'Don't Tell Mother' - It's opening night!

 Curtain call is 7 tonight (Thursday) for the opening of the comedy "Don't Tell Mother" at the Historic Yuma Theatre, 254 S. Main St.

  Members of the City of Yuma Employee Association (COYEA) have changed their personas from job positions to become characters in the hilarious comedy by Monk Ferris, said Pat Quinn, production coordinator for the Yuma Art Center.

   Bob and Lisa Rammel are the stage managers.

  "The amateur actors are all city employees who have been practicing after hours for months," Quinn said.

  The comedy is about a timid librarian, Miss Schmit (known in COYEA as Marilyn Lammel), and her mother, Sarah (Debbie Wendt), who plan a serene dinner party for a shoe salesman Hobart (Ty Cook) and his mother, Magda (Anne Helland).

  This is the beginning of a time of mistaken identity, because Miss Schmit had witnessed a bank robbery. Joe "Fuzz" (Bob Lukas), a federal agent, questions DeeDee (Brandi Wilkinson), the librarian's closest friend, confusing one with the other.

  Confusion is mixed with hilarious dialogue and characters. as they appear: Orville Maddox, the robber (Art Castricone), and Ricky Tickey (Lillian Morrill), an involved female.

  Backstage rumor is that a maniacal vacuum cleaner is involved.

  The play will be presented again Friday and Saturday at 7, and at 2 p.m. on Sunday. This is the final week of the Yuma Art Center's Summer Six Pac 2008 entertainment series.

  Admission to the show is $6 per person, available at the door.

  Quinn explained, "The COYEA was started in 1965 as a nonprofit organization for the mutual benefit of all city employees. Our main objectives are to encourage social, cultural, economic and education activities of our members, and to foster a spirit of loyalty and service to the city of Yuma."

  Various activities are held for COYEA families, scholarships offered,  retirement and death benefits, open to any city employees, spouses and unmarried children younger than 19. 

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Pam M. Smith can be reached at psmith@yumasun.com or 539-6856.