She already has. Hannon has portrayed Sister in four different venues over a period of six years, which also happens to be the length of time the Scottsdale production has been running, (Co‑author Donovan was the first to play Sister in Scottsdale.) The Valley has seen notable productions of Shakespeare, major musicals, original dramas and all kinds of children’s theater. But the prize for our longest‑running theatrical presentation goes handily to this send‑up of Catholic school.

Hannon first played the role of Sister when she was called on to replace the actor in the Chicago production. She was initially averse to portraying a nun–she had her own memories of Catholic education that made her shy away from the idea–but was persuaded by own important factor.

“They paid me,” Hannon says frankly. “There is a world of actors in Chicago and everywhere else who do fine professional work for little or no money. I had already done plenty of that.”

She next played the part in Boston, where she replaced the same Sister she had replaced in Chicago. After a stint in the play’s successful Off‑Broadway production in New York, she came to Scottsdale.

As Sister, Hannon portrays a strict but oddly loveable character committed to oppressing–I mean, informing–the masses about the mass, the Rosary, and of course, Heaven, Hell and Purgatory. Audience members are frequently asked to divest themselves of candy and other distractions, and wrongdoers are sometimes asked to stand in the corner–on stage. Hannon gets some interesting feedback on the discipline she hands out:

“A nun in the audience one night came backstage to tell me that if she had sent someone to the corner, they’d still be standing there!”

While it’s almost always in good humor, there have been a handful of occasions when hecklers in the audience have had to be removed. Some people have even screamed at the stage (and at Hannon) when the play reminded them a little too realistically of their own school days. One disgruntled former Catholic schoolboy even threw a paper airplane at Hannon.

Despite the digs made by the play at Catholic education, some Catholic schools have actually raised money from productions of their own. Hannon herself says she has learned “greater tolerance” for the nuns who taught her in Chicago. Playing one has made her more empathetic.

Hannon has this message for those of you who haven’t yet seen “Late Night Catechism”:

“It will go on your permanent record, unless you repent by coming to see the show.”

Tickets to “Late Night Catechism” and to its sequel, “Late Night Catechism II: Sometimes We Feel Guilty Because We Are Guilty,” are available from the Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts box office at (480) 994‑ARTS (2787) or online at www.scottsdaleperformingarts.org. Visit Ken’s blog at composerlafave.typepad.com