Steel Magnolies

By Robert Harling

Directed By Rhonda Roe

Oct 4 - 27, 2018

The action is set in Truvy's beauty salon in Chinquapin, Louisiana, where all the ladies who are "anybody" come to have their hair done. Helped by her eager new assistant, Annelle (who is not sure whether or not she is still married), the outspoken, wise-cracking Truvy dispenses shampoos and free advice to the town's rich curmudgeon, Ouiser, ("I'm not crazy, I've just been in a bad mood for forty years"); an eccentric millionaire, Miss Clairee, who has a raging sweet tooth; and the local social leader, M'Lynn, whose daughter, Shelby (the prettiest girl in town), is about to marry a "good ole boy." Filled with hilarious repartee and not a few acerbic but humorously revealing verbal collisions, the play moves toward tragedy when, in the second act, the spunky Shelby (who is a diabetic) risks pregnancy and forfeits her life. The sudden realization of their mortality affects the others, but also draws on the underlying strength—and love—which give the play, and its characters, the special quality to make them truly touching, funny and marvelously amiable company in good times and bad.

Age recommendation: Suitable for all ages

Run time: 2 hours and 15 minutes including one intermission

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe

Story by C.S. Lewis

Dramatized by Joseph Robinette

Directed By Laura Vohs

Nov 23 - Dec 15, 2018

This new dramatization of C.S. Lewis' classic, set in the land of Narnia, faithfully recreates the magic and mystery of Aslan, the great lion, his struggle with the White Witch, and the adventures of four children who inadvertently wander from an old wardrobe into the exciting, never-to-be-forgotten Narnia. The intense action features chases, duels and escapes as the witch is determined to keep Narnia in her possession and to end the reign of Aslan. All the memorable episodes from the story are represented in this exciting dramatization: the temptation of Edmund by the witch, the slaying of the evil wolf by Peter, the witnessing of Aslan's resurrection by Susan and Lucy, the crowing of the four new rulers of Narnia, and more. The supporting characters are also here: the unicorn, the centaur and other forest animals, along with Father Christmas, Mr. and Mrs. Beaver and Tumnus the Faun. This story of love, faith, courage and giving, with its triumph of good over evil, is a true celebration of life. 

Age recommendation: Suitable for all ages

Run time: 1 hour and 20 minutes including one intermission

Laundry & Bourbon - Lone Star

By James McLure

Directed By TBD

Jan 10 - 26, 2019

The setting of Laundry & Bourbon is the front porch of Roy and Elizabeth's home in Maynard, Texas, on a hot summer afternoon. Elizabeth and her friend Hattie are whiling away the time folding laundry, watching TV, sipping bourbon and Coke, and gossiping about the many open secrets which are so much a part of small-town life. They are joined by the self-righteous Amy Lee who, among other tidbits, can't resist blurting out that Roy has been seen around town with another woman. While the ensuing conversation is increasingly edged with bitter humor, from it emerges a sense of Elizabeth's inner strength and her quiet understanding of the turmoil which has beset her husband since his return from Vietnam. He is wild, and he is unfaithful, but he needs her, and she loves him. And she'll be waiting for him when he comes home—no matter what others may say or think.

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Lone Star takes place in the cluttered backyard of a small-town Texas bar. Roy, a brawny, macho type who had once been a local high-school hero, is back in town after a hitch in Vietnam and trying to reestablish his position in the community. Joined by his younger brother, Ray (who worships him), Roy sets about consuming a case of beer while regaling Ray with tales of his military and amorous exploits. Apparently Roy cherishes three things above all; his country, his sexy young wife, and his 1959 pink Thunderbird. With the arrival of Cletis, the fatuous, newlywed son of the local hardware store owner, the underpinnings of Roy's world begin to collapse as it gradually comes out that Ray had slept with his brother's wife during his absence and, horror of horrors, has just demolished his cherished Thunderbird. But, despite all, the high good humor of the play never lapses, and all ends as breezily and happily as it began.

Age recommendation: Suitable for all ages

Run time: 2 hours including one intermission

Blame it on Beckett

By John Morogiello

Directed By Christopher Lee Herod

Feb 21 - Mar 9, 2019

Heidi Bishop is a wide-eyed dramaturgy intern, eager to better American drama. What she encounters instead is an endless stream of bad scripts by desperate playwrights and an office filled with cynicism and turf battles, led by her bitterly hilarious boss Jim Foley. When Heidi's efforts to improve things run into unintended consequences, she is forced to confront idealism with reality to save her career, reputation, and relationships. Ideological opposites, Jim and Heidi soon lock tusks, and both are alternately championed and betrayed by Tina Fike, a famous playwright whom Jim has nurtured for years, and Mike Braschi, the theater's general manager, who has a yen for Heidi and scant ethical standards. It's ironical – and somehow oddly appropriate – that the problem could have been addressed by an astute dramaturg.

Age recommendation: Suitable for all ages

Run time: 2 hours including one intermission

Alice in Wonderland

Story by Lewis Carrol

Directed By Ashley Zeh

Apr 4 - 22, 2019

Alice plunges down the rabbit hole and becomes involved in that madcap and deliciously satiric series of adventures immortalized by Lewis Carroll. Dramatized as a series of fourteen episodes from Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass. A kaleidoscope of action and madness, with the necessary elements of suspense and frustration to make it all work.

Age recommendation: Suitable for all ages

Run time: 2 hours including one intermission

The House of Blue Leaves

By John Guare

Directed By Jacob Vigil

May 16 - Jun 1, 2019

Artie Shaugnessy is a songwriter with visions of glory. Toiling by day as a zookeeper, he suffers in seedy lounges by night, plying his wares at piano bars in Queens, New York, where he lives with his wife, Bananas, much to the chagrin of Artie’s downstairs mistress, Bunny Flingus, who’ll sleep with him anytime but refuses to cook until they are married. On the day the Pope is making his first visit to the city, Artie’s son Ronny goes AWOL from Fort Dix, stowing a homemade bomb intended to blow up the Pope in Yankee Stadium. Also arriving are Artie’s old school chum, now a successful Hollywood producer, Billy Einhorn, with starlet girlfriend in tow, who holds the key to Artie’s dreams of getting out of Queens and away from the life he so despises. But like many dreams, this promise of glory evaporates amid the chaos of ordinary lives.

Age recommendation: Suitable for all ages

Run time: 2 hours including one intermission

Summer Youth Musical - TBA 

July 18 - August 4, 2019

Directed by TBA