There’s a good chance you’ve heard of the Church Basement Ladies. There’s an even better chance that you’ve seen the Church Basement Ladies—and the ladies weren’t even in church. When 28-year Osseo resident Dorian Chalmers originated the role of Karin in the wildly successful theatrical production of Church Basement Ladies, little did she know she would play the same role up to 10 times a week for years and years, through the entirety of four sequels.
“We did an out-of-town run of Church Basement Ladies in February before we opened at the Plymouth Playhouse in September of 2005,” Chalmers remembers about the early days of the production. “The rehearsal process was very challenging, with the script undergoing major rewrites up to the day of our first performance in Grand Rapids, Minnesota. Up to that point, I wasn’t sure the project would be successful. But on opening night, the lights came up on Pastor, and then the lights came up on the ladies, and the whole audience started to laugh. I think the show was almost three hours that first performance between all the laughter and too much material. We knew at the end of that performance that this was going to be a huge hit. It is one of those magical moments performers dream about.
“Of course, even after that, I never imagined there would be four [sequels] and that I would perform the role over 2000 times,” adds Chalmers—she then interjects an oh-so-perfect-Minnesotan “Egads!”
Each of the Church Basement Ladies shows was produced by Curt Wollan of Troupe America and opened at the Plymouth Playhouse. The original musical and its sequels went on to tour nationally, and continue to be performed at theatres across the country.
Chalmers believes the show’s popularity stems from the fact that audiences recognize the characters as their mother, grandmother, friend—or even themselves—and, perhaps more importantly, it honors them. “The play stirs their memories of days gone by, brings them to tears and gives them a chance to laugh,” she explains. “So many audience members comment that they never laughed so hard…that their cheeks hurt from all the smiling.”
Chalmers has been making audiences smile since she played Snow White in the seventh grade. She has a natural sense of comedy, displayed over the years in such shows as I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change and the wacky musical The Texas Chainsaw Manicurist. However, her career has been a mix of theater and music performance. She’s sung everything from Rosemary Clooney to Pat Benatar for many years at Mancini’s in St. Paul. “I am so lucky to be married to someone who supports and respects what I do for a living. Much of my work is on nights and weekends, while my husband has more of a 7-to-5 weekday job,” she says.
When their daughter Danica was born, Chalmers took the daytime shift and dad took the evening shift. “We didn’t get as much family time together, but Danica received one-on-one time with her parents,” Chalmers says.
It’s almost as if Chalmers had two families. Working with the same group of actors over a 10-year period means “you share real-life struggles, such as losing loved ones and battling health issues,” she explains.
“From an acting standpoint, it gives you a shorthand because you know each actor’s style and rhythm, which speeds the creative process,” she says. “The process becomes more collaborative, which makes for a better product. It also makes you braver…they’ve already seen you make a fool of yourself and they still like you.”
The cast likes one another so much they will be mounting a 10th anniversary run of Church Basement Ladies this month. This is your chance to exercise those smile muscles.
A typical Chalmers schedule during the Church Basement Ladies years:
6:30: Wake up
7:20: Take daughter to school
7:30: Return home to shower
9–11: Grocery shopping, cleaning or volunteering at school
11:50: Leave for theater
12:20: Check props and microphone
12:30: Get into makeup, wig and costume
1:00: Show time
3:15: Show ends
3:30: Drive home
4-6:30: Go to daughter’s basketball game, make dinner
6:30: Back to the theater
7:30: Second show of the day
10:30: Get home
Midnight: Go to bed
Church Basement Ladies
June 18–Nov. 15
Wednesdays–Sundays; show times vary
$28–$39
Plymouth Playhouse
2705 Annapolis Lane N., Plymouth
763.553.1600
