts.org/ or the box office at (480) 994-ARTS (2787).

Described as ‘CSI meets Bethlehem,’ Sister’s Christmas Catechism stars Patti Hannon as the cranky but lovable nun ‘Sister,’ who has now taken on the mystery that has intrigued historians throughout the ages: whatever happened to the Magi’s gold? “We know that Mary used the frankincense and myrrh as a sort of potpourri – they were in a barn after all,” she explains.

Assisted by a local choir and her ‘students’ (a.k.a. the audience!), Sister directs an unforgettable living nativity and employs her own CSI-inspired tools to find the culprit. With gifts galore and bundles of laughs, Sister’s Christmas Catechism is a sinfully funny alternative to traditional holiday fare!

Sister’s Christmas Catechism was written by Maripat Donovan, the creator of the popular Late Nite Catechism comedies, with Jane Morris and Marc Silvia. It is presented with support from Courtyard by Marriott Scottsdale Old Town

PERFORMANCE TIMES

• Dec. 1–27, 2009
• Tuesday–Thursday @ 7:30 p.m.
• Friday @ 8 p.m.
• Saturday @ 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.
• Sunday @ 2 p.m.

NOTE: Late Nite Catechism and Late Nite Catechism III: ’Til Death Do Us Part will not be performed during the run of Sister’s Christmas Catechism, but will resume their regular weekly schedule in Stage 2 Theater at Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts following the close of Sister’s Christmas Catechism.

BE A SHINING STAR IN SISTER’S CHOIR
Sister is still looking for a few good (or even not-so-good) volunteer singers to fill her choir. Each choir may have up to six singers and be willing and able to perform traditional Christmas carols on stage with Sister for one or more evenings during the run of Sister’s Christmas Catechism. No auditions are required – just a little holiday cheer and a good sense of humor! If you are interested in putting together a choir please contact Maria Marshall at (480) 874-4673 or mariam@sccarts.org to reserve a date.

PATTI HANNON
Patti Hannon performed Late Nite Catechism in Boston, Chicago and New York before moving to Arizona in 2000 to star in the production at Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts, which is now in its record-breaking 10^th anniversary season. She also starred in the show’s sequel, Late Nite Catechism II: Sometimes We Feel Guilty Because We Are Guilty, which ran for four years in Scottsdale starting in 2004. Hannon also currently stars in Late Nite Catechism III: ’Til Death Do Us Part , which debuted at Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts in 2008. Originally a Chicago actor, Hannon has a flair for improvisation and has written for and performed with Hit and Run and Bit Players. She earned Joseph Jefferson citations for her roles as Lil in Ask for the Moon and Lorette in Between Daylight and Booneville and a special AriZoni Award for Late Nite Catechism’s longevity.

LOCATION AND PARKING
Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts is located at 7380 E. Second St. in downtown Scottsdale, four blocks south of Indian School Road and three blocks east of Scottsdale Road. Free parking is available in the public parking garage located to the west of Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts and directly behind Los Olivos restaurant on Wells Fargo Avenue. Additional free parking is available at the Old Town Parking Corral at East Second Street and Brown Avenue and at the Civic Center Library parking garage located on Drinkwater Boulevard at East Second Street.

ACCESSIBILITY
Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts offers performance accommodations to enhance audience members’ experience, including: American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation or live audio description with two weeks advance notice. Assisted listening devices and wheelchair seating are always available. Visit the Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts’ Web site at http://www.scottsdaleperformingarts.org/ or contact the patron services box office at (480) 994-ARTS ext. 2 [TDD: (480) 874-4694] for further details. Please inquire about services when ordering tickets.

GROUP AND STUDENT DISCOUNTS
Attend with family and friends, or bring a group from your business, civic or religious organization. Save $3 per ticket and at least $30 in handling fees when purchasing 15 or more tickets to the same event (subject to availability; some restrictions apply). Instead of $2.50 per single ticket, the handling fee is only $7.50 total for group orders. Full-time students may purchase half-price tickets one hour before events/performances (subject to availability; limit one single ticket per full-time student; some restrictions apply). Must present current valid student I.D. in person at the patron services box office. No phone orders.

SCOTTSDALE CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS
Opened in 1975, Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts presents a dynamic, culturally diverse season of dance, jazz, classical and world music, theater and satire. Approximately 2,000 performances, educational programs, festivals and other events are showcased annually serving more than 300,000 people and contributing substantially to Scottsdale’s high quality of life and vibrant arts scene. Performances take place in the Center’s newly renovated 853-seat Virginia G. Piper Theater and 137-seat Stage 2 as well as the 2,000-seat amphitheater on the grounds of the Scottsdale Civic Center Mall. The Center’s youth education and outreach programs reach more than 50,000 school children each year, and its free events are available to the entire public. The Center also produces the award-winning Scottsdale Arts Festival every March; Sunday A’Fair, a series of free outdoor music festivals held on Sunday afternoons from January to April; and Native Trails, a collaboration with the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation and the Scottsdale Convention & Visitors Bureau that features free demonstrations of Native American arts and culture from January to April. Opening in fall 2009, the Center Bistro by Arcadia Farms features pre- and post-show menus. Open daily and during performances, The Store @ Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts offers hand-crafted jewelry, accessories for the home, imaginative toys, recordings, books, greeting cards and more.

The Scottsdale Cultural Council, a private nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, is contracted by the City of Scottsdale, Ariz., to administer certain City arts and cultural projects and to manage the City-owned Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts, Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art and Scottsdale Public Art Program. The programs of the Scottsdale Cultural Council are made possible, in part, by the support of members and donors and grants received from the Arizona Commission on the Arts through appropriations from the Arizona State Legislature and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Published on behalf of Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts
7380 E. Second St.
Scottsdale, AZ 85251
Box Office: (480) 994-ARTS (2787) ext. 2
TDD: (480) 874-4694
Web: www.scottsdaleperformingarts.org
E-mail: info@sccarts.org
Fax: (480) 874-4699

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