The 265 full seats are set along the three sides of the thrust stage, and the lights start to dim. A hush falls over the crowd and then it begins. Music.

Over Mother’s Day weekend, the Chippewa Valley Theatre Guild put on one of their most successful productions to date, “Mamma Mia,” Katie Schumacher, the director said.

“Anywhere ‘Mamma Mia’ is being produced, it is sold out,” Schumacher said.

Within the first day of tickets for the show, which went up in late January, one showing was already sold out, and the other showing sold out just as quickly, prompting the Guild to add two more showtimes for the weekend, Schumacher said. Unsurprisingly, Schumacher said, they sold out just as quickly.

Schumacher attributes the successful ticket sales of the production to the nostalgia fans have for the 70s.

Compared to their other productions, “Mamma Mia” has been a massive hit, Schumacher said.

There were a few setbacks, however. The tickets sold so fast, they did not even have a cast list considered yet and Schumacher said it was a stressful time.

There was also the problem of finding tickets for family and friends of the actors to come and see one of the shows, Schumacher said.

Having the opportunity for swapping tickets and sending group chat messages in search for spare tickets, family members who wanted to were able to make the showing, Schumacher said, because, luckily, most had tickets set aside beforehand.

Part of the success of “Mamma Mia” may have come from the fact that the production was put on over Mother’s Day weekend, Schumacher said, as the play is all about the bond between a mother and her daughter.

Frank Rineck, a  third-year English and theatre education student and member of the Guild played Sky, the fiancee to Sophie, said he was also pleased with the production.

Rineck has a love for the stage, he said, and “Mamma Mia” was no exception.

“The strongest part of the show was the music,” Rineck said.

To be a part of something so big was really fun, Rineck said. Even though it was difficult getting used to a new space, it was worth it to be closer to the audience, he said. This was the troop’s first time performing at the Pablo Center.

The Guild’s board is currently thinking about producing the play again, Schumacher said.

Jacobson can be reached at [email protected].