Author: Jack Earles

In a spirit of optimism – members of the cast of the planned September production are continuing their rehearsals. The Pulitzer-Prize winning comedy You Can’t Take It With You will hopefully be presented September 7-11 and September 14-18. All performances will begin at 8 p.m. and all tickets are $10. The box office will open at 5 p.m. on Monday, September 6. At that time you can call 765-653-5880 for reservations. No calls will be taken until then. After September 6, the box office will be open daily at 5 p.m. [except Sunday, September 12].

The production is sponsored by:

The comedy is directed by Dustin Bond – who also designed the lighting. Ruby Sullivan will run the light board. The set was designed by Linda Gjesvold.

The cast includes Ric McFadden in the leading role of Martin Vanderhoff – a man who has gone his own way in life. Playing members of his eccentric family are Michael L. McClaine as son-in-law Paul who is married to free spirit Penny played by Shelly McFadden. His two granddaughters Essie an aspiring ballet dancer and Alice a secretary are played by Hannah Lefever and Anna Harris respectively. Essie’s husband, Ed, who plays the xylophone and sells home made candy is played by Bart Jones making his PCPH debut. Jim Rambo is Mr. DiPenna, who assists Paul in making fireworks.

The household domestic couple are played by Morgan Asher and Noah D. Pettit. Tony Kirby, a suitor to Alice, is played by Cameron Wunderlich. Jay Prewitt and Holly Pritchett are his parents, the stuffy Mr. and Mrs. Kirby.

Other visitors to the house include Mr. Kolenkhov, Essie’s dancing teacher played by Jack Randall Earles; an actress who Penny is trying to recruit to be in one of the plays she has written, Gay Wellington, played by Sandi Rossok; an IRS representative, Joshua Saul Bain; and a deposed Russian Duchess, Karen Temple. Bond, Bain, and Ethan Lawler are G-Men who pay a surprise visit to the household.

Wunderlich, Harris, and Pettit are also working backstage. This production will close the 60th anniversary season of Putnam County Playhouse.

Putnam County Playhouse has announced that its August production of the musical Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat has been canceled.  A member of the JOSEPH company tested positive for Covid-19 and the production was halted last week.

Refunds are available for those who have pre-purchased tickets for the show.  The box office at the Hazel Day Longden Theatre will be open August 9-14 and August 16-21.  Box office will be open from 5 p.m. – 8 p.m. each of those days only.  Those wishing to receive a refund should bring their tickets to the box office on any of those days. Refunds will not be offered after August 21.

We thank you for your continued support.  The 60^th Season will end in September with a production of the Pulitzer-prize winning comedy You Can’t Take It With You.

NOTE: TICKETS FOR THIS 2021 PRODUCTION WILL NOT BE HONORED FOR ANY PLANNED PRODUCTION IN 2022.

The 2021 Children’s Theatre Workshop is in operation this week.  Creator-Director Caroline Good has gathered a talented group of instructors and interns to provide the participants with a great experience in “how theatre is created”.

The Workshop will present the fruits of its labors to an audience of family and friends at 7 p.m. on Friday, July 23, at 7 p.m.

Working with Good are Ashlee Anne Vitz [late of Pillow Talk] and Craig Robinson [who appeared in SHAKESPEARED! earlier this summer].

The interns include Bella Green, Rebecca Hebb, Ruby Sullivan, Avery H. Stockwell , Marigrace Girton , MJ Cooper ,and Gunner Roach . Working on the technical side are DePauw students Molly Murphy, Ivy Sedam, Josie Cox, and Grace Riley.

One of the plays on the bill will be “The Disappearing Porridge” written by Riley. The cast for this production features Lydia Grove, Josie Tincher, Blake Hambler, Charlotte Tomamichel, Abram Goss, and Mariah Hall. Appearing with them are Jackson Wells, Finley Burton, Gabby Robbins, Aleks Koulak, Lydia Wells, Sage Cummings, Addy Koulak, and Alex Gurnon.  

Also being presented is “The Tiniest Queen” written by seventh grader Cooper.  It features Hayley Roderick, Gabriel Whitman, Keyli Hamblet, Cecilia Wells, and Jessica Bogaerts. Also appearing will be Atlas Cora McAllister, Hillis Barcus, Lauren Wells, and Layla Koulak.

Director Dustin Bond has scheduled two sessions of auditions for You Can’t Take It With You. The Pulitzer-prize winning comedy by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart will close the 60^th season of Putnam County Playhouse with performances September 7-11 and September 14-18.

Auditions will be at the Rehearsal Center at the Hazel Day Longden Theatre on Sunday, July 18 at 3 p.m. and again Monday, July 19, at 7 p.m.

Download an audition sheet here.

The show is being sponsored by Shuee’s Great Buys Plus.

To read about our sponsor click here.

Bond is looking for actors to portray a family of eccentrics – the Sycamores –  who live by their own rules and the people who come into contact with them.  There are roles for actors of all ability levels.  The leading roles include Grandpa Vanderhoff, the head of the family; Penny, his daughter, who fancies herself a painter and/or a playwright; Alice, the grand daughter who is not sure of her place in the world; and Tony Kirby, who loves Alice in spite of her family. 

Other roles include Penny’s daughter Essie and her husband Ed, the family servants Reba and her boyfriend, Donald: Tony’s disapproving parents, and many more.  The full character list and their stage ages can be found here.

To read the play click here.

This is a great opportunity for actors who are looking to be onstage for the first time or who are returning to the stage after an absence.  All those auditioning should be 16 years of age or older.

The 60^th season continues in August with a production of the musical Joseph and The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.

You can read all about our 2021 Children’s Theatre Workshop

by clicking HERE.

The second production of the 60th season of Putnam County Playhouse is set to take the stage! It is the comedy Pillow Talk directed by Andrew Ranck.

The show will open Tuesday, July 6. There will be ten performances at the Hazel Day Longden Theatre: July 6-10 & July 13-17. The box office will open at 5 p.m. on Monday, July 5. The number to call is 765-653-5880. All tickets are $10 and all performances begin at 8 p.m. The box office accepts cash or personal checks. We are unable to process credit/debit cards.

Based on the popular 1959 film that featured the first onscreen pairing of Rock Hudson and Doris Day – the fast moving plot details the hilarious consequences of sharing a telephone party line. Jan Morrow needs to get a call through and her party line nemesis Brad Allen will not get off the line!

Starring in the leading roles are Sarah Armitage as Jan and TJ Tincher as Brad. Both of these performers have been in many shows at PCPH and bring strong comic timing and character development to the stage. Sarah was last seen in the drama Picnic. TJ directed Send Me No Flowers in 2019.

Director Ranck has also peopled his cast with stalwart comic supporting players. They include Ashlee Anne Vitz as Alma, Jan’s maid with a love for drink and Scott Armitage is Pierrot, Jan’s fussy boss at a swank decorating firm. Also featured is Sam Draper as Brad’s rival for Jan’s affections, the wealthy Jonathon Forbes.

Making her PCPH debut is Tara Smith who plays a telephone inspector and four – count them FOUR – of Brad’s girlfriends. Also featured and fresh from a performance in June’s Hunchback of Notre Dame is Noah D. Pettit as Tony Walters, a lecherous young swain with designs on designer, Jan.

Scene stealing will be rampant with the popular Karen Temple playing multiple roles including Mrs. Walters and an annoying telephone operator. Joining her in displaying multiple personalities are Brad Sandy, Lita Sandy, and Mike Mitchell. Each of them is involved in a dazzling display of costume changes as they play a policeman, a beat poet, a maid, and clients of the design firm owned by Mr. Pierrot.

Production stage manager of the production is Jessica Alltop. Her stage crew includes Cameron Wunderlich with assistance from cast members. Sarah Nowling is running the light board and the sound board is operated by Grant Pettit.

Scenic artist for Pillow Talk is Linda Gjesvold. Set design and set decoration is by Ranck. The set includes some original mid-century modern furnishings, electronics, and art work.

DePauw intern Ivy Sedam is the costume co-ordinator while her fellow intern Ja’el Thomas is working on various aspects of the production. Board liaison is Caroline Good.

Seating is limited to 80 audience members per performance as PCPH continues to follow the recommendations for social distancing.

The season continues in August with the musical Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and ends in September with the Pulitzer-prize winning comedy You Can’t Take It With You.

YO! The latest edition of SHAKESPEARED! the annual Putnam County Playhouse Youth Theatre Workshop will present the fruits of its labor this weekend. A group of Middle School students and a group of High School students will each present of version of the Bard’s comedy A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

The middle school production will be presented on Friday, June 25, at 7 p.m. The high school production will be presented on Saturday, June 26, at 7 p.m. at the Hazel Day Longden Theatre. Although both presentations are open to the public, social distancing is stressed. EXTREMELY LIMITED SEATING [80 chairs per performance] is available with preference given to the families and friends of our cast members. Admission is $3 for those over 12 years of age and FREE for those not yet that age. Tickets are available at the door only.

The productions are sponsored by:

Read more about our sponsor HERE.

Read about our sponsor here.

The Middle School Group is directed by Eleanor Howard and Craig Robinson. It features Josie Cox as Hermia and MJ Cooper as Lysander with Gunner Roach as Demetrius and Marigrace Girton as Helena. The Royals are Grace Riley, Joey Draper, Molly Murphy and Sadie Henry.

Also featured are Ella Tischer, Kathryn Funk, Charlie Hall, Luna Pope, Lillian Green, and Alex Roberts. Appearing as the mischievous fairies are Clara Everett, Rowan O’Bannon, Jocelyn Gardner, Madilyn Hiatt, Jasmine Cummings, and Jewelee Butcher.

Murphy and Riley are assistant directors for both groups. Working on the technical side for both productions are Ivy Sedam as costume designer/co-ordinator, Ja’el Thomas the light operator, and Fiona Good as the sound technician.

The high school group is directed by Caroline Good, creator of SHAKESPEARED and the adapter for both scripts. This version of the Shakespearean classic features Ellie Henry, Alice Howard, Stevie Keenan, and Jessica Geiger as the star-crossed lovers. The Royals are Willow Jones, Peyton Freeman, Courtney Huff, and Maia Alley.

Also featured are Kiara Boyd, Craig Robinson, Mya Weddle, Olivia Stierwalt, Samantha Funk, Rebecca Hebb, Evalyn Green, and Marlene Andrade.

Featured roles are played by Ruby Sullivan, Devin Huff, Charlie Xaq Good, Griffin Jones, Avery H. Stockwell, Ava Watson, and Elena Emmerich.

Auditions for the third production of the 60^th season of Putnam County Playhouse have been set.  The musical Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor© Dreamcoat will be produced August 10-14 and August 17-21.  Director Jack Randall Earles will hold two sessions of auditions.  The first will be on Sunday, June 13, at 3 p.m. and the second will be Monday, June 14, at 7 p.m.  Both sessions will be in the Rehearsal Center at the Hazel Day Longden Theatre in Greencastle.

The show is being sponsored by First National Bank.

Read about our sponsor HERE.

Vocal direction is by Kathryn Dory. Assistant director is Sandi Rossok. Musical staging and dances will be by Earles and Lita Sandy. Morgan Asher is the rehearsal/production pianist and pit conductor. Production stage manager for the show is Cameron Wunderlich.

Click HERE to download an audition form.

Anyone wishing to audition should prepare 32 measures of a song and bring sheet music.   An accompanist will be provided.  Songs should be appropriate for a musical. Acapella auditions are discouraged.

All of those auditioning should be at least 16 years of age.

Because this musical is a “sing-thru” there are no scenes to be read.  Instead an extensive dance audition will be included.  Please wear appropriate shoes.

Characters to be cast include The Narrator, a strong female singer who tells the story; Joseph, the hero of the story; Joseph’s eleven brothers and their father, Jacob.  An Elvis-like singer is also sought for the role of The Pharaoh.  A strong mixed ensemble is also needed.  Additional roles and solos will be cast from the ensemble.

To read more about the characters in the musical click HERE.

To read the Director’s Note click HERE.

The current season continues this week with sold out performances of The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and with the comedy Pillow Talk which opens July 6.

The first show of our 60th season, the musical The Hunchback of Notre Dame, is sold out for all remaining performances.

Thank you to all of our subscribers and those who have reserved tickets. Our seating arrangement contains 80 seats for each performance in order to follow mandated social distancing protocols.

If you are a season ticket subscriber and you have tickets for the show that you cannot use OR if you have made reservations and find that you cannot attend the show – please let the box office know so that those tickets can be released. You can call the box office at 765-653-5880 ONLY after 5 p.m. on PERFORMANCE DAYS ONLY. Our box office is staffed by volunteers and is ONLY open those hours.

THANK YOU!!

Registration is complete. If you are participating, you can find more information here.