Fine Arts

A Night with the Nuns Proves Big Success! 

Put the Nuns in Charge! was presented at Queen of Peace High School on Saturday, March 1 at 7 p.m. All proceeds benefited Peace's fine arts program expansion.  Event Photos 

Sister, played by Elaine Carlson, shows Queen of Peace Board Member and 1989 graduate Tina Kuska what kind of sweater is appropriate for a young woman during the school’s March 1 fine arts fundraiser, Put the Nuns in Charge!, written and produced by Vicki Quade. Sister placed tissue strategically to cover Kuska’s exposed neckline.

Sister and Put the Nuns in Charge! writer and producer Vicki Quade (center) pose with Queen of Peace theatre players: (back left) Priscilla Candelas, Erica Vrkljan, Morgan Mallett, (Sister) Elaine Carlson, Vicki Quade, Mica Gamboa, Sarah Orozco, Sarah Geinosky, (front left) Collin Davis, Selenia Murillo, Andrea Serratos and Lauren Krull. Quade agreed to put on her production of Put the Nuns in Charge! as a fundraising event for Peace’s fine arts program on March 1.

Burbank, IL – March 1, 2008 – Cleavage hating, tardiness reproaching, May Queen admiring Sister took to the Queen of Peace mainstage the night of March 1 for one of the school’s most hysterical and highly successful fine arts fundraising events. Put the Nuns in Charge! raised much needed funds for the school’s newest fine arts program, Art Without Borders.

Playing to a crowd of over 200 of all ages and religions, Sister reminded older audience members of what classrooms run by nuns were like and gave younger members a brief taste of the of the civility, propriety and discipline that ruled. As the lights went down and Sister shot to the stage, reprimanding her tardy students – audience members – by calling them to her desk, no one remained safe.

Queen of Peace Board member and 1989 Peace graduate Tina Kuska understood this best. As Sister conducted her lesson on the Seven Deadly Sins and made her way through an explanation of lust, she could not help but call out Kuska for her trendy dress and “kicky, high boots.”

“We combat lust with chastity and modesty, missy – not with chest baring sweaters. The neckline of a sweater should be somewhere, oh let’s say, in the vicinity of the neck,” Sister said with a sarcastic sweetness in her voice and an all-knowing smile on her face.

“You know what, missy? I will talk to your mother after class, and we’ll fix you right up,” Sister said as she strategically placed tissue along Kuska’s neckline.

Longing for the days of the May Queen, Sister spent an hour-and-a-half fielding questions from a lively audience, exhibiting her disgust for today’s talk shows, and discussing ways to live out the Golden Rule of doing unto others as you would have them do unto you.

Playwright and producer of this nationally acclaimed production and former Peace student, Vicki Quade brought Sister – played by award-winning actress Elaine Carlson – to Peace to raise the curtain on the school’s fine arts fundraising efforts.

Proceeds from Put the Nuns in Charge! will benefit the Art Without Borders program, as well as support the expansion of art electives for all students. This program will engage students in the dynamic fine arts world that exists just a bus ride away. Students will take advantage of Chicago’s finest cultural institutions by venturing to fine arts events with teachers.

“I am so glad I am able to help Peace. People see the show, are touched, and feel like they need to respond. There is something about doing religious stand-up comedy that works. People are moved by the character Sister. She is real. She is not a caricature or someone you can just take out of a box and put on. She is smart and funny. People respond to that,” Quade said.

Peace is committed to expanding its fine arts curriculum. With the addition of Art Without Borders, set to launch when adequate resources are garnered, to the current offerings of visual art theory and practice, dance, drama, chorus, and band, Peace motivates students to pursue creative expression and develop an appreciation for the arts.

With the support of Quade, another Peace fine arts fundraiser is planned for fall 2008. For more information, call 708. 458.7600, ext. 250.

More on Peace's Fine Arts Fundraising
Quade Partners with Peace
More from producer/writer Vicki Quade
On with the Show