Late Nite Catechism Program

A M essage for our Friends

BIG ARTS, now in its fifth decade, was created by and for the community. Time has not diminished our devotion to a fundamental purpose and principle: To provide a warm and welcoming place that celebrates the arts, and the artist in all of us, and helps remind us of our shared humanity.

Throughout the recent rough years of closures and cancellations, we never closed our doors. We flung them open to host several free gatherings, complete with entertainment, food and beverages, and to offer a space in which we can revel in the joy of being together again.

Now, a full season of great lectures, workshops, films, fine arts exhibits and performing artists is back! It is deeply rewarding for us to see the hallways, galleries, seats and classrooms filled with new and old friends enjoying all that BIG ARTS offers.

Our commitment to community extends to the stewardship of our donors’ dollars. While our foundation is strong, we took a financial “hit” during the canceled seasons. With a brand-new season up and running, we look to our loyal friends and patrons to help us weather the changes and continue to flourish.

Thank you for including BIG ARTS in your charitable giving. Every dollar is deeply appreciated. Your support signals your belief in our mission and ensures that BIG ARTS continues to be a vibrant community partner in Sanibel and Captiva’s enduring quality of life – now and for decades

Lee Ellen Harder Executive Director

Time to laugh your sins away! Part catechism class, part stand-up routine, this interactive comedy is one of the longest running shows in Chicago and U.S. theater history. You, the audience member, are part of Sister’s class. She’ll take you back to the days of the Latin Mass and meatless Fridays—and remind you about that good old ruler across the knuckles!

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…refreshingly different… top-notch comedy… gloriously funny.

Starring as Sister: Barbara Manning

For more than two decades, Barbara has inhabited the role of “Sister” in Late Nite Catechism at A Contemporary Theatre, making it Seattle's longest running show. She now performs the show internationally. She has been honored as the only nonalumni by The Sisters of The Holy Names with the prestigious "Blessed Mother Marie Rose Award" and by Seattle's Women in Film.

She studied with the incomparable Uta Hagen in New York; her credits include soaps, as well as national tours, OffBroadway, regional theater, cabaret and even as a headliner on cruise ships. She has produced and directed plays and musicals, including her critically acclaimed revue, Women in Tune, in NYC, L.A. and San Francisco.

Barbara proudly wrote, directed and performed for Oprah Winfrey’s Stars of Tomorrow, starred in Taos: The Movie, which was chosen as the official film of New Mexico, and narrated the critically acclaimed documentary A Trip To Nowhere, which exposed the extermination of Polish citizens during WWII. New York City has included the DVD in their high school curriculum.

Her appearance on House allowed her to work along side the amazing Hugh Laurie who declared her work as “brilliant”. In 2013, she portrayed a doomed librarian in the Halloween episode of Criminal Minds.

In 2014, she worked with director, Debbie Allen on How To Get Away With Murder, and again in 2018 as the wedding officiant on Grey’s Anatomy, season finale. You can catch her in the 2015 season of Ray Donovan playing, what else – a plucky principal!

Following these career milestones, she had roles on The Mindy Project, Hand of God, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, sparring with Jimmy Smits, and two Lifetime movies. You can still catch her wisecracking in Accapulco on Apple+TV (episode 8). She has had too much fun as a regular on Conan and Kimmel. Her Christian feature film, Turnaround Jake is currently available on Netflix and heading for a sequel. Soon you can catch her as the irreverent secretary to Beau Bridges in the poignant feature film, San Patricios and as the Secretary of State advising Andy Garcia in Redemption Day.

Barbara is most proud of her two loving sons, and her brilliant husband.

Late Night Catechism

Written by

Vicki Quade

Maripat Donovan

Save the Date!

BIG ARTS 45 TH ANNUAL BENEFIT MARCH 22, 2024

Lavish pre-show buffets & open bars followed by post-concert desserts, dancing, drinks & more in the Malone Family Sculpture Garden!

THE DOO WOP PROJECT featuring stars of Broadway’s smash hits

Jersey Boys and Motown: The Musical

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Benefit Sponsors

EXCLUSIVE PRODUCERS

Gustav and Vibeke Christensen

Jim and Gaye Pigott

EXCLUSIVE CORPORATE PRESENTER Bank of the Islands

INDIVIDUAL PRESENTERS

James and Susen Berg

Jim and Carmen Courter

Barb and Tom Dunham

PACESETTERS

Edward and Catherine Anderson

Linda and Gordon Coons

JoAnn and Bob Glick

Dick and Mary Butler • Jack and Fay Chestnut

Jim and Dulce Doss

George and Susan Heisler

Susan and John Freund

Maureen and Gary Saage

Sanibel Home Furnishings, Diane, Ray and Carl Knight

Jeff and Rene Savarise

Robert and Betty Van Tassel

FANS

John and Mary Ann Boorn

Barry and Judy Bronstein

Gift Shop Team: Anni, Jan, Libby & Linda • Don and Nancy Rolley

Michael Samet & Elissa-Karasin Samet

Ed & Virginia Stringer

Charlie and Linda Adams

Law Office of Janet M. Strickland P.A

Michael and Marilee Wood

GROUPIES

Melissa and Scot Congress

Doug and Sherry Gentry

The Health Whisperer

Robin and Barbara Lee

Rob and Mindy Pierce

Mardi Glenn

Lousie Sinclair Eastman

John and Jean Halligan

Bill and Barbara Millar

John and Barbara Lies

David & Nora Mimms

Phillip and Diane Olsson

Susan Ramser and Chris Bowman

Chip and Nancy Roach

Douglas and Priscilla Viets

Cathie and Bill Thiede

Cathy and Joel Vogel

Bob and Kathy Wiesemann

Joyce and Don Rice

Tom and Linda Uhler

Molly and Ted Wiedeman

Penny Wilkinson & Dick Boehning

Gene and Margaret Zelek

COMING UP AT BIG ARTS

SING & SWING

JAZZ AT LINCOLN CENTER PRESENTS

March 9, 8:00PM

Sponsored by Mike and Marilee Wood

THE HIT MEN

March 15, 8:00PM

Sponsored by Bob and Kathy Wiesemann & Charles and Gail Sheetz

STACEY KENT

April 6, 8:00PM

Sponsored by Tom and Linda Uhler

Meet Our Supporters

Thank you to our loyal donors. Your support is needed now, as never before.

PREMIERE

Gustav & Vibeke Christensen

Leslie Fleischner

Florida Department of State

Ken Nees

Jim & Gaye Pigott

Bob & Kathy Wiesemann

PACESETTER

Sanibel Captiva Trust Company

Dr. Michael & Mrs. Marilee Wood

Bank of the Islands

BENEFACTOR

James C. & Susan H. Berg

Ginny Bowen

Andrew & Ruthelen Burns

Dick & Mary Butler

Congress Jewelers

Janice Devitt

Barb & Tom Dunham

Kathleen & John Green Jr.

Dorothy & Seth Hemming

Bob & Marilyn Klaskin

Dorothy Lichtenstein

Northern Trust

Sue Pick

Jeffrey & Rene Savarise

Charlie & Gail Sheetz

Patricia Thurber

Linda & Tom Uhler

Linda & John Wulff

FRIEND

Dennis Sutherland

Al & Monica Taylor

Kathleen Taylor & Bruno Notari

Lynn Thelen

Kersti Thompson

Mr. & Mrs. Stanley Timson

Kay Trainor

Karr & Joan Van Nordstrand

Janice VanBuskirk

Kelli Vestal

Gary & Linda Vroegindewey

David Waks & Sandra Teger

Anne Walter

Bob & Roberta Washlow

James Weddell

Ina Weissblatt

Lyman & Deana Welch

Lynne Wesolowski

Berta & Carroll Wetzel

Helene Weyant

Brian & Susan White

Patricia Pombo Wilson

Elaine & Sanford Winer

Linda & Jim Winn

J Pamela Weiner & James Wittenberg

E. Blake Wood

The Dunham Children

Nancy Zeedyk

Mr. & Mrs. Jeffry Zimmer

LEGACY SOCIETY

Jack T. Bailey

Jerry Churchill

K. Ann Dempsey

Elizabeth Eagleton

Ruth F. Frank

Roni Freer

Deborah & John La Gorce

Kenneth L. Nees

Don & Joyce Rice

John Schork

Penny Wilkinson & Dick Boehning

Please remember BIG ARTS in your estate planning.

GIFTS IN HONOR OF

Chuck Bonser

Donna Leahy

The Dunham Family

Kris Gurall

Patrick Harder

David and Ann Hedges

George & Susan Heisler

Ken Nees

Dan & Gerri Perkins

Jim & Gaye Pigott

Carol Rosenberg

Elmer Stilbert

Janet M. Strickland, P.A.

Monica Taylor

Ellen Whitten

Meet Our Staff

Lena Baranova - Staff Accountant

Denise Dillon - Events Assistant

Marina Dowling - Office Manager

Barbara Freeman - Executive Assistant

Meghan Govoni - Marketing Manager

Melody Hampton - Database and Information Manager

Lee Ellen Harder - Executive Director

Charlotte Hardt - Customer Service Associate

Wendy Harriman - House Manager Aimee Harrison - Workshops Manager

Richard Jones - Technical Director

David Kolson - Chief Financial Officer

Greg LeBlanc - Facilities and Maintenance Supervisor

Kelly Lowden - Customer Service Associate

Wilson McCray - Gallery Director

Michelle Schweber - Development Director

Olga Semreen - Staff Accountant

Meet Our Board

Chair - Rene Savarise

Vice Chair - Bob Wiesemann

Treasurer/Secretary - David Lowden

Past Chair - Don Rice

Gustav Christensen

Scot Congress

Mike Wood

Great communities create great organizations – not the other way around. In 1979, BIG ARTS was created, by, and for the community, and owes its rich history to a small band of dedicated artists who drew inspiration from each other and from the breathtaking island beauty that infused their work with grace and authenticity. They set out to create a special gathering place where artistic and educational experiences were accessible to all. Today that vision is alive and well. With the help of our loyal donors and supporters, BIG ARTS will carry that vision forward –providing joy, inspiration and a sense of community for generations to come.

Vision

To create great arts, entertainment and learning experiences that always inspire, enrich and delight.

Mission

Provide an array of quality entertainment, arts and education programs that enrich and nurture the lives of Sanibel and Captiva residents and visitors through:

• professionally led arts and enrichment classes and workshops for students of all ages

• stimulating and informative lectures and group discussions with renowned national thought leaders and educators

• dynamic visual and performing arts presentations of the highest caliber

INFORMATION & TICKETS:

IN PERSON: 900 Dunlop Road, Sanibel, Florida 33957

BY PHONE: 239.395.0900

ONLINE: BIGARTS.org