Faith Meets Funny: Burlington Players’ ‘Savannah Disputation’ Brings Comedy and Conversation

The newest Burlington Players production is setting the stage for multiple nights of comedy and spirited debate. 

The Savannah Disputation, inspired by the original works of Evan Smith, tells the story of an encounter between two Catholic sisters and a door-to-door missionary.

The show’s producer, Katie Gluck, said this comedy is sure to guarantee a good time for audience members while also placing important issues at the forefront for discussion. “Everybody likes a comedy. It’s fast, it's silly, it's smart, but it’s a little deceptive because it’s also about religion,” Gluck said. “And it gets at some of the more difficult things to talk about.”

According to Gluck, members chose this show for production alongside the rest of the 2025-26 lineup via a unique process. 

“We have a season selection ‘Marathon Day’ where everyone’s involved. All the members are invited to come to the theater and we read out loud selections of some of the plays that we’re considering,” said Gluck. The process takes up to five hours and culminates in members voting on the shows they’d like to produce that year.

Gluck said The Savannah Disputation was submitted and voted on by the production’s eventual director, Nancy Curran Willis.

Willis has been a director since leaving her corporate job in 2000, working as the managing director for the Gloucester Stage Company and later filling the same role when she joined Boston Theater Works in 2003.

From that point on Willis was able to dip her toe into professional theater and has directed almost 150 productions, spanning from plays to musicals. Her work on the production of Angels in America with Boston Theater Works led her to receive the Elliot Norton Award for best director, affirming her dedication to the arts. 

“The thrill of standing in the back of a theater space on opening night – no matter if it's a professional, community, or high school production – and watching the work of the cast and crew unfold in front of an audience makes me happy and fills my soul,” said Willis.

Teri Muller, who plays Margaret in the show, said that Willis' role as director was a large part of her motivation to participate in the production. She also couldn’t resist coming back to the warm and welcoming environment of creative collaboration created and fostered by the Players. 

Muller said she loves the young energy of the Players and the intimacy of the venue. “It’s very homey. I love the shows they’ve put on…I’ve just met wonderful people here.”

After typically being cast in dramatic roles, Muller said The Savannah Disputation has shown that her acting skills can stretch across genres. Although it takes special skill to deliver one-word lines with the humor intended in the script, Muller says she knows the crowd’s reaction will be worthwhile. “The laughter is like candy,” Muller said. “In a drama you don’t really feel the wave of the audience as much, so with a comedy the audience becomes a part of the play.”

Muller, like Gluck, appreciates the comedic aspect of the show. But, behind all the “holy hilarity” and talented acting, there is a message audiences can apply to our current societal climate.

“Resolution. I think that in the end there is resolution, closure,” said Muller, showing that “even if you do have a difference of opinion with someone and you feel you’re completely right and they’re wrong, that you can find some common ground.”

The Players have produced an assortment of shows and musicals throughout the years, spanning many different genres. Recent productions include ‘The Book of Will,’ ‘Kodachrome,’ ‘Working for Crumbs,’ ‘Fun Home,’ and more. 

In this array of productions, Gluck said that the players are able to ‘test the boundaries’ while entertaining and exciting audiences with new ideas and meanings while they watch. 

With the overwhelming amount of choices in the current entertainment industry, said Gluck, community theater is a unique experience that encourages audiences to live in the moment while watching others bring their passion to life on stage. 

“It only happens once. You’re not streaming it, you can’t rewind it, and something different happens all the time,” said Gluck. “There’s just the unexpected and it only happens at one time, and the people in the room get to experience that together, which I think is really special.”

With ‘The Thanksgiving Play’ by Larissa FastHorse and ‘Ada the Engine’ by Lauren Gunderson in the production lineup, The Burlington Players are gearing up for a busy season, and they’re not ready to close the curtain on their first production just yet.

The Savannah Disputation opened on September 5 and will be showing until September 20, with evening performances starting at 8pm and Sunday performances starting at 2pm. Visit The Burlington Players website to purchase tickets, and keep an eye out for their upcoming shows.