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DOWAGIAC — The Beckwith Theatre Company is gearing up for its final production of the season.

The company will be presenting “Miracle on South Division Street,” a play by Tom Dudzick.

Performances will take place at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 1, 2, 8, 9 and 2 p.m. Nov. 3 and 10 at Beckwith Theatre, 100 New York Ave, Dowagiac. Tickets are available at $15 apiece.

Directed by Max and Ordeana Sala and starring Toy True, Jennifer Shoemaker, J-Fiah Reeves and Jessica Shaffer, “Miracle on South Division Street” is a light comedy centered around the Nowak family, a family of four living amidst the urban rubble of Buffalo, NY’s East Side. The neighborhood may be depressed, but not Clara, the family matriarch portrayed by. She happily runs her soup kitchen and tends to the family heirloom – a twenty-foot shrine to the Blessed Mother. This neighborhood beacon of faith commemorates the day in 1942 when the Blessed Virgin Mary materialized in her father’s barbershop. Daughter Ruth intends to create a one-woman play about the sacred event, but the entire family’s faith is shaken to the core when a deathbed confession causes the family legend to unravel.

“I don’t direct much, this the third or fourth play that we’ve directed,” Sala said. “We’ve been on stage a lot over the course of 40 years or so. For a small group of people, we’ve got a pretty good cast – they they work hard. I’ve been pleased with where we are, I’m looking forward to it. It’s turned out exactly as I imagined it.”

True portrays Clara in her first theatrical performance in more than 40 years. It’s a role she has enjoyed bringing to life.

“This is my Very first role as an older woman,” she said. “I guess I had to age before I could get back into theater/ I was always the ingénue –  it’s been 40 years but it feels good. Max is a wonderful director, a natural. I was always excited, I watched him on stage a lot and I was always wanting to do something with him. It has turned out pretty great that way.”

Reeves, a student at Andrews University, will be making his Beckwith Theater debut as Clara’s son. Reeves has been a part of productions at the South Bend Civic Theatre and has enjoyed the Beckwith experience.

“It’s probably the smallest cast that I’ve worked with while doing theater out here and I really liked it because it’s been really focused. I feel like it’s been easier to get to know people because it’s just the four of us. It’s been really fun – this is the first play I’ve done in a modern setting, which has been pretty cool too.”

Shaffer, who portrays Ruth, has appeared in several plays over the years and said that the family atmosphere is what keeps her coming back. 

“It’s hard to keep coming back to a place when you feel unwelcome,” she said. “Whenever you get here and you get into a show, you automatically become family and they treat you as such. It’s amazing.”

“It just feels very much like home,” Reeves added. “Being in South Bend and doing that has been really cool but this feels different inviting my friends to this because they will be looking you in the eye, looking at me. I like it; it’s been a nice theater to work with.”

When the curtain rises next Friday, Sala hopes the audience enjoys the show and can relate to what the characters are experiencing.

“What we would like to do is for the hour and a half or so that they’re here for the play that they get entertained so that they leave feeling good,” Sala said. Even though it takes place on Christmas Eve, it’s not first and foremost a Christmas story. Whether it’s a comedy, a drama, a mystery, the group of supporters that come to the Beckwith count on being entertained. They lnow that they’re going to get some good stuff up there. II think we will be able to continue giving them their money’s worth.”