Ha! There's nothing quite as enjoyable as someone who is poking fun at themselves. After all, who doesn't love those moments on TV's Saturday Night Live when the various guest hosts spoof themselves or their on-screen image?

Although they are not (yet!) famous enough to host SNL, the cast and crew of Breeders Theater demonstrate in their latest show that they're pretty good at self-spoofing humor.

Don't let the term "Casting Call" fool you. It is not an announcement from BT about their latest round of auditions for their company. It is the title of the aforementioned self-spoofing show. It's about theatre. It's about actors. It's about....well, a theatre company like Breeders Theater.

Okay, it's NOT exactly like Breeders Theater. Or...maybe it is?

The "Northwest Theater Festival" is a professional troupe of actors headed by the up and coming director Hart (Andrew Smith). In his repertory company is a hard-working actor/stage manager Stephen (Stephen Scheide), the leading ladies Edith (Teresa Widner) and Gwen (Laura Smith), the ingénue Tamryn (Erika Zabelle) and the character actor Thomas (Eric Hartley).

As the "curtain" rises, we see actors on the stage, working through one of their many shows that will be performed during the festival's season. Some are dramas, others comedies and still other shows are light, fluffy musicals.

But one of the shows they are rehearsing is exceptional. This is a new script, highly anticipated among the theatre world and the Hollywood set. The movie rights for this story have already been optioned. An A-list film director has shown interest in the project. There's a once-in-a-lifetime role for a leading lady in it.

Any actress would kill to have that role.

"Kill" for the role....perhaps. Or at the very least, engage in backstage and off-stage backstabbing and manipulation in order to be cast.

Let the mayhem begin.

"Casting Call" celebrates the wonderful world of live theatre with an amusing script by TM Sell and plenty of admirable acting by the BT company. It's difficult to pick out any outstanding performances in the show, as there was not a weak link in this cast. All actors mentioned above did a terrific job in, not only their primary roles, but in the plays-within-the-plays where each "NW Theater Festival" actor played everyone from a homicidal college student to a angst-filled husband trying to save his marriage.

There is a nice bonus during the second act, too. Without giving away any of the plot, it can be said that playwright Sell lovingly pokes fun at the various people in theatre who labor behind the scenes, such as the director, the producer, the dramaturg and yes, even the theatre critic!

What results is some very amusing scenes that no theatre audience should EVER have to watch in a real life situation!

And speaking of behind the scenes, musical contributions by Nancy Warren on the keyboards, and some smaller on-stage roles by Doug Knoop and Steve Coffey brought this laugh out loud show up to BT's usual fine standards.

"Casting Call" marks BT's 19th show and, sadly, the second to the last show at the E.B. Foote Winery.

Winemaker Sherrill Miller has announced her retirement and has put the winery up for sale. In the place of their usual July show, there will be one final show at the Foote winery in March.

But, it's not too late to purchase tickets for "Casting Call." They are still $20 and still include hors d'oeuvres and wine tasting. Tickets are available at the winery or at Corky Cellars in Des Moines.