Iron Horse theater's 'Painting Churches' primed to spark laughter and tears

AMBRIDGE ― The relationship between an artist daughter and her aging parents fuels the powerful and relatable "Painting Churches," the new play from Iron Horse Community Theatre opening Aug. 9.

A finalist for the 1984 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, the story centers on married couple Fanny and Gardner’s move to a smaller home, an event for which their daughter, Mags, has returned home after more than a year spent without visiting her parents. While home, Mags tells her parents that she wants to paint a portrait of them, although getting them to sit still is more complicated than she thought. Through the dual lens of the family’s packing up and Mags’ insistence that the portrait be painted, audiences see a compelling story.

While Gardner’s increasing forgetfulness is a central theme, the story is not just about memory loss and aging parents. It is also a story about a controlling mother who pulls everyone into her reality and a daughter struggling to find and embrace her identity, director Catherine Hayashi said.

"This is a story about the fragility and strength of family relations, of family members with competing memories of the same event and the powerful ways in which those memories shape the family dynamic," Hayashi said. "'Painting Churches' is as unforgettable as it is unconventional."

Patrick Conner, the Pittsburgh actor who portrays Gardner, said, "I find it frightening to play him, because I see how much my life has mirrored his while watching his dementia alter and take away the things he loves most. He is not, however, a weak man because his evolving dementia strengthens his bonds with those who love him most, his wife, Fanny, and his daughter, Mags."

A point the play makes, according to Gardner, is "at the end, no one gets everything they could hope for, but love might be the only acceptable substitution for what’s lost."

Sarah Brunner, the Kilbuck Township actress playing Mags Church, said rehearsals have been an eye-opening experience.

"This show is a beautiful commentary on family dynamics, the bond between parent and child, and what it means to age, three things that hit very close to home for me," Brunner said. "It's made me dive back into my memories of my own family members who are very similar to her parents and, in some cases, rethink what I thought I knew about those individuals. This show may do the same for our audience as it's the type of play that makes you go from laughing to crying and then back to laughing again, but this time with tears in your eyes."

If you go:

What: Iron Horse Community Theatre presents "Painting Churches."

When: 7:30 p.m. Aug. 9-10, 16-17, 23-24 with a matinee at 2 p.m. on Aug. 18.

Where: 348 Maplewood Ave., Ambridge.

Tickets: $20, $18 for seniors (64+).  Concessions will be available for purchase. Wine and beer are available by donation.

More Info: ironhorsetheatrecompany.ticketleap.com.

This article originally appeared on Beaver County Times: Iron Horse theater's 'Painting Churches' primed to spark laughter and tears