Parody » One character play cooks up casserole-size humor to ease gay-LDS disputes.
By Roxana Orellana
Local radio personality Dottie Dixon is taking her message from the airwaves to the stage.
The 50-something Spanish Fork resident, a faithful member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, is the proud mother of a gay son and Relief Society member wants to share her testimony “by bringing Mormons and gays back together through direct action and creative casseroles.”
Sister Dottie is the creation of Charles Lynn Frost, who co-wrote the one-character comedy, “The Passion of Sister Dottie S. Dixon,” which will be premiered May 1-May 17 by the Pygmalion Theatre Company.
“It’s a comedy. A parody. It focuses on a lot the topical issues today that are facing the LGBT community and the Mormon church,” Frost said. “She is working from the inside out trying to get change. “
Frost, who portrays Sister Dixon, developed the character for a KRCL 90.9 F.M. weekly half hour show three years ago. The station asked Frost to put together a comedic personality who would add commentary on a variety of current events, from activism to politics.
The character was so successful with listeners that after that radio spot ended, Sister Dixon was offered her own Friday show every Friday, and her popularity continued to grow. Currently, Sister Dixon has her own MySpace and Facebook pages, and some 2,000 friends.
Frost , and local activist Troy Williams, public affairs director of KRCL, wrote the character a play, in order to explore the struggles between Mormons and gays in a lighthearted way.
“Troy and I decided we needed to use comedy, humor and parody as a way to tell this story, too,” Frost said. “Not everything that has to do with GLBT life has to be so tragic and so dramatic. Not all has to end up in sadness and death.”
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