Musical ‘Oliver!’ Opens Our 61st Season On June 2

The orphans just want some more “Food, Glorious Food!” Featuring in the top row L-R: Hannah McLaughlin, Karen Temple, Tim Good and Clay Glessner.

The Tony-winning musical “Oliver!” will be onstage at the Putnam County Playhouse June 2-4 and June 8-11. All performances begin at 8 p.m. All tickets are $10 and can be reserved by calling the box office at 765-653-5880 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. daily beginning Monday, May 30. The box office is open Monday-Saturday during performance weeks only. Tickets cannot be reserved online at the website OR on our Facebook pages.

The production is directed by Caroline Good, who also supervised the costumes for the show. Caroline directed Annie in 2018. She is also the creator and director of our annual SHAKESPEARED! Youth Theatre Workshop [this season’s production will be The Scottish Play]. She directs and teaches in the theatre department at DePauw University. Caroline has appeared in leading roles at PCPH in shows including Blithe Spirit, Angel Street, and The Sound of Music. She was also the special guest actress at Wabash University playing Amanda in their production of The Glass Menagerie.

Amy Tharp is musical director and pianist. She worked on Little Women The Musical at PCPH. Kathryn Dory is the vocal director. Kathryn will be the vocal director on August’s production of Joseph & The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. The orchestra includes Morgan Asher, keyboard; Dedee Schwomeyer, percussion, Kaitlyn Kissel, flute/piccolo; and Ty Ishikawa, trumpet.

Choreography was set by Sarah Armitage and Joshua Saul Bain who also choreographed last season’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Set design is by Linda Gjesvold. Dramaturg and dialect coach is Eleanor Howard.

The entire production is sponsored by Shuees Great Buys Plus.

Click HERE to read about our sponsor.

Based on the Charles Dickens novel Oliver Twist, the musical features Ella Tischer in the title role. Other leading roles include Alex Gurnon as the Artful Dodger, TJ Tincher as Fagin, Grace Buehler as Nancy, and David Johnson as Bill Sikes. Tischer, Gurnon, Buehler, and Johnson are making their PCPH main stage debuts in this show. Tincher was seen in last season’s Pillow Talk.

Leading the way in comic roles are Ashlee Ann Vitz and Andrew Ranck as Mr. and Mrs. Sowerberry and Karen Temple as Widow Corney.  Chris Wurster is Mr. Brownlow and Tim Good plays Mr. Bumble. All are veterans on the PCPH stage.

L-R: Andrew Ranck, Ella Tischer, and Ashlee Ann Vitz

Playing multiple roles are John Tischer and Bart Jones. Tischer played Gaston in the PCPH production of Beauty and the Beast and Jones appeared last season in You Can’t Take It With You.

L-R: John Tischer, Ella Tischer, Bart Jones, Jim Elliott

Supporting roles are taken by Hannah McLaughlin, Clay Glessner, Cyrus Gurnon, Emily Gray, Jim Elliott, Kathi Elliott, Barb Boese, and Sandi Rossok.

L-R: Grace Buehler, Ella Tischer, David Johnson

Also appearing are Joey Draper, Josie Tischer, Ashley Hugues, Molly Murphy. Children appearing in the show are Josephine Glessner, Josie Cox, Clara Everett, Michael Henry, Sage Cummings, Marley Jedele, Jasmine Cummings, Josie Tischer. and Penny Cummings.

L-R: Sage Cummings, TJ Tincher, Michael Henry

Production stage manager is Noah Pettit. Assistant stage manager is Cameron Wunderlich with Rebecca Hebb and Craig Robinson on the stage crew. Dana Henry is the sound technician and Shelby Merrill is running the light board.

L-R: TJ Tincher and David Johnson

DON’T MISS THE OPENING EVENT OF THE 61ST SEASON!

Shuswap Theatre » Open House–All Welcome!

The 61st season of Putnam County Playhouse will begin with an Open House on Sunday, May 29, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. at the Hazel Day Longden Theatre in Greencastle. The public is invited.

The event will include rehearsals of numbers from the season opener the musical Oliver!  Light refreshments will be served.

Board members will be on hand to answer questions.  Season tickets and individual tickets for all shows will be on sale at that time. We hope to see you there!

The season includes – in addition to Oliver!  Clue: Onstage in July, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat in August, and The Miracle Worker in September.

CAROLINE GOOD TALKS ABOUT “OLIVER”!!

Caroline Good – director of the June production ‘Oliver!’

The Man In The Chair, Jack Randall Earles, sat down recently to talk to Caroline Good about Oliver! the musical that opens our 61st season. The show will be onstage June 2-4 & June 8-11.

Tickets go on sale at the Open House on Sunday, May 29, at 1 p.m. [The video mentions the time as 3 p.m. – but it will be at 1 p.m.! Mea Culpa!]

Enjoy the video! Click HERE to watch!

The show is sponsored by:

To read about our sponsor, click HERE.

Work & Fun To Make The New Season Happen

Pit conductor Amy Tharp & some ‘Oilver!” cast members

If you happen to be driving down Round Barn Road, don’t be surprised if you hear music and the sounds of dancing. The 61st season June & July shows are in rehearsals right now. First up in June is the Lionel Bart Tony-Award winning musical Oliver! It will be produced June 2-4 & June 8-11. Tickets for the show will go on sale on Sunday, May 29, at 1 p.m. during the annual PCPH Open House. Season tickets will be mailed out the third week in May.

“Oom pah pah!”

Oliver! is directed by Caroline Good. Vocal Direction is by Kathryn Dory. Amy Tharp is the Pit Conductor/Pianist and choreography is by Sarah Armitage & Josh Bain. [Click HERE to read who’s in the cast!]

The show is sponsored by:

Click HERE to read about our sponsor.

While Oliver! is toiling away on the main stage, Clue: Onstage is being blocked by directors Shelly McFadden & Vickie Parker in the Michael McClaine Rehearsal Center. [You can read about who’s who in the cast HERE].

Whodunnit?

With scripts in hand, the cast is working on developing characters and memorizing lines and blocking. Most shows rehearse four evenings each week to be ready for opening night. Clue: Onstage will be presented July 7-9 & July 13=16 on the main stage. Tickets for all shows will be on sale at the Open House at 1 p.m. on Sunday, May 29.

Don’t get too comfortable on that sofa…..in the lounge….with the candlestick.

The show is sponsored by:

Read about our sponsor here.
Read about our sponsor here.

The August musical Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and our September show The Miracle Worker have auditions coming up. If you’re interested in auditioning for either show, watch the website for information or ask any Board Member at the Open House!

Our technical committee – headed by Dustin Bond – is working on new lighting for our theatre. A matching grant from the Putnam County Foundation with the assistance of a semi-matching grant from Parke County REMC have helped us with the cost of the conversion to LED lighting instruments.

Cameron Wunderlich carrying LED lights upstairs to be installed on the lighting bars.

The LED lighting instruments use less electricity and burn with less heat than conventional instruments.

Dustin Bond aiming one of the lights.

Plan to join us on Sunday, May 29, at 1 p.m. for the Open House celebrating our 61st season. Oliver! will be rehearsing, light refreshments will be served, and you can purchase your tickets to any show of our season! We hope to see you there!

“OLIVER!” BEHIND THE SCENES!

“Many hands make light the work,” as Putnam County Playhouse veteran actress Adeline Knoy used to say. Director Caroline Good who is putting together our season opener, the musical Oliver! knows it’s true. Since the auditions in early April, everyone has been hard at work to make the magic happen! And everything has to be ready by opening night. [The show runs June 2-4 & June 8-11].

Penny Cummings, Marley Jadele, Clara Everett, Josie Cox

Vocal director Kathryn Dory and pianist Amy Tharp have been working with the cast on their songs. Director Good has been working on blocking and Sarah Armitage & Josh Bain are teaching the choreography. Dialect coach Eleanor Howard is helping everyone with the proper “speech” patterns. Stage manager Noah Pettit and assistant stage manager Cameron Wunderlich have been working to make sure every thing is in place! [To see a cast list click HERE].

Costumer assistant Ivy Sedam sewing shirts for the workhouse kids!

On a recent Saturday, the Hazel Day Longden Theatre shop and the Michael McClaine Rehearsal Center were buzzing with activity.

Jasmine Cummings, Barb Boese, and Cyrus Gurnan make the needles fly!

Construction in the shop sped apace with final work being done on set pieces and properties.

Sage Cummings, David Johnson, Alex Gurnon, Dan Gurnon

Of course every job needs a straw boss, and TJ Tincher was glad to volunteer.

TJ Tincher plays Fagin in the show.

The show is sponsored by:

To read about our sponsor click HERE.

Individual tickets for Oliver! go on sale at the annual PCPH Open House at 1 p.m. on Sunday, May 29! See you there!

Ivy Sedam & Cyrus Gurnon make it happen!