By Claudia Loucks
Geneseo Current
Melanie Gillespie, Colona; Elissa Dynes, Kewanee; Tifany Simosky and Dana Skiles, both of Geneseo; and Jalayne Riewerts, Morrison, are among the cast members in the comedy, “The Charitable Sisterhood of the Second Victory Trinity Church,” which opens the Richmond Hill Players season on April 16. Contributed Photo
The Richmond Hill Players will open their 2026 season with the comedy, “The Charitable Sisterhood of the Second Victory Trinity Church,” by Bo Wilson. The show will be presented Thursdays through Sundays, April 16-26, at the Barn Theatre, atop Richmond Hill in Geneseo.
Mike Skiles, Geneseo, directs the show.
ABOUT THE PLAY:
The roads are flooded, the bridges are washed out, and less-generous souls are staying safely indoors, but it takes more than a little rain to keep the ladies of the Charitable Sisterhood from fulfilling their sworn mission. When these ladies meet to organize a relief effort for homeless Guatemalans, they are greeted with a small mountain of community donations – but one woman’s junk is another woman’s treasure, and that pile of stuff in this small church basement is hiding a thing or two. Come sit in on this month’s meeting in the basement of Second Trinity Victory Church; these five angels of mercy will leave you breathless with laughter as they do their best to help the victims of global disaster, spiritual deprivation and, most of all, one another.
Parental guidance recommended for mature themes.
The Cast features Tifany Simosky, Dana Skiles, Larry Lord, all of Geneseo; Melanie Gillespie, Colona; Elissa Dynes, Kewanee; and Jalayne Riewerts, Morrison.
The staff includes stage manager Cali VanZandt, Atkinson; light and sound designer Dana Skiles, Geneseo; light and sound operator David Shaffer, Moline; and set builder Jim Skiles, Colona.
On Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, the doors open at 6:30 p.m. with the show beginning at 7:30 p.m. On Sundays, matinees begin at 3 with the doors opening at 2 p.m. Reservations are recommended and can be made by calling the Richmond Hill box office at 309-944-2244 or by visiting the website at rhplyers.com. Late seating is not permitted as no one will be admitted after the show starts. Admission to all performances is $12.
An audio description performance will be held Friday, April 17. Assisted Listening Devices (ALD’s) also are available when requested at the time reservations are made.
ABOUT RICHMOND HILL PLAYERS
Richmond Hill Players is a non-profit community theater group presenting plays in the converted top floor of an old dairy barn in Geneseo since 1968.
Approximately 100 active members are involved on and off-stage each year, with actors, directors, backstage personnel, support staffs, and audiences drawn from a 75-100- mile radius that includes cities in both Illinois and Iowa.