Local clergy to participate in Arts After Hours ‘Nunsense A-Men!’ March 7-23 at LynnArts

LYNN – As the cast and all of those behind the scenes of Arts After Hours? production of Nunsense A-Men enter their final week of rehearsals for the show that opens March 7, kicking off AAH?s third season of community theatre in downtown Lynn, area clergy who will open each of the shows through March 23 are wondering exactly what they?ve gotten themselves into.With drill in hand, AAH co-founder and managing director Corey Jackson worked with volunteers Thursday night to put finishing touches on set construction at the Rantoul Black Box Theatre at LynnArts, 25 Exchange St., as director Kevin Cirone gave instructions to actors in costume James Tallach and Nick Raponi.Cirone, who acted in two prior AAH shows – 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee and I Love You, You?re Perfect, Now Change – makes his directing debut in Nunsense A-Men.?It?s a very funny show,” Cirone said. “The premise is these five nuns from New Jersey are holding a fundraiser because the rest of the sisters in their order died of food poisoning (from a meal prepared by Sister Julia, Child of God) so they?re putting on a show to raise money to bury the nuns, and they?re all played by men. You can?t go wrong with a formula like that.”Cirone, a Woburn resident and software engineer by day, added, “It?s a family friendly show but very entertaining.” He noted the show includes a lot of audience interaction, with the audience to be seated on three levels of chairs wrapping around the stage and also at a few cabaret tables on the floor.Tallach, 43, is a professional actor who plays Mother Superior in the AAH production. He is a Malden resident and native of Scotland who has worked extensively with Jackson and Cirone in Greater Boston community theatre.?Corey and I did Assassins in Cambridge and I just directed Kevin in Sunset Boulevard in Winchester,” Tallach said. And though he is working on two other productions – directing Footloose for a children?s theatre in Concord and also directing Legally Blonde at the Next Door Theatre in Winchester – Tallach said he had to audition for Nunsense A-Men.?This version of the show isn?t done very often,” he said. “Nunsense is done a lot, but the all-male version is not because I think it?s hard to cast, to find believable men, but it?s basically the exact same show.”The 30-year-old Raponi, sporting a full beard in his habit – a decision has not been made yet whether he?ll keep the facial growth for the role – plays Sister Hubert. The Peabody resident and full-time student at Salem State University is also a regional actor and is an AAH veteran who played Charlie Brown in last May?s You?re A Good Man Charlie Brown and played Mitch Mahoney in AAH?s 2011 show, Spelling Bee.?I?ve been doing shows here and working with Corey since the beginning of Arts After Hours,” Raponi said. “I played this same role six years ago with the Winthrop Play Makers and I?m glad to be doing it here. It?s unbelievably funny and the music is catchy.”Jackson said Nunsense A-Men was chosen to kick off the new AAH season because of the community involvement, explaining that a different area member of the clergy will help to open each of the shows (see list).?We really liked the community involvement of our show Spelling Bee, so we felt this screamed Lynn and getting all the local clergy involved is huge for us, just making those connections with all of the congregations, and getting them to come to downtown Lynn,” Jackson said.Clergy making cameo appearances have been sent detailed letters explaining their part.?It?s simple really. They?re going to open the show with one of the nuns, and the nun is going to make that person do some stuff to get the audience into it – sort of like the warm-up guy at the beginning of shows,” he said. “The show is hysterically funny with the female version, but add the layer of an all-male cast and it?s just a whole new level of comedy.”He added, however, “It?s not drag, it?s not that kind of show. It?s just playing around wit