Author: Jack Earles

The 61^st season of the Putnam County Playhouse continues with a production of the mystery/comedy Clue: Onstage. It will be produced July 7-9 and July 13-16. All performances are at 8 p.m. and all tickets are $10. Reservations can be made by calling the box office at 765-653-5880 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday, during performance weeks only. Tickets and reservations are available through the box office only. No tickets requests or questions can be answered online.

Clue: Onstage brings all of the familiar board game characters to life.  Director Shelly McFadden and her assistant Vickie Parker have assembled a cast of PCPH veterans and newcomers to solve the case of the murder of Mr. Boddy (William Dory).

McFadden has directed many productions at PCPH including 1776, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and The Drowsy Chaperone. Parker has been with the Playhouse for many years. Her directing assignments have included Annie (1984), Oklahoma!, and Kiss Me, Kate (twice).

The lively cast in addition to Dory includes Dustin Bond as Wadsworth, the Butler. Characters matching the game tokens are Brad Sandy (Mr. Green), Daniel Hankee (Professor Plum), Anna Harris (Mrs. White), Courtney Slough (Miss Scarlett), Ric McFadden (Colonel Mustard), and Lita Sandy (Mrs. Peacock). Each of them spend time under investigation and questioning as Wadsworth tries to solve the mystery under pressure from the local police and various surprise vistors.

Others at home in Boddy Manor include Tatum Boswell (The Cook) and Kyla Scheuermann (Yvette). 

Playing multiple roles are Sam Draper, Cameron Wunderlich, and Jack Randall Earles is the Chief of Police.  There is even a surprise mystery guest who makes a brief appearance. Michael McClaine is the voice of the News Caster.

Boswell, Hankee, and Slough are making their PCPH debuts in this production. Bond was last seen in You Can’t Take It With You which he also directed last season. Brad Sandy was seen in Picnic and Lita Sandy has appeared in leading roles in Steel Magnolias and Gypsy.

Harris played roles in The Mousetrap and The Game’s Afoot. Ric McFadden has appeared in The Hunchback of Notre Dame and in The Music Man and Camelot. Dory is returning to the PCPH stage after appearing in Footloose a few seasons ago. Draper, Wunderlich, Scheuermann, and Earles have all had supporting roles in many productions.

Ben South is the sound board operator and Grace Elmore will run the light board. Wunderlich is production stage manager.  On the active stage crew are Parker Helmer, Bart Jones, Rebecca Hebb, Emily Gray, and Henry Cox. The keyboard player is Morgan Asher.

THIS PRODUCTION IS SPONSORED BY:

AND

This year our Children’s Theatre Workshop for participants who will be in the 2nd through the 5th grades this fall will be held July 18-22. To find out more details and to enroll click HERE.

Directors Shelly McFadden and Vickie Parker talk to the Man In The Chair about our July production – CLUE: Onstage. It will be on the Main Stage July 7-9 and July 13-16. Tickets go on sale Monday, July 4.

Watch the video HERE.

CLUE: Onstage is sponsored by:

Read the cast list HERE.

Our annual Youth Theatre Workshop SHAKESPEARED! is underway. Students from high schools and middle schools around the county have been working since June 13 on two productions of William Shakespeare’s Macbeth (theatrical superstition leads some actors to call it The Scottish Play when in the confines of the stage).

The performance for the middle school group will be Friday, June 24 at 7 p.m.  The high school group will perform at 7 p.m. on Saturday, June 25. Tickets are on sale at the door only on the days of performance. Admission is $3 with children under 12 admitted free.

The middle school group is performing a more traditional version and the high school group will present their off-beat comedic post-apocalyptic version, complete with a lively soundtrack, a chase, and pop-culture references

Sponsors for the show are:

Directors for the middle school group are Craig Robinson and Eleanor Howard. YTW creator and founder Caroline Good will direct the high school version.  Molly Murphy is the DePauw intern and assistant director. David Johnson (Bill Sikes in Oliver!) is also an assistant director and fight choreographer. Murphy is running the light board and Fiona Good is the sound board operator.

The middle school cast includes Alex Gurnon in the title role with Clara Everett as his mate. Also appearing – some in multiple roles – are Elijah Helmer, MJ Cooper, Josephine Glessner, Luna Pope, and Cagney Huffman. 

Joining them will be Jewlee Butcher, Kaylan Stampley, Josie Cox, Timothy Bogoearts, Leil Watkins, and Alex Roberts. Completing the distinguished cast are Johanna Stampley, Nadia Wagner, Nicolette Blackledge, Ethan Snider, and featuring Joey Draper.

The high school group will be led by Devin Huff as the troubled title character and Ruby Sullivan as his ambitious wife. Featured roles are taken by Alice Howard, James Malinoski, Stevie Keenan, Marie Malinoski, and Bella Green.

Also taking on the Bard are Courtney Huff, Samantha Funk, Dorian Dowd, Genevieve O’Rourke and Mercedes O’Rourke. Playing the three witches are Rebecca Hebb, Rose Malinoski, and Penny Cummings.

Featured in the Saturday night performance are Joslyn Cash, Mya Weddle, Marigrace Girton, Charlie Good, Hyrum Dickerson Hale, Ellen Blackledge, Teegan Tamm, Max Isaacs-Bailey, Katie Funk, Catherine Ryan-Shager, Charlie Martoglio, Vivian O’Rourke, and Lucy Malinoski.

The Main Stage Season continues with CLUE: ONSTAGE opening July 7.

Here is another opportunity to be in our August production of the musical Joseph & The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. We are looking for four more actors over the age of 16 to play brothers.

Join us Wednesday, June 15, at 7 p.m. in the Michael McClaine Rehearsal Center to find out more! Make your summer even more fun!

Read about the show HERE. Read about the cast HERE.

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:

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.

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:

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].

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.

The show is sponsored by:

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.

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

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!

“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].

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].

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

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

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

The show is sponsored by:

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

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: