Thank you, Jesus

Here's a little pet peeve of mine that I think deserves some conversation: Thanking God in theatre bios. If you are unfamiliar with this Southern trend, let me give you a few examples:

From a Morristown Theatre Guild program:

"...[Actor] would like to thank God for saving him and giving him the opportunity to do what he enjoys..."

From an Oak Ridge Playhouse program:

"...Thank you to Terri, Naomi, Cami, Natasha, Jack, Reggie, Samantha, his brother/stage manager Lucas, and Jesus."

"...[Actor] thanks his parents for their never-ending support, Rachel for her friendship, and Jesus for his undying love."

It's not just community theatre players that love giving a shout out to the Big Guy; I have seen a program at the Clarence Brown where Jesus was thanked more than once for his saving properties.

I'm glad that Jesus is represented and all, but isn't it a tad tacky? And if God is reading your bio, wouldn't he be ticked off that he got mentioned last? When I look at a bio, all I want to know is what shows the actors have been in, where they went to school, and, if they're under the age of 6, whether or not they like dogs or candy.

Furthermore, all you community theatre thespians out there, a bio is not the place to list your future wikipedia entry. A recent MTG program ended with, I kid you not, "[Actress] also adores senior citizens, horses, cats, painting and the outdoors." (This came from a grown woman who (self-purportedly) did professional work in New York.) Really? You think it's important that I know that you adore old people? And does your heart start bursting only once they get their AARP cards?

Congrats to the Tennessee Stage Company for a Shakespeare on the Square program largely absent of anything annoying.