Diana and Chris Smith of St. Joseph in West St. Paul were hanging out on a Sunday in early March when she had an inspired thought.
It had been about a decade since she last performed in a play, and she was looking for ways to get back on the stage. She mentioned that to Chris, who supported the idea. In short order, she learned that a local Catholic group called Missed the Boat Theatre was going to put on a play called “The Matchmaker” in June to be held at St. Agnes School in St. Paul.
Auditions were that evening. “This could be a God thing” she remembers telling Chris, when they discovered that they were just in time to sign up for an audition.
They went online and put their names on the form, mentioning upon their arrival at St. Agnes that they would be interested in playing opposite each other. The director, Sam Vargo of St. Mark in St. Paul, obliged, letting them read the lines of characters Ambrose Kemper and his love interest, Ermengarde.
For Chris and Diana, the tryout was more than an audition.
“I was framing it (the audition) as just a crazy date night,” said Diana, 29. The couple thought there was “no way” they would get cast for the two roles, but after a callback, they landed the two parts. Rehearsals began the day after Easter, April 21.
“For me, it’s such a testament of how far my husband will go to show his love for me,” Diana said of Chris, 34. “This is so outside of his comfort zone. He’s a construction worker. He’s not a performer.”
But he is doing well in learning the role, with the help of both his wife and Vargo, the show’s director and the executive director of Missed the Boat Theatre. She said she initially was hesitant to have them play out a stage romance, but early on in the rehearsals she knew she had made the right casting decision.
“It became really clear that they were the right fit for those roles,” Vargo said. “And we got really excited about the idea of casting them together.”
The excitement is growing as the cast of 19 prepares for the first performance June 19, with shows taking place in the Helene Houle Auditorium at St. Agnes School through June 28. Vargo has lots of confidence that both Chris and Diana are ready to take their romance to the stage.
“I’ve been really impressed by both of them,” she said. “Diana is incredibly talented and Chris is doing great work as well. It was, in some ways, a risk to bring them in because they’ve never done a show with Missed the Boat before, so we didn’t know anything about what they would bring. (But) I’m really, really grateful to have them both in the cast.”
As for Chris and Diana, they consider the whole experience “such an adventure.”
“It’s been a lot of hard work, a lot of late nights” at rehearsals, Chris said. “But it’s been nice to do it together, knowing that we’re in it together.”
For information on upcoming performances and to purchase tickets, visit missedtheboattheatre.com.
