Enjoy some 'Hillbilly' humor

Mary Hanks gave the call for a new scene, and the group of 20-something actors hustled to the stage at the Family Worship Center in Hayden.

Dressed in patched overalls and sporting new southern accents, the group swapped lines about squirrel sauce, dating cousins and deep family secrets.

"Lights!" declared Hanks, playwright and director from Blanchard, Wash.

The players quickly rearranged for the next scene, with one actress - Hanks' daughter, Debby Hanks - prepared to whack a young man with a broom.

Just another day in hillbilly country.

Hanks has a number of goals in mind with her new play, "Aunt Polly's Demise - A Hillbilly Delight!"

Among them, to elicit big laughs with her original script of back-country drama, the 20th production she has directed in Kootenai County.

"I always loved 'The Beverly Hillbillies,' and I wanted to go with that idea," Hanks said as she stepped away from the Aug. 10 dress rehearsal. "Audiences tend to like any quirky and funny characters, and hillbillies fulfill all of that."

It also kicks off the young adult theater program she hopes to nurture down the road, maybe putting on one production a year with young adults to raise money for a good cause.

The show's bottomline: Sending her 27-year-old daughter across the globe.

"I figured this would be a great way to help my daughter raise money, and be a fun thing, too," Hanks said.

All proceeds from the show's performances on Aug. 19, 20 and 21 will go toward Debby Hanks' mission trip to Africa and India later this year. The funds will also be split to help with Spokane Valley couple Ellie and James Swearingen's mission trip to Papua New Guinea this winter.

Debby said it was all her mother's idea to fund raise with a play, which her mother wrote, directs and costumed.

"My mom loves the theater," said Debby, who lives in Rathdrum. "It doesn't surprise me she'd use the talent she's been given by God and put it to good use."

The show is family friendly and will hopefully draw a crowd, she added. In the show, city girl Sal MacGlen discovers she has to live with hillbillies in the mountains as a stipulation of her aunt's will before Sal can receive her inheritance. Antics inevitably ensue.

Mary gives it a "mild" PG rating for a little adult humor.

"I think it being a comedy will draw people in," Mary said. "A lot of people in hard times can't go on vacation, and going to a production for $5 is a good night out."

The show's cast is comprised of friends, former cast members of Mary's productions, and the missionaries themselves.

James Swearingen, 29, said he was astonished by Mary's offer to help the couple, who know her through the Family Worship Center.

Dressed in ragged overalls, James said learning the lines of character Lint Clancy has felt a little unusual after a long hiatus from acting in youth productions.

"This is the biggest part I've ever had, and it's the smallest part in the play," he said with a laugh.

But he has confidence in the show's stars, Lizzie Tesone and Shem Hanks, he said. And he sees the performance as a way to prepare for mission work, he added.

"We'll be building a camaraderie with people we don't know (on the trip)," James said. "This is a stepping stone to that."

His wife Ellie, playing Rain O'Teague in the show, said she thinks audiences will walk away smiling after the performances.

"You can bring the kids and not worry," the 21-year-old said. "And it's not a waste of time or money. It's an investment, not just in our lives, but the people we're going to help."

Stepping onto the stage again wasn't so hard for Debby, who spent most of her youth watching her mother put on school productions.

"As a little kid I fell asleep watching plays," said Debby, who plays a cantankerous grannie named Gert MacGlen.

Performances will be at 7 p.m. at the Family Worship Center at 697 W. Dakota Ave. in Hayden.

Tickets cost $5 at the door.

The actors haven't set a target amount they want to raise, James said.

"We do want to pack the 200 seats every night. That's our goal," he said.