Hickory – Tickets are selling quickly for the Women’s Resource Center benefit performance on Saturday, May 31, of the nationally acclaimed comedy The Lost Virginity Tour. It will be held at Drendel Auditorium in Hickory. This is the second production from Well Behaved Women Theatre Company, with last’s year’s sold-out show of Love, Loss and What I Wore raising over $11,000 for WRC.

Michelle Morgan, Executive Director of Women’s Resource Center, shared: “We’re honored to once again partner with Well Behaved Women Theatre Company. Their creativity and commitment to uplifting women’s voices aligns so beautifully with our mission. Community-driven events like this not only raise critical funds, but also inspire meaningful conversations and deeper engagement around the issues women in our community face.”

The Lost Virginity Tour features well-known local actresses Chrissy Colavecchio, Shawna Wilson, Dorothy Collier Best and Connie Bools. Pam Livingstone, Artistic Director Emerita of Hickory Community Theatre after 20 years there, is directing.

“This story is one of enduring and deepening sisterhood, and the value of close friends to laugh out loud with throughout our lives,” says WBW Artistic Director Wilson.

Swearing each month in the name of Betty Crocker to use only real butter and sugar, the Happy Trails Baking Club Members Rita, Elaine, Kitty and Viola cook up an ambitious plan to visit the sites of their first sexual experiences. Starting at their senior community in Surprise, Arizona, they set out for Colorado, New Jersey, Indiana and North Carolina – after a stop at the liquor store – and their journey is funny, cathartic and healing. The road brings them closer than ever as they recount those moments of their lives with wisdom and empathy gained over decades.

Chrissy Colavecchio plays Viola, smart-mouthed, witty in a sometimes R-rated fashion, who organizes the tour with the same lightening speed she drives her golf cart around the neighborhood. Chrissy Colavecchio Schramm was part of Well Behaved Women’s debut production of Love, Loss and What I Wore in 2024. She has performed on stage and in commercial work for over 35 years. She is very active in the region’s theatre scene having most recently appeared in Honky Tonk Hissy Fit at The Green Room.

Kitty, often the target of Viola’s teasing, is played by Shawna Wilson. The only club member to have never married, Kitty’s sweet story of her first time kicks off the tour with a tale of ‘sex on the beach’ on Hatteras Island, NC. Except gentle Kitty says, ‘it wasn’t sex, it was beautiful.’ Shawna has been directing plays in Hickory for the last 12 years.  Shows she has directed here include:  Love, Loss and What I Wore, Exit Pursued By A Bear, Exit Laughing, End Days, The Drowning Girls and Rip Cord.  In 2024 she made it back on stage as an Actor in Barbeque at HCT.

“Cricket Daniel’s The Lost Virginity Tour is one of those finely-written evenings of theater that both moves you to tears and has you laughing until your face hurts!” said critic Dennis T. Giacino, author and composer of Off-Broadway’s “Disenchanted”.

Sponsorships are appreciated and available at various levels for this WRC fundraiser and are available via the ticket link below. Some perks of the sponsorships range from ads up a full page or cover in the event program, multiple free drinks and tickets, social media shout-outs and recognition from the stage that night. Learn more via the Women’s Resource Center website, https://wrchickory.org, or on their Facebook page.

A list of current sponsors includes: George and Sandra Clay, Dr. Dori Hunt, Morgan Law, Kilty Pleasure Tours, Time Genies, Steve Austin, AICP, Patrick Harper & Dixon, Cargo Transporters, Building Systems of Catawba, UPS, and Bass-Smith funeral Home.

Tickets and sponsorships are available on Zeffy, https://www.zeffy.com/ticketing/the-lost-virginity-tour-a-one-night-only-theatrical-event-by-well-behaved-women-theater-company or via WRC’s Facebook page, www.wrchickory.org. Tickets are $30 in advance and $35 at the door. Doors open at 6:30pm, the show is at 7:30pm. Light snacks and drinks will be available before the show and at intermission. There will also be a Silent Auction. Drendle Auditorium is on the SALT Block in Hickory, 243 3rd Ave NE, 28601.

*Trigger Warning: The play contains a brief account of sexual violence in one character’s story. While the play’s overall tone is comedic and uplifting, WBW and WRC recognize the importance of informing the audience about sensitive content in advance.

Women’s Resource Center is located at 125 3rd Street NE in Hickory. WRC provides one-on-one assistance, goal planning, and advocacy to support women navigating challenges due to domestic violence, unstable housing, unemployment, and any other insecurities a woman can face. They also offer support groups, and educational and enrichment workshops designed to empower women at every stage of life. Proudly serving the Unifour area (Alexander, Burke, Caldwell, and Catawba Counties) for over thirty-eight years.

Photo: Chrissy Colavecchio and Shawna Wilson play Viola and Kitty in the comedy “The Lost Virginity Tour” on May 31, at Drendle Auditorium in Hickory.