Acme Theater’s ‘Church & State’ is a timely dramedy

 

Acme Theater’s upcoming performance of “Church & State” by Jason Odell Williams may not be the funniest show around, but director David Sheppard hopes it gives people something to talk about.

“Theater should cause conversation. Even if it’s just a completely over the top, silly comedy, it should still cause people to … talk about it on the way home,” Sheppard said.

Billed as a dramedy, “Church & State” revolves around a school shooting in Raleigh, North Carolina, hometown of Republican Sen. Charles Whitmore, played by Weston native, Ben Gold. The play is set three days before Whitmore’s bid for reelection.

“[The shooting] really affected him and caused him to have a crisis of faith,” Sheppard said, noting Whitmore’s sons attend the school in which the shooting took place.

Whitmore is lovable and can be a bit silly, said Gold, and he never forgets he’s a politician.

“He’s a jovial guy, but he has a real oomph to him,” said Gold.

When he makes an off-the-cuff remark to a blogger regarding guns and faith that gets leaked on Twitter, his wife, Sarah, a devout Christian, southern woman (played by Laura Frakey,) and his campaign manager, Alex Klein, (played by Jill Zuber-Sheils,) a young, liberal Jewish woman from New York, must contain the damage.

Rounding out the cast is Billy Del Sesto of Maynard, who plays the roles of Tom, Marshall, a security guy and a news anchor.

Sheppard said the show does not make light of school shootings but rather intersperses funny dialogue throughout.

“I think you need to try to do a mix of humor and seriousness to get people to open up and think,” he said.

Getting into character

Gold, who has performed in theaters in New York and Massachusetts, said Whitmore is the biggest role he has played.

Playing an older, conservative politician with a southern accent is not without its challenges, but the biggest challenge is “finding the character … and getting to the point where you feel comfortable existing on stage as the character. And in this show, it has been maybe a little more difficult than average because he’s from a world that I’m not super familiar with,” Gold said.

“I always do find it but sometimes it just takes a little more time,” he added.

A new space

Formerly housed in an old middle school in Maynard, Acme Theater moved to Weston in 2024, taking up residence at the Weston United Methodist Church, in their old theater.

“Going from where we had been, which I loved but it was the basement that flooded, to a real proscenium stage – that was huge,” Sheppard said. “And everyone we have dealt with, right across the board, has been inviting, has been welcoming.”

Room dividers can change the configuration of the theater based on audience size and there is plenty of storage space and a woodshop underneath the stage.

Running on donations, volunteers

Sheppard started Acme Theater 33 years ago.

“When I started it, we wanted to make a place where everybody felt welcomed and everybody felt included,” he said.

He also wanted to create a space where people could have fun while working hard to produce a high-quality product.

“Hard work and fun can go hand in hand, and I think we have held to that 33 years later,” Sheppard said.

The theater gets its funding from donations and ticket sales and is run solely by volunteers, including Sheppard.

“Our volunteers are very highly regarded. It is a big, big part of us. Everybody is important – from the person who is the lead in the show to the person who is outside helping park cars,” he said.

If you go

“Church & State” opens Jan. 23 at 8 p.m. at Weston United Methodist Church, 377 North Ave. (rear), in Weston. Performances continue at 8 p.m., Jan. 24, 30, 31; 8 p.m., Feb. 6 and 7; and  p.m., Jan. 25 and Feb. 1.

General admission tickets are $25 for adults; $23 for seniors and students, and are available online at acmetheater.com or by calling 978-823-0003.

“I think [people] will enjoy it. It’s an interesting play. It was written in 2017. I think it brings more nuance to a political topic that is usually not spoken of with nuance,” said Gold.