For the first time since Y2K (that’s the year 2000 for you young folks) Grease the musical is returning to Putnam County Playhouse. Director Lita Sandy has announced her auditions for the show that will open our 2023 season.
Grease – Y2K!
Two sessions of auditions are scheduled. The first will be at 3 p.m. on Sunday, April 2. The second will be at 7 p.m. on Monday, April 3. Both sessions will be at the Hazel Day Longden Theatre in Greencastle. The show itself will be produced June 8-10 and June 14-17.
Vocal director of the show is Debby Lambert and musical director is Morgan Asher.
Sandy says those auditioning should be at least 12 years of age. Please prepare a vocal audition of about 16 measures and bring your sheet music. An accompanist will be provided. There will also be readings from the script.
There will also be dance auditions conducted by choreographer Tara Gardner. Wear or bring shoes that you can dance in – and bring knee pads if you have them! And be ready to have fun!
Lita was recently interviewed on “Conversations With Jack” and we’ll post that link soon!
Read about the show and see the list of roles available HERE.
Courtney Renee Slough, Ashlee Anne Vitz, Bryan Schroeder
You don’t have to wait until summer to see some of your favorite PCPH performers onstage. During the off-season, many of us travel to other local theatres to trod the boards.
Can you spot the familiar faces?
For example, at the Lark Theatre in Brazil, Indiana, home of Community Theatre of Clay County, several familiar faces are rehearsing Noises Off. Among them are Ric McFadden (last summer’s Colonel Mustard in Clue: Onstage), TJ Tincher and Ashlee Anne Vitz (most recently appearing in Oliver!), Bryan Schroeder (seen last in Send MeNo Flowers), and Courtney Renee Slough (Miss Scarlet from Clue: Onstage).
L-R: Bryan, Ashlee, Ric, and TJ
Director of the show is Lee Reberger who has appeared onstage at PCPH in TheDrowsy Chaperone and Curtains and also most recently directed Shrek for us.
Noises Off will be onstage at CTCC on March 10, 11, 12. Details about tickets can be found here. Ashlee is in charge of the sardines, the telephone, and the newspaper!
And you can catch actor Bart Jones at Hendricks Civic Theatre playing the role of Bill in its production of On Golden Pond April 13-16 & April 20-23.. Bart was in Oliver! last summer and also worked on Clue: Onstage and Joseph & The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Details and ticket information can be found here.
Founder and Director of our annual Youth Theatre Workshop SHAKESPEARED! is happy to announce that sign ups are now open for 2023! This year the intensive two-week event will focus on William’s play The Tempest.
The workshop will be held at the Hazel Day Longden Theatre June 19-July 1.
The workshop is open to those entering grades 6-8 in the fall of 2023 for the Middle School group and those entering 9th grade and up for the High School group. Registration ends on June 10 or when the workshop is full.
You can read all the details HERE. And you can sign up HERE.
This year we are celebrating our 62nd year of Putnam County Playhouse AND our 40th season in the Hazel Day Longden Theatre. We hope that you will join us for a program of fun, music, and rock and roll! All of our main stage productions are being directed by PCPH regulars who appeared onstage in the hit comedy Clue: Onstage last season.
We open our season with Grease! We last produced this musical in 2000 and we are happy to have its director Lita Sandy – Mrs. Peacock – back to give us an encore! It will be produced June 8-10 and June 14-17. We’re planning a sock hop before the show – so come dressed in your best 1950’s swag!
Read additional show information audition dates here.
Read what Lita has to tell all you cool cats here.
Our annual Youth Theatre Workshop will be conducted June 19-July 1. This season’s Bard selection is The Tempest. Sign-up will begin on February 1. Read all about it HERE. Caroline Good’s SHAKESPEARED is sponsored by:
In July the rollicking comedy The Play That Goes Wrong takes the stage.
Be prepared to laugh as everything that can go wrong…..does go wrong. Director Dustin Bond aka The Perfect Butler Wadsworth is in charge and chaos reigns. It will be onstage July 13-15 and July 19-22.
Read details about the show and available roles HERE.
The Play That Goes Wrong is sponsored by:
Our annual Children’s Theatre Workshop (also sponsored by Shuee’s) will be presented July 24-July 29. Information will be posted soon.
Our August production will be Cole Porter’s famous musical Anything Goes. We last produced this audience favorite in 1985. This time around it will be directed by Mr. Green himself – Brad Sandy. With many of Porter’s well known tunes and a story of mistaken identities – don’t miss your chance to see it onstage August 17-19 and August 23-26.
The 62nd season will end with a production of the Paul Osborn comedy Morning’s At Seven. The director is Jack Randall Earles, Clue’s Chief of Police. A family comedy that will bring lots of laughs and maybe a tear or two to the stage September 14-16 and September 20-23.
When you do 4+ shows in a season for 39 years in the barn, you end up with quite a few properties and furniture pieces. And just like at home, you don’t need something until you throw it away – so we don’t throw anything away! We’ve accumulated quite a collection of this, that, and the other.
The Props Loft Committee including Sandi Rossok, Cameron Wunderlich, and Anna Harris with help from Tech Committee Chair Dustin Bond decided to “get things organized” upstairs following the 2022 season. The loft itself is located on the second floor of the shop just behind the pit.
Designer and carpenter Wunderlich worked with Harris and Bond to build a special Prop Room that includes a locked cabinet for those one of a kind props and items that need special handling.
The crew has also been working on a computer inventory of ALL props. [Cameron has declared that we have too many cereal/soup bowls.] This will make filling directors’ requests more efficient. It will also eliminate the possibility that props that are sometimes borrowed have been forgotten and are not returned.
We wish a Happy New Year to all of our members and participants and hope to see you at the barn in 2023!!
And special thanks to Anna, Cameron, Dustin, and Sandi for their hard work!
Putnam County Playhouse was invited by Endeavor Communications to entertain at its employee Holiday Party earlier this month. PCPH playwright Caroline Good crafted a version of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol that included the names of Endeavor employees and circumstances of the organization.
Good also directed the troupe which included Dustin Bond, Shelly McFadden, Josh Bain, Anna Harris, Kathryn Dory, Ric McFadden, Karen Temple and Good.
Actress Tatum Boswell won the 2022 Upstage Award and was presented the trophy at the Putnam County Playhouse Annual meeting on Sunday, October 16. The event was held in the Michael McClaine Rehearsal Center of the Hazel Day Longden Theatre, home of the group.
President Shelly McFadden & winner Tatum Boswell – who is dreaming about where to put her award…..
Members and officers of the Board of Directors welcomed guests.
L-R: Ric McFadden, Ashlee Anne Vitz, Bryan Schroeder
Annual reports were given by the chairpersons of each committee.
Sitting L-R: Ellen, Renee, and Nicollette Blackledge talk with Ric McFadden
The meeting was conducted by President Shelly McFadden while Secretary Kathryn Dory took the minutes.
L-R: Kathryn Dory & Shelly McFadden
Board members Cameron Wunderlich & Sandi Rossok wait for the meeting to start.
L-R: Lanny Horn, Caroline Good, Brad Sandy, Vitz, Linda Gjesvold, and Schroeder
Refreshments were served before and after the meeting and much discussion of the 2022 season was shared by all in attendance.
Arriving just in time L-R: Good, Boswell, Greg Head & Sharon Cartwright
Board members were competitive in making motions and seconds to all the reports and laughter was abundant as the afternoon progressed.
Board Member Josh Bain tries the Rice Krispies treats.
L-R: Michael McClaine, Sandi Rossok, Jay Prewitt
Jim & Kathi Elliott were welcomed guests!
The other nominees for the 2022 Upstage Award were Ashlee Anne Vitz for Oliver!, Dale Grove for Joseph & The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, and Sarah Ryan for The Miracle Worker.
L-R: Jack Randall Earles & President McFadden
L-R: Dustin Bond, Anna Harris, Wunderlich
Treasurer Mark Hammer & President McFadden
Thanks to everyone who helped make our 61st season so successful. Thanks for your continued support. We hope to see you at the barn for our 62nd season in 2023! Watch your mailbox for your Fall Fund Drive Letter!
The most anticipated event in Putnam County will happen on Sunday, October 16, at 2 p.m. Well…..maybe not the MOST anticipated….except by at least four performers from last season’s productions at Putnam County Playhouse.
Details below:
Competition is fierce……one of these four will be the winner:
Director Caroline Good says: “I chose Ashlee because of her utter commitment to the role, her comedic creativity, and, as the Hammy criteria requires, she played a smaller role and she made the very most of every moment on stage.”
Ashlee Anne Vitz as Mrs. Sowerberry in ‘Oliver!’
Director Shelly McFadden says: “Tatum had very few lines onstage, but as a corpse, she stole the show. Whether she was falling out of a refrigerator, being dropped onto the floor from the couch, or being handled as a prop in a party scene, Tatum is the essence of the ‘Hammy’ creed.”
Tatum Boswell as The Cook in “Clue: Onstage”
Director Jack Randall Earles says: “The cast of ‘Joseph’ handed me an embarrassment of riches in choices for the Hammy Award. I chose Dale because of the immediate and overwhelming audience response to his performance. I think they were as stunned as I was.”
Dale Grove as Pharaoh in “Joseph & The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat”
Director Ric McFadden says: “From the start of rehearsals to the performance, Sarah kept adding to her character as Viney, always taking direction when necessary, and always displaying a great attitude at rehearsals.”
