Author: Jack Earles

What does it take to go from this:

To this:

A lot of THIS:

When the last Anything Goes bow was taken at about 10:40 p.m. on Saturday, August 26, Director Brad Sandy and his cast, crew, and staff immediately began the “striking” of the set of the S.S. American. They worked hard taking the set down and storing the reusable portions, getting costumes repacked to return to Costumers, Inc. (those belonging to PCPH were set aside for washing or dry cleaning), the theatre, dressing rooms, restrooms, rehearsal center, and lobby were all swept and polished. The job was finally completed at 2 a.m.

Less than 12 hours later, at 1 p.m. on Sunday, August 27 – the staff and crew of the September production, Morning’s At Seven met onstage to begin building its set. Designer Linda Gjesvold supervised the crew that included Morning’s cast members and most of the crew from Anything Goes who are also working on this show.

The set consists of two houses that share a common backyard. Designer Gjesvold and her associates Anna Harris & Cameron Wunderlich along with director Jack Randall Earles decided on a representational design scheme.

Work continued until 4:30 p.m. With painting and details to be added – the set was ready to be used for rehearsal the next day.

Morning’s At Seven opens on September 14.

Tickets go on sale at 5 p.m. on Monday, September 11.

The August production at the Putnam County Playhouse will be Cole Porter’s musical Anything Goes. It will be onstage August 17-19 and August 23-26. All performances begin at 8 p.m. and tickets are available at the box office by calling 765-653-5880 after 5 p.m. daily Monday-Saturday. Tickets are priced at $15 each and are not available online.

The production is sponsored by:

Director/choreographer of the musical is Brad Sandy. Musical director and pit conductor is Kathryn Dory. Playing in the pit are pianist Brice LeBlanc and percussionist Dedee Schwomeyer.  Tap choreographer is Tara Gardner of the Dance Workshop.

Playing leading roles are Sarah Armitage as singer Reno Sweeney and Joshua Saul Bain as Billy Crocker.  When he falls in love with Hope Harcourt played by Rachel Holland, Billy has to stowaway on the S.S. American as it sails to England.  Debby Lambert plays Hope’s mother Evangeline who wants her daughter to marry well and replenish the failing family fortune. With Mrs. Harcourt is her dog Cheeky [played by Temple’s key Largo Bacall].

Chris Wurster is Lord Evelyn Oakley and Dylan Arnold plays Billy’s boss, Elisha Whitney.

Amaya Jones is Erma the girlfriend of Moonface Martin, a former gangster who finds himself on the FBI’s Most Wanted List. Phil Huestis who is returning to the PCPH stage after a long absence is playing Moonface. [Huestis played the same role in the 1985 PCPH production of Anything Goes].

The crew on the ship includes Ric McFadden as the Captain, Scott Armitage as the purser, and sailors played by Noah D. Pettit, Trenton Bright, Pete Grajewski, and Brian Cook.

Featured roles are played by Chloe Gardner, Hope Evans, Hallie Rice, as Reno’s singing and dancing trio. Suzanne Funk, Ashton Kirton,  Shelby Merrill, Samantha Funk, Amanda Standers, Hannah Newlin, Reilly Anderson, Jessica Walter, and Savanna Mattox Taylor.

Songs in the popular score include “Blow, Gabriel, Blow”, “I Get A Kick Out of You”, “It’s De-Lovely”, “You’re The Top”, and the title tune.

Stage manager is Brandon Wunderlich and assistant stage manager is Cameron Wunderlich who both also play FBI agents in the show. Costumes are by Shelly McFadden with light and sound design by Dustin Bond. Working the sound board are Joe Fields and Ben South. Jakob Seger is running the lights.

The stage crew includes Johnny Stogsdill, Jennifer Wunderlich, Bart Jones, and Silvan Grove. Costume alterations were made by Sarah Armitage and Pat Armitage.

Welcome aboard and enjoy the trip!

At the beginning of our 62nd season [and our 40th season inside the Hazel Day Longden Theatre] we decided we would have to replace the air conditioning units that keep YOU cooler when you’re attending our shows!

During rehearsals of our season opener GREASE! the units arrived! Because of supply chain issues, the units ordered in March had been briefly delayed. They were expertly put into place and are now hard at work. The cast rehearsing Anything Goes [with our new pianist] is having a great time getting ready for YOU. Tickets for the show go on sale at 5 p.m. Monday, August 14 at the box office only.

See you there!

The Putnam County annual Children’s Theatre Workshop will display the fruits of its labors on Saturday, July 29, at 7 p.m. on the stage of the Hazel Day Longden Theatre. The public is invited to the event – and admission is free to all.

The Workshop is made possible by a grant from Arts Illiana.

Director of the program Caroline Good has assembled a mighty team volunteers who work only one week to make the show possible. In addition to Good and Kathi Elliott who give instruction in acting, there is Sarah Armitage for dance/movement, and Eleanor Howard for voice and diction. Instructors also include Ruby Sullivan and Alice Howard.

Their work is coordinated with that of the interns (all of them alumni of the program) Rebecca Hebb, Catherine Ryan-Shager, MJ Cooper, Ella Tischer, Josie Tischer, Gabby Robbins, Charlotte Tomamichel,  and Savannah Wolfe.

Audiences will see the World Premieres of two plays by the resident playwrights of the program.  They are  And the Winner Is… by Sullivan, and The Almost Heist by Ellen Blackledge and Joslyn Cash.

Appearing in Sullivan’s play are Tinzlee Coulson, Ben Wolfe, Maryn Huber, Hollis Barcus, and Hadley Roderick. Also taking on roles in this spoof of children’s beauty pageants are Henry Wolfe, Cece Wells, Cheyanne Johnson, and Nancy Napier.  Completing the cast will be Zoey Bond, Nora Napier, Levi Watkins, and Delilah Plot.

In the play by Blackledge and Cash, audiences will see Hannah Jernagan, Elijah Neeley, Gloria Jones, Tatum Wilson, Millie Jones, and Keyli Hamblet.  Also featured are Wyatt Schutter, Caydee Johnson, Greene Henry, Quinn Dory, and Lauren Wells. Rounding out the cast are Liza Tischer, Jeriden Vaughn, and Alton Henry.

Putnam County Playhouse extends its thanks to the families of the participants who participate in our Youth Programs!

Taking a cue from Emily Dickinson, director Jack Randall Earles and his assistant director Sandi Rossok have scheduled two days of auditions for their production of the Paul Osborn play Morning’s At Seven. The first session will be Sunday, July 23 at 3 p.m. followed by a second session on Monday, July 24, at 7 p.m. The events will be held at the Michael McClaine Rehearsal Center in the Hazel Day Longden Theatre.

To watch an interview with Jack Randall about the auditions – click HERE. [Note – I messed up the husbands & wives. Ida is married to Carl, Cora is married to Thor, and Esther is married to David. JRE]

Production dates for the show which will close the 62nd season of Putnam County Playhouse are September 14-16 & September 20-23.

Stage manager for the production is Brandon Wunderlich. Technical director is Dustin Bond. Set designers are Linda Gjesvold and Cameron Wunderlich and Anna Harris.

Morning’s At Seven is sponsored by:

There are nine roles in the production. They include four sisters in their late 50’s/early 60’s (stage ages) Esther, Ida, Cora, and Aaronetta. Three of the sisters are married to men of the same ages – these roles are Theodore (Thor), David, and Carl. Visiting on a particular weekend are Ida and Carl’s son Homer and his intended bride, Myrtle – both of whom are in their late 30’s/early 40’s (stage age).

You can read a character description here.

You can download an audition sheet & read the audition scenes here.

Read the Director’s note here.

Will there really be a morning?

by Emily Dickinson

Will there really be a “Morning”?
Is there such a thing as “Day”?
Could I see it from the mountains
If I were as tall as they?

Has it feet like Water lilies?
Has it feathers like a Bird?
Is it brought from famous countries
Of which I have never heard?

Oh some Scholar! Oh some Sailor!
Oh some Wise Men from the skies!
Please to tell a little Pilgrim
Where the place called “Morning” lies!

Director Dustin Bond’s production of the comedy The Play That Goes Wrong will continue the 62^nd season of Putnam County Playhouse. It will be onstage July 13-15 and July 19-22. All shows begin at 8 p.m. Tickets are available only at the box office by calling 765-653-5880 after 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday beginning July 10 until closing night July 22. Tickets are not available online OR on Facebook. All tickets are $15 and all shows begin at 8 p.m.

This production is sponsored by Greene Realty.

Click HERE to read about our sponsor.

The Play That Goes Wrong is an award-winning play that was as popular Off-Broadway as it was when it was first presented by its creators in London. It has also toured the U.S.

Hear what director Dustin Bond has to say about the production in an interview on Conversations With Jack HERE.

[Still working with new technology – turn your sound up and listen closely. It’s the video that goes wrong.]

Things go wrong from the moment the lights go up as the Cornley Drama Society struggles to present Murder At Haversham Manor. In fact even before the show starts, the actors and crew on are onstage making some last minute frantic preparations. It seems that everything is working against them. Where is Winston the Dog? What happened to the sound man’s Beatles CD Box Set? Can anyone help the stage manager with the mantelpiece?

Members of the Society include Grant Craig as Director Chris Bean who also plays Inspector Carter and the leading man of the troupe Robert Grove is played by Andrew Ranck who plays Thomas Colleymore.  Others involved in the onstage chaos are Anna Harris as Sandra Wilkinson and Florence. Ase Lafevre is Max Bennett and dual roles in Murder At Haversham Manor – Cecil Haversham & Arthur the Gardner.

Also featured are Cameron Wunderlich as Jonathan Harris also known as Charles Haversham, the murder victim in the play within a play and Jack Randall Earles as Dennis Tyde who plays the butler Perkins – who may or may not have done it. And if this sounds confusing now – just wait until you see what happens in Act Two!

Hannah Lafevre is Annie, the stage manager who finds herself onstage, and Jay Prewitt is Trevor the harried technical director who for some reason dons a wig and hits the stage when one of the actors is indisposed. Other members of the stage crew who are pressed into service are Ashley Hugues as Phyllis and Parker Helmer as…..Parker.

Vickie Parker is the assistant director. The true production stage manager is Ruby Sullivan. Light board operator is Ric McFadden. The set was designed by Bond and lighting design is by Wunderlich. Sound operator is Ben South. Costumes are by Shelly McFadden.

Kate Snyder, Torie Smith, and Rebecca Hebb are on the stage crew. And our thoughts and prayers are with them.

The PCPH maven of all things Shakespeare – Caroline Good – is bringing back her uber popular Youth Theatre Workshop SHAKESPEARED! to the mainstage! This season her two groups of Elizabethan performers will be presenting versions of The Tempest. The Middle School group will present its version on Friday, June 30, at 7 p.m. The high school group will present its ‘Gilligan’s Island’ inspired version on Saturday, July 1, at 7 p.m. Tickets are available only at the door for $3. Children under age 12 are admitted FREE!

The middle school group is directed by David Johnson who is assisted by Eleanor Howard. Costumes are by Caroline Good. Assistant director/stage manager is Marigrace Girton (who also handles these positions for the older group).

Featured in this group are Alex Gurnon as Prospero, Josie Tischer as Miranda, Kate Larson as Ariel, Michael Henry as Sebastian, and Joey Draper as Caliban. Other thespians in the cast are Kendra Arruda, Jewelee Butcher, Addy Koulak, Millie Larsen, Caleb Watkins, and James Malinoski.

Joining them onstage in other roles are Klaire Scheibe, Lucy Malinoski, Marissa Scheibe, Timothy Bogaerts, Ingrid Norris, and Lucas Vaglia.

Featured roles are taken by Blake Hamblet, Chiara Pavey, Evelyn Ryan-Shager, Savannah Wolfe, Luna Pope, Nadia Wagner, Alice Hayward, Nicolette Blackledge, Charlotte Brown, and Mariah Hall.

The high school group is being instructed by Ms. Good. Costumes for the production are by Girton and Samantha Funk. Light operator for both versions is Fiona Good.

Taking on roles in this version are Joslyn Cash as Prospero, Ella Tischer as Miranda, Alice Howard as the wily Caliban, MJ Cooper as Stephano, and Catherine Ryan-Shager as Gonzalo. Josie Cox, Ethan Snyder, Ellen Blackledge, Liel Watkins, Clara Everett, and Erika Buker also play major roles.

Performers playing multiple roles are Adi Gillum, Josie Tischer, Aubrianne Hayman, and Max Isaacs-Bailey.

Did you miss the auditions last weekend for Anything Goes? Don’t despair! Director Brad Sandy is still looking for a few more adults (age 16 & up) for the ensemble.

Join us onstage for this August production. Never been onstage? Now’s your opportunity! Thinking about making a comeback? Check it out!

You can contact Brad at [email protected]

See you at the barn!

Here’s another chance to be in a musical this season at PCPH! Director Brad Sandy is having two sessions of auditions for the Cole Porter musical Anything Goes.

The first session will be Sunday, June 18 at 3 p.m. The second session will be Monday, June 19 at 7 p.m. Both will be in the Michael McClaine Rehearsal Center at the Hazel Day Longden Theatre.

One windy day we talked to Brad about the auditions. Turn up your sound and watch him HERE.

The musical will be produced August 17-19 and August 23-26.

It is being sponsored by:

The auditions will include reading from the script. Please prepare 16 measures of a Broadway type number to sing. An accompanist will be provided. There will also be a general dance audition and a tap audition – many of the numbers include tap dancing by the leads and members of the ensemble. Brad is looking for cast members at least 16 years of age and older.

Read what Brad says about the show here.

Read about the show & find a list of the characters here.

We have added ONE additional performance of Grease! It will be Tuesday, June 13 at 8 p.m.

This performance sold out in thirty minutes. No additional performances can be added.

Thank you for your support.