By Faith Montagnino, A/E and Features Asst. Editor

The hills of the Trinity Hall North Lawn were alive with the sound of music on May 20 as the Queen’s Court Company premiered their 1970s era musical “Sister Act” on an outdoor stage. Following a year-long hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the cast and crew reunited over the course of the spring to get “Sister Act” to the stage. With two additional showings following opening night, the community was delighted to witness the humor and show tunes presented by Deloris Van Cartier, played by junior Amanda Phillipson, and her convent-dwelling peers.

When pop icon-aspiring Deloris witnesses a brutal murder perpetrated by her gangster boyfriend, Curtis, she is taken into protective custody and hid the one place where the police are sure she will not be found: a Catholic convent. Despite resistance by traditional convent-head Mother Superior, Deloris disguises herself as a nun and soonafter finds herself leading the convent choir, teaching her “sisters” to use their voices as she finds her own. A story of self-discovery and sisterhood, “Sister Act” was both humorous and heartwarming, capturing the audience with songs like “Raise Your Voice” and “The Life I Never Lead.”

Other leading cast members included seniors Jenna Falconite and Faith King, who starred in their final performance with Queens Court Company, and juniors Hannah Bates, Cara Grabowski, Lydia Lu, Sofia Ranucci and Abby Stevens.

Senior Haley Karinja assistant-directed the production and is immensely proud of the cast and crew for their continued dedication, despite the unexpected cancellation of the original production in March of 2020. “Sister Act was the perfect ending to my high school theater career,” Karinja says. “It reminded all of us that no matter what, we will always have our sisters by our side.”

The successful revival of “Sister Act” would not have been possible without faculty support, particularly from production director Ellen Phillips, musical director Andrew Bogdan, and costume and set supervisors Samantha Puma and Mariana Sierra.