WS Chronicle

By Judie Holcomb-Pack

Readers of For Seniors Only will be familiar with the humorous stories of Cindy Argiento, who has been featured in many issues of the magazine. Her stories are “slice of life” depictions of everyday events, seen in a humorous light. She has also had one of her essays published in Chicken Soup for the Soul series.

Cindy can now add “playwright” to her bio as a writer, storyteller, and speaker. Her first play, “Alice and Stanley,” will be performed at ARTC Theatre (formerly the Garage) located at 110 W. 7th St. in the Arts District of downtown Winston-Salem, March 8-9 and 15-16.

Cindy said she has written stories for years and would routinely show them to her husband, who would read them and then she would put them in a drawer. The tragedy of 9/11 was a wake-up call for Cindy. She felt the need to share her writing with others as the future is not guaranteed to any of us. She approached the High Point Enterprise newspaper and in August 2002 her first column was published. Her humorous column ran for nearly five years. Cindy wrote a book of essays, “Deal with Life’s Stress with a Little Bit of Humor,” which was published in 2013.  She also began speaking engagements to churches, community and business groups.

The idea for the play came during a drive with her husband when Cindy decided she wanted a piece of apple pie. They stopped at a diner that had several flavors of pies, but no apple pie.

Cindy complained on and on to her husband about not getting apple pie. Finally he started laughing and said, “This is so funny, you need to write about it.” And she did, with the main character of Stanley based loosely on her husband, Ralph. Cindy wrote “Alice and Stanley” as a series of skits that focus on an elderly Jewish couple and their humorous daily adventures.

Cindy said after many years of receiving rejections, she is excited to see her play finally come to life. The play is being presented by The Alamance Repertory Theatre Company and is directed by Marsha McNeely Hierl. Talented local actors David Piner portrays Stanley and Leigh Summerville plays Alice.

Even though “Stanley and Alice” hasn’t opened yet, Cindy is already thinking about her next play, which she says will be a drama that explores what constitutes cheating in a marriage. With Cindy’s unique way of looking at life, this is sure to be another winner.

Tickets for Stanley and Alice are available at www.brownpapertickets.com/event/4069541 and are $15 for adults and $12 for seniors and students. To learn more about the humor of Cindy Argiento or to purchase her book, visit https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/137854.