Hammond Community Theatre’s latest production may be the ticket for people looking for something different to check out this holiday season.
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The comedic play “You Better Watch Out” runs from Dec. 8-17 at Beatniks on Conkey in Hammond.
“One of the things I as a director like to do is try to find plays that not everyone has done before,” said Wayne Puchkors, director of “You Better Watch Out.”
“I looked at 15 different shows. This one was funny. I thought the audiences are going to enjoy it. It has a good message at the end, which you need to have for a Christmas show.”
“You Better Watch Out” by Don Hodgins is set on Christmas Eve at the Willow Inn in Wisconsin. Hosts Jenny and Tom invite her father, Art, to see their bed-and-breakfast for the first time.
A snowstorm forces Rudy and Marsha, who run a costume business, and a cheerful man named Mr. Smith, who claims to be in the delivery business, to spend the evening there. Andy, the inn’s handyman works with Mr. Smith to help Art, who is still mourning his wife’s passing, to see the joy of Christmas.
The cast for “You Better Watch Out” is comprised of Mark Aken, of Griffith; Christina Biancardi, of St. John; Kristin Duncan, of Lafayette; Warren Lee Ellis, of Hammond; Brandon Hearne, of Gary’s Miller Beach neighborhood; Mike Johnson, of Whiting; and Pat Pohrte, of Munster.
“It really is a great cast. They’re all working very hard at making their characters believable,” said Puchkors, of St. John.
“We’ve all been having fun. There’s been a lot of laughs going on at rehearsals. You have a comedy so that’s pretty good. They’re working very hard and getting their lines down. I think they’re doing a wonderful job.
“I’ve worked with some before and I know what they can do, and the new people that auditioned and got the parts are really pleasing me. It’s just fun to work with them.”
Puchkors, who has been working with Hammond Community Theatre for approximately 15 years, is a member theater representative for the Northwest Indiana Excellence in Theatre Foundation.
“We try to help every community theater from Cedar Lake all the way out to Michigan City and then some,” he said.
“Whether you’re acting or directing, when you do it right and the audience not only applauds but they stick around at the end of the show to congratulate everyone and you hear them talking about what they’ve just seen, that’s a real thrill.
“That’s a real reward for community theater since we don’t get paid.”
Puchkors said “You Better Watch Out” can give people a break from the stress of not only the holiday season but also the world in general.
“It’s a funny show. It’s got some really good characters in it and comic relief. Like I said, it has a very nice message of hope. The people will leave the theater with a Christmas spirit and wanting to be kind to everybody,” he said.
“The holiday season makes people remember people instead of what’s going on in this crazy world that we have. Instead of worrying about everything and obsessing over politics, parties and all that stuff, we get a chance to understand what we’re here for and trying to treat our fellow man a little better.
“The holiday season brings that out in everybody.”
Jessi Virtusio is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
‘You Better Watch Out’
When: 8 p.m. Dec. 8-9 and 15-16; 2 p.m. Dec. 10 and 17
Where: Beatniks on Conkey, 418/420 Conkey St., Hammond
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Tickets: $15
Information: 219-852-0848; www.hammondcommunitytheatre.org