Have you seen these nuns around New Bedford? Here's why.

NEW BEDFORD — The nuns from the upcoming New Bedford Festival Theatre's production of "Nunsense" have been sauntering about all over the area at festivals and events ahead of the show opening Aug. 9.

"Being at these events with our nuns has been so much fun and we've received a lot of positive feedback from the community," said Elizabeth Bettencourt, the producing artistic director.

The performers playing these hilarious nuns

Out and about the nuns are played by Durfee High School's music teacher Abigail Casey as the Reverend Mother. Joining her will be Mackenzie Richard as Sister Robert Anne, Sophia Bonasso as Sister Mary Hubert, Tyler Decouto as Sister Mary Amnesia and Sophia Ross Alvarez (NBFT's "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat") as Sister Mary Leo.

Understudying Sister Mary Leo and Sister Mary Amnesia will be Molly Dupre.

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New Bedford Festival Theatre's production of "Nunsense" promises to be a hilarious and heartwarming experience for all who attend. The show runs from Aug. 9-18 at the Steeple Playhouse at 159 William St., New Bedford.

"Our loyal patrons have been with us for over 30 years and we are grateful for their support. But with our recent presence at community events, we have been able to introduce ourselves to a whole new group of people who may not have been aware of our theatre company," Bettencourt said, adding they've been attending events at least once or twice a week since June.

"It's been really exciting to see new faces in our audience."

What is the musical comedy about?

The musical comedy follows the story of a group of nuns from the Little Sisters of Hoboken convent. After a cooking disaster leads to the accidental poisoning of 52 of their fellow sisters, the surviving nuns must raise funds to bury the deceased sisters and pay for a new convent roof.

To do so, they put on a variety show filled with song, dance and comedy. As the show goes on, the nuns reveal their unique and quirky personalities and share stories about their lives in the convent.

"It teaches us to be able to laugh at ourselves and to be able to not take ourselves super seriously," Bettencourt said, who will also be directing the production.

She will be joined by choreographer Brooklyn Toli and music director Jameson Ward.

"I think as I have stepped into this overwhelming role as producing the show and directing the show," Bettencourt said. "The show remind myself that I can goof up a little and it's going to be okay, and that I can laugh at myself and that I don't have to take all of this super seriously because it's fun."

The future plans for NBFT amid Zeiterion under renovations

With the Zeiterion temporarily closed for renovations, the main location for New Bedford Festival Theatre shows, Bettencourt said that while originally their plan was to wait and see how other off-site performances were received, she ultimately felt that not doing what they do best, which is producing musicals, was not indicative of their true mission.

"We felt like we were losing momentum and our identity, so I decided to just go for it and find a venue to do what we do best," she added.

As for future shows, Bettencourt is committed to continuing their mission of bringing the best of Broadway to the area at reasonable prices. They also plan to keep their educational program going, which is tuition-free, as well as keeping the company afloat until the Zeiterion reopens.

As for next summer, with it predicted the Zeiterion will still be closed for renovations, Bettencourt promises that they will be producing a musical and are hoping to do something slightly bigger.

"I can't say what, but the musical that I'm thinking of is something that will lend itself very well to the type of marketing we've done with 'Nunsense,' something super fun, super engaging with the public," Bettencourt said.

New Bedford Festival Theatre’s production runs Aug. 9-18 at the Steeple Playhouse. Tickets are available for $45. Tickets can be purchased online at nbfestivaltheatre.com.

Standard-Times staff writer Seth Chitwood can be reached at schitwood@s-t.com. Follow him on twitter: @ChitwoodReports.Support local journalism by purchasing a digital or print subscription to The Standard-Times today.