Willy Wonka Jr.
Roald Dahl's Willy Wonka JR. follows enigmatic candy manufacturer Willy Wonka as he stages a contest by hiding golden tickets in five of his scrumptious candy bars. Whomever comes up with these tickets will win a free tour of the Wonka factory, as well as a lifetime supply of candy. Four of the five winning children are insufferable brats, but the fifth is a likeable young lad named Charlie Bucket, who takes the tour in the company of his equally amiable grandfather. The children must learn to follow Mr. Wonka's rules in the factory — or suffer the consequences.
January 24-February 2, 2025
Thursdays, Fridays & Saturdays at 7:30pm
Sunday Matinees at 2:30pm
Old Rock School Auditorium
General Admission
The Last Five Years
Location TBA
February 28-March 9
Fridays & Saturdays at 7:30pm
Sunday Matinee at 2:30pm
General Admission
Jason Robert Brown's Drama Desk winner, The Last Five Years, has been translated into a handful of languages and was named one of TIME Magazine's ten best shows of 2001. A testament to the show's longevity, and spurred by the show's regional popularity, The Last Five Years enjoyed an Off-Broadway revival at Second Stage in 2013. A film adaptation was released in 2014, starring Anna Kendrick and Jeremy Jordan
An emotionally powerful and intimate musical about two New Yorkers in their twenties who fall in and out of love over the course of five years, the show's unconventional structure consists of Cathy, the woman, telling her story backwards while Jamie, the man, tells his story chronologically; the two characters only meet once, at their wedding in the middle of the show.
Something Rotten
Two brothers set out to write the world's first musical in this hilarious mash-up of sixteenth-century Shakespeare and twenty-first-century Broadway.
Old Rock School Auditorium
April 18 -27, 2025
Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays at 7:30pm
Sunday Matinee at 2:30pm
Welcome to the Renaissance and the outrageous, crowd-pleasing musical farce, Something Rotten. Created by Grammy Award-winning songwriter Wayne Kirkpatrick, and successful screenwriters Karey Kirkpatrick and John O’Farrell, Something Rotten was lauded by audience members and critics alike, receiving several Best Musical nominations and hailed by Time Out New York as "the funniest musical comedy in at least 400 years".
Set in the 1590s, brothers Nick and Nigel Bottom are desperate to write a hit play but are stuck in the shadow of that Renaissance rock star known as "The Bard." When a local soothsayer foretells that the future of theatre involves singing, dancing and acting at the same time, Nick and Nigel set out to write the world’s very first musical. But amidst the scandalous excitement of opening night, the Bottom Brothers realize that reaching the top means being true to thine own self, and all that jazz.
From This Day Forward
Fred B. Cranford Amphitheatre
July 11-August 9
Fridays & Saturdays at 8pm
The History Behind the Drama
The Waldensians are a pre-reformation reformed sect of Christianity. They believed in the priesthood of all believers, translating the scripture into the "common" languages of the people of the day and encouraging education so that all people could read the Bible for themselves. A simple people, they were dedicated to taking care of the poor and justice for the oppressed. The Waldensian Community was excommunicated by the Catholic Church in 1184 at the Synod of Verona. Pope Innocent the 3rd went even further in 1215 declaring all Waldensians heretics. Forced to renounce their religious stances or flee, the small community of believers sought refuge in the Cottian Alps, where life was somewhat protected by the rugged landscape and isolation. Even so, the Waldenses were heavily persecuted by both the Catholic Church and the Reigning Monarchs throughout the region. Perhaps one of the bloodiest episodes in the history of their faith was in 1655 in a series of persecutions known as the Piedmontese Easter. In this series of massacres it is said that thousands of Waldensians were murdered for their faith. It is a mere 30 years later that our play begins. Total annihilation of the Waldensian Faith was the aim, yet throughout all the years of persecution, their faith remained and grew stronger. This is the backdrop to our story.