The Williams Baptist University theatre program finished its 2024-25 season with a production of Doris Baizley’s play, Mrs. California. The comedy was sponsored by Ramsons Arts Partnership.
Melinda Williams, assistant professor of communication arts and director of the play, said the recent renovation and expansion of Startup Chapel made it possible to do this production. “It was a play I had on the back burner for a while,” she said. “Since the play requires four identical kitchens, I never had the room to stage it until now.”
Mrs. California is set in 1955 and centers around a homemakers’ contest where the winner is said to embody the epitome of the ideal woman: “a happy, good and beautiful homemaker.” A portion of the contest is explaining each woman’s proudest moment which for Dot, Mrs. Los Angeles, was when she saved an American naval force from submarine attack while serving as a decoder in the WAVES during World War II, but she is discouraged from using that event as her proudest moment and encouraged to stick with moments which involved family and homemaking skills.
Dot’s friend Babs, who also served in the war as an electronics expert, tries to assist Dot in her competition for Mrs. California, but ends up going a bit too far. “The play deals with images of the ideal woman and what she should or should not be able to do,” Williams explained. Members of the cast visited the Wings of Honor Museum in Walnut Ridge, which has an extensive collection of World War II artifacts and information. “I wanted the ladies to get an impression of the role women played in the war, and the attitudes they had to deal with after the war was over,” she added.
Williams was also excited about the assistance of student/staff designers. “I have a set designer who is responsible for the stage setting (Emma Howard of Strawberry), a costume designer (Molly Tabor of Walnut Ridge), and a lighting/sound designer (Steven Ring of Paragould). They have made my life so much easier,” she said.
Ramsons Vice President, Scott McDaniel, said, “I had such a fun time watching this performance! The kids did great, and the set was perfect. It was an honor to sponsor this production!”
The four contestants were played by Tabor, Kendal LeQuieu of Cabot, Chloe Ring of Paragould and Sarah Futrell of Jonesboro. Other members of the cast include Macy Miller and Kade Carter, both of Jonesboro; TJ Bedgood of Paragould; Briley Weber of Sellersburg, Indiana; Courtney Bettis of Lonoke; Alyssa Burnett of Beebe; and Chara Quattlebaum of Forrest City.
