Accusations, mistaken identities and romances run wild at the Sisters of Perpetual Sewing convent, where the nuns have been secretly making wine to help keep the doors open.

But keeping the secret from Mother Superior becomes difficult when two reporters from competing outlets go undercover at the convent to find out how it is able to make so much money.
Holy Trinity Catholic School will present the comedy, “Drinking Habits,” Saturday, Nov. 2, at 2 and 7 p.m. at the Fine Arts Center. Wine and appetizers will be served in the lobby prior to each production, provided by Teresa Peterson and Amanda Wuestewald and their team from Holy Trinity. Tickets are $15 each and can be purchased at Holy Trinity Catholic Church or at the door.

Directing the play is Mike Lyon of Huron, and cast members include Kaitlynn and Scott Glodt, Chuck Mahowald, and the Sisters of Perpetual Sewing: Ann Blondheim, Dennise Brock, Michelle Hotchkiss and Ranae Puterbaugh.

This is the sixth annual production Lyon has directed as a fundraiser for the school, but it’s the only one that has evoked a sense of déjà vu.

“I directed this play 10 years ago for another group,” Lyon said. “We actually have a cast of eight actors, and half of them are returning. Ann Blondheim, Chuck Mahowald, Michelle Hotchkiss and myself were in the first ‘Drinking Habits’ 10 years ago.”

Lyon said Kaitlynn and Scott Glodt, a young couple who moved to Huron a couple of years ago, will be making their theatrical debut in “Drinking Habits,” cast as the two reporters who go undercover at the convent.

“They actually play a couple in the play — she left him at the altar when they were supposed to be married,” Lyon said. “They were involved in theater at NSU in Aberdeen. It’s wonderful to have them.

“There’s so much incredible talent in town for local theater,” he added. “We’re lucky in that aspect.” Be ready for a lot of twists and turns in the action during this play, he said. “The nuns don’t know they are undercover reporters. There’s lots of twists and lots of mistaken identities.”

Lyon has been directing plays for 25 years and is a playwright with two plays he has written and produced: “The Sounds of Autumn,” about a woman fighting Alzheimer’s and her relationship with her daughter; and “The Essence of a Life,” about a woman in hospice and her relationship with her friends and son.

“Now I’m trying to finish a play, a series of vignettes about depression and addiction, then I’m trying to finish writing a play about the life of Gladys Pyle,” Lyon said.

Looking ahead, Lyon said he already has an idea for the Holy Trinity production next year — a sequel to “Drinking Habits” called “Drinking Habits 2: Caught in the Act.”

“Our plan is to produce ‘Drinking Habits 2’ with our same cast in 2025, next November,” Lyon said. “The sequel is just as funny as the original ‘Drinking Habits.’”

Lyon encourages people to come out Nov. 2 to support the local theater and Holy Trinity Catholic School.

“You’ll get a wonderful show,” he added. “You’re going to laugh out loud. We have an incredibly talented cast. Laugh and have some wine and appetizers.”