The Beloved Dearly
By Doug Cooney
October 5 - 14
Twelve-year-old Ernie is always looking for a fast buck. This time, the middle school tycoon stumbles onto a money making bonanza: pet funerals for kids. He hires Dusty to decorate the burial boxes and Tony to dig the holes, but his prize find is a tomboy named Swimming Pool, who delivers a crying jag not to be missed. Business goes through the roof – until Ernie loses Swimming Pool over a raise and the whole venture unravels. It’s only after his own pet departs for the canine hereafter that Ernie realizes just how much more there is to life (and death) than making money. This is a special comedy about business, friendship, loss, and how we learn to express our feelings.