Author: Jack Earles

Director Shelly McFadden has scheduled two sessions of auditions for the Putnam County Playhouse production of the mystery comedy Clue: Onstage.  The first will be Sunday, May 1 at 3 p.m.  The second session will be Monday, May 2 at 7 p.m.  The auditions will be in the Michael McClaine Rehearsal Center at the Hazel Day Longden Theatre.

McFadden and her assistant director Vickie Parker will hear readings from the script.  Sides will be provided.  A list of characters and their stage age can be found here. The cast calls for five women and six men. You can also download an audition sheet here.

McFadden and Parker are also looking for technical and backstage personnel. If you are interested in working in those roles, you are invited to stop by auditions and talk to them about opportunities.  Production Stage Manager is Cameron Wunderlich.

This will be the second production of the 61^st season of PCPH.  It will be produced July 7-9 and July 13-16.  It is being sponsored by:

The comedy is based on the 1985 movie Clue with the characters and situations from the movie recreated for the stage.  Help us bring the movie to life on our stage.  This whodunit can become a YOUdunnit!

After an Open House at 3 p.m. on Sunday, May 29, our season opens on June 2 with the musical OLIVER!

Director Caroline Good is holding two sessions of auditions to cast the musical OLIVER! – the opening show of the 61^st season of Putnam County Playhouse.  The first session will be Sunday, April 10 at 3 p.m.  The second session will be Monday, April 11 at 7 p.m.  Both sessions will be in the Michael McClaine Rehearsal Center at the Hazel Day Longden Theatre in Greencastle. With book, music & lyrics by Lionel Bart the musical was a hit in the West End in London and on Broadway. It was also turned into an Academy-Award-winning film.

The title is character Oliver Twist, a workhouse boy whose adventures drive the narrative of the musical. It is based on the Charles Dickens novel of the same name.  Caroline is looking for a boy or girl with a stage age of 10 years old who can sing in the soprano voice, particularly in the solo song “Where Is Love?”.

A group of younger performers (ages 8-16) will play the boys in the workhouse, Fagin’s gang including The Artful Dodger, and perform in the ensemble. There are roles for about 16 performers male & female in this category.

Caroline is also looking for performers for adult roles including Fagin, the man who teaches his gang of boys to be thieves; Nancy, a young girl trying to live a better life; Bill Sikes, a villainous man who threatens both Oliver & Nancy; Mr. & Mrs. Sowerberry, the undertakers; Mr. Bumble, the workhouse beadle; Widow Corney, the workhouse mistress; and Mr. Brownlow, a gentleman of wealth & breeding.  Vocal requirements for these characters can be found here. There are several other characters to be cast and there is large singing & dancing ensemble that appears in most of the show!

All of those wishing to audition should prepare 16 bars of a song from a Broadway musical.  An accompanist will be provided.  There will also be readings from the script and a short dance/movement audition by choreographers Sarah Armitage & Josh Bain.

Vocal director for the show is Kathryn Dory and pit director/conductor is Amy Tharp. The musical will be presented June 2-4 & June 8-11.

Ages 8-16 download an audition form HERE.

Adults 17+ download an audition form HERE.

Oliver! Is sponsored by:

We hope you are ready to join us for our 61st season here at Putnam County Playhouse. Whether you plan to be in the audience, onstage, or backstage, there is a place for everyone!

Our Season Ticket Brochure was mailed out last week, so watch your mailbox! Individual tickets for our season will go on sale on Sunday, May 29, at our Annual Open House!

Opening our season is the Tony-winning musical Oliver! It will be produced June 2-4 and June 8-11. Auditions for director Caroline Good are coming right up on Sunday, April 10 at 3 p.m. and Monday, April 11 at 7 p.m. Vocal director is Kathryn Dory and musical director is Amy Tharp. Choreography is by Josh Bain & Sarah Armitage. Read Caroline’s Director’s Note here. You can read details about the show here and read the character descriptions here. Oliver! offers great opportunities for performers of all ages. Lionel Bart based his musical on the Charles Dickens novel Oliver Twist. Join Caroline, who directed our production of Annie and has also trod the boards at PCPH, DePauw University (where she teaches and is the Costume Director) and Wabash University among other theatres!

The show is sponsored by:

Caroline is also the creator of our Youth Theatre Workshop SHAKESPEARED! which will be conducted June 13-24 with a performances on June 24 & June 25. Our Children’s Theatre Workshop will be July 18-21 with a performance on July 22. Both performances are also sponsored by Shuee’s Great Buys Plus!

Our second show will be Clue: Onstage! It will be directed by Shelly McFadden and assistant directed by Vickie Parker. The mystery-comedy will be onstage July 7-9 and July 13-16. Auditions will be Sunday May 1 at 3 p.m. and Monday, May 2 at 7 p.m. Click here to read Shelly’s comments about the show. To read details about the show click here. To read a character list and descriptions click here. Writers Jonathan Lynn, Hunter Foster, Sandy Rustin, and Eric Price have rewritten the popular movie into a stage version with all the laughs intact! Shelly has directed many productions at PCPH including The Drowsy Chaperone and The Hunchback of Notre Dame. She has also appeared onstage in shows like Picnic, The Music Man, and Annie. The show is sponsored by:

The third production of the 61st season will be the musical Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat with music by Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Tim Rice. It will be produced. August 11-13 and August 17-20. Auditions will be Sunday, June 12 at 3 p.m. and Monday, June 13 at 7 p.m. Joseph will be directed & choreographed by Jack Randall Earles with vocal direction by Kathryn Dory and musical direction by Morgan Asher. To read Jack Randall’s thoughts about the show click here. To read details about the show click here. To read information about the cast click here. Jack Randall has been working at the Putnam County Playhouse for many years [too many to mention JRE]. He has appeared in many shows onstage most recently in The Hunchback of Notre Dame and You Can’t Take It With You. He has also directed many shows here including Picnic, Guys & Dolls, and The Bad Seed. The show is sponsored by:

Our 61st season will close with a production of William Gibson’s inspiring play The Miracle Worker. It will be produced September 8-10 and September 14-17. Auditions for director Ric McFadden will be Sunday, July 17 at 3 p.m. and Monday, July 18 at 7 p.m. Click here to read Ric’s thoughts on the show. The play tells the real life story of Helen Keller who was blind and deaf from infancy and her teacher Anne Sullivan. It was a Tony Award winning play on Broadway and was made into an Academy Award winning film and later an Emmy winning television movie [it was first a live television play in the 1950’s]. Read details about the play here. To read the cast list and description click here.

[If you are a local business and are interested in sponsoring this production, please contact us on our Facebook page for details.]

All auditions will be at the Michael McClaine Rehearsal Center at the Hazel Day Longden Theatre in Greencastle.

Sign up here beginning February 1, 2002!!!

Our fund drive letters for our 2022 season have gone out! Broadway recently opened up again, and we hope we can return to our regular seating arrangement and celebrate our 61st season with you – our wonderful audiences!

We have planned a season of fun and entertainment for you that includes the return of a favorite show that we were unable to bring you last summer, the stage version of a hilarious film favorite, a classic musical, and a heartwarming family story. Season ticket information will be mailed to you in April/May. Please plan to join us for:

This glorious musical version of the Charles Dickens novel will open our season with performances June 2-4 and June 8-11. Director Caroline Good will have auditions on Sunday, April 10 at 3 p.m. and Monday, April 11 at 7 p.m. Oliver! is always a favorite and includes such lively songs as “I’d Do Anything”, “Ooom-Pah-Pah” and the touching “Where Is Love” and “As Long As He Needs Me.”

[Our previously planned production of Fiddler on the Roof was replaced because of licensing restrictions placed on community theatres when a professional road company is planned for the territory.]

Our next attraction will be Clue Onstage. This is the stage version of the hilarious film. It will be onstage July 7-9 and July 13-16. Come and see if you can figure out who killed Mr. Boddy…..and where…..and with what instrument! Directors Shelly McFadden & Vickie Parker will have auditions Sunday, May 1 at 3 p.m. and Monday, May 2 at 7 p.m.

….try try again….. Our third attraction will be Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. This re-telling of the Biblical account of Joseph and his brothers will be presented August 11-13 and August 17-20. Director Jack Randall Earles will have auditions Sunday, June 13 at 3 p.m. and Monday, June 14 at 7 p.m.

The 61st season will close with a production of The Miracle Worker. This story of teacher Annie Sullivan and her student Helen Keller will warm your heart. It will be onstage September 8-10 and September 14-17. Director Ric McFadden will have auditions Sunday, July 17, at 3 p.m. and Monday, July 18 at 7 p.m.

SHAKESPEARED! The Youth Theatre Workshop will present Macbeth. The workshop will be conducted June 13-24 with performances on June 24 & 25. The Children’s Theatre Workshop will be conducted July 18-22 with a performance on July 22.

If you did not receive your Fund Drive Letter – or you are not on our mailing list, you can download a contribution form HERE.

The Rehearsal Center at the Putnam County Playhouse is used for many things. Its primary use, of course, is for a rehearsal space. While the show next on the schedule is rehearsing on the mainstage, the show following it spends its time in the Rehearsal Center. Tape on the floor marks out the set design and folding chairs and “rehearsal” furniture are used to help the actors during blocking.

The rehearsal center is also used for auditions. There are also dressing rooms for the performers. During a performance, it is the Green Room – the place where actors who are not onstage wait until it’s time for them to go their “places” before making an entrance. Before we had the rehearsal center, the dressing rooms were in the small barn – there were many crossovers in the rain! Auditions and rehearsals were also held outdoors.

It was in 2006 that the decision was finally made – after many seasons of discussion – that fundraising for a rehearsal center would begin. We had a fundraising evening of entertainment and a special outreach was made to PCPH supporters. The result was gratifying, and ground was broken for the structure in the spring of 2007.

Construction was quick, and the structure was ready to use for the opening show of the season Cinderella.

This past season, the board elected to give the rehearsal center a name. While the efforts of many made the project happen, the board chose to name it after the person whose efforts at fund raising and attention to detail were paramount in making the rehearsal center a reality. From now on it will be known as:

The annual meeting for Putnam County Playhouse was held on Sunday, October 3, at the Hazel Day Longden Theatre. Board members and guests Ashlee Anne Vitz and Bryan Schroeder convened to hear reports on the 2021 season.

Committee chairpersons gave their reports on their activity and a lively conversation about PCPH was enjoyed by all.

As provided in the By-Laws of PCPH, the nominating committee also put forth the names of those who were to be considered for the role of a member of the board. Four names of board members whose terms were expiring and who had expressed an interest in serving again were placed in nomination. They were Caroline Good, Brad Sandy, Sandi Rossok, and Shelly McFadden. Cameron Wunderlich was nominated to fulfill the final year of retiring board member Drew Brattain’s term. The roster was accepted by acclamation.

Jack Randall Earles was named the winner of the Upstage Award for his role as Louis XI in The Hunchback of Notre Dame.

In the regular board meeting that followed, the nomination committee presented its prepared slate of officers who will serve for the coming season. They were President, Shelly McFadden; Vice-Presidents, Dustin Bond and Linda Gjesvold; Recording Secretary-Assistant Treasurer, Kathryn Dory; Corresponding Secretary, Jack Randall Earles; and Treasurer, Mark Hammer.

Congratulations to our new president Shelly McFadden and welcome to new board member Cameron Wunderlich!

This year the Annual Meeting of the Putnam County Playhouse, Inc., will be on Sunday, October 3, at 2 p.m.

The meeting will be in the Hazel Day Longden Theatre.Social distancing and masks will be followed. Because of protocols, refreshments will not be served this year.

This letter to you from our outgoing President Michael McClaine explains the details!

The prestigious HAMMY/UPSTAGE Award will also be presented at the meeting. Our nominees from our three productions this season are:

Jack Randall Earles as Louis XI in Hunchback of Notre Dame.

Ashlee Anne Vitz as Alma in Pillow Talk.

Jack Randall Earles as Wilbur C. Henderson in You Can’t Take It With You.

Thanks to everyone who helped make this unusual season a success. We are all looking forward to our 2022 season, and we hope you are, too!

As the 2021 60th Anniversary Season of Putnam County Playhouse comes to an end, we would like to take this opportunity to thank all of our supporters for all they have done for us.

To our audiences – THANK YOU for attending our productions!

To those who contributed to our 2021 Fund Drive – THANK YOU!

To all of those who worked on our shows & workshops, THANK YOU!

To our sponsors for the season – THANK YOU!

See you 2022!

The final show of the 60th season at Putnam County Playhouse is now open! You can call the box office at 765-653-5880 after 5 p.m daily [except Sunday]. All performances begin at 8 p.m. and all tickets are $10. The Pulitzer-prize winning comedy You Can’t Take It With You will be presented September 7-11 and September 14-18. Limited seating is available.

The production is sponsored by:

To read about our sponsor click HERE.

The leading role of Martin Vanderhof, an iconoclastic grandfather bent on tilting windmills, is acted by Ric McFadden. The place is New York City and the time in 1938 or so. Vanderhof and his family including daughter Penny (Shelly McFadden), son-in-law Paul (Michael McClaine) and grand daughters Essie (Hannah Lafever) and Alice (Anna Harris) all live in worlds of their own making. His other son-in-law Ed (Bart Jones) plays the xylophone and sells candy on the side.

Also involved in the house are the servants Rheba (Morgan Asher) and Donald (Noah D. Pettit). Mr. De Pinna (Jim Rambo) helps Paul with creating fireworks and Boris Kolenkhov (Jack Randall Earles) visits regularly to help Essie with her dancing.

When daughter Alice falls in love with Anthony Kirby, Jr. (Cameron Wunderlich), the delicate imbalance of the household is thrown into a whirl. An invitation to dinner offered to the senior Kirbys (Holly Pritchett & Dustin Bond) begins a night of chaos that even the Vanderhof-Sycamores are unable to set right.

Can love survive? Will Tony and Alice finally get together?

Sometimes even a Mrs. Fix-It like Penny is unable to come up with a solution. And what about the visiting Russian Grand Duchess (Karen Temple), the G-Men (Ethan Lawler), and Gay Wellington (Sandi Rossok), an actress who enjoys her whiskey?

Directed by Dustin Bond who also did the lighting design. Linda Gjesvold did the set design. Ruby Sullivan is the light board operator.

Did we mention the Grand Duchess Olga Katrina, a cousin to the Czar of all the Russias?

Oh…..and Donald always brings the flies with him.

PHOTOS BY LINDA GJESVOLD.