BIRKDALE Catholics are staging a production of hit Broadway musical Nunsense to fund the development of an orphanage in East Timor.
Parishioners from St Mary MacKillop Catholic Parish, Birkdale, will bring to life Nunsense, the comical story of five nuns who try to raise money to bury a group of their sisters who died of botulism from a vichyssoise soup.
Produced by Macs Musicals, which was originally formed by members of the parish’s Antioch group in 1999, the musical will help fund an orphanage in a parish community sponsored by the Birkdale parish.
Birkdale parish priest Fr Frank Jones has led mission trips to East Timor, focusing on works in the Metinaro parish community, which includes an orphanage and school.
Macs Musicals president and Chisholm College assistant to the principal for religious education Mark Craig said the ministry ran musical productions annually for 10 years and performed Nunsense in 2007 and 2008 with a smaller cast.
“After a break, we are rebooting with Nunsense and putting an emphasis on fundraising for a parish and orphanage in East Timor,” Mr Craig said.
“The musical offers good Catholic humour, and most Catholic audiences love it.”
Mr Craig said Macs Musicals existed to raise money for the Birkdale parish.
He said the musical productions offered a “connection point to the Church”.
“It has really brought people together,” Mr Craig said.
Nunsense will be staged at Southern Cross Centre at St Mary MacKillop Primary School, 12 Hardy Road, Birkdale, with night performances and Saturday matinees on August 18-19, 25-26.
Bookings for the musical can be made from the Birkdale parish website stmarymackillopparish.org.au.
