OKLAHOMA! OPENS AT PCPH

The 63rd season at Putnam County Playhouse will open with a production of the Rodgers & Hammerstein musical Oklahoma!  It will be produced June 6-8 and June 11-15. Tickets are on sale at the box office in person or by telephoning 765-653-5880 between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. daily except Sunday.

Single tickets are $15 and can be reserved by credit card during regular box office hours only. There are no online sales. Volunteers are only available to sell tickets during regular box office hours. Seats are available for all performances, but especially for the added performance, Tuesday, June 11.

The production is sponsored by First National Bank.

To read more about our sponsor click HERE.

Director for Oklahoma! is Joshua S. Bain. Vocal and musical direction is by Kathryn Dory who is also the assistant director. Choreography is by Sarah Armitage and Jack Randall Earles. Lynne Tweedie is the production pianist. She is joined in the pit by Anita Newlin on keyboard, Dede Schwomeyer on percussion, Marcia Boswell on flute, Rebecca Terry on trumpet, and Neva Verbik on clarinet. Rehearsal pianist is Morgan Asher.

To watch an interview with director Bain, click HERE.

The cast will be headed by Grace Buehler as Laury Williams and Dustin Bond as Curly McClain. The comedy leads are played by Rachel Holland as Ado Annie and Ross Hanson (making his PCPH debut) as Will Parker.  Lacey Ring-Verbik plays Aunt Eller and Cameron Wunderlich is featured as Jud Fry. Buehler last appeared at PCPH as Nancy in Oliver, Bond was last seen as Homer in Morning’s At Seven. Holland was Hope Hampton in last season’s Anything Goes and Wunderlich was featured in The Play That Goes Wrong. Hanson is making his PCPH debut. Ring-Verbik is returning to the PCPH stage after a few seasons. She was featured in productions of A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum and Once Upon A Mattress.

Grace Buehler & Dustin Bond

Dylan Arnold is the peddler man, Ali Hakim; Kate Baughman is Gertie Cummins; Scott Armitage is Andrew Carnes, and Chris Wurster is Cord Elam.

Dylan Arnold & Lacey Ring-Verbik

The farmers and cowmen include Noah D. Pettit, Clay Glessner, Trenton Bright, Miles Jernagan, Corben Kirton, and Aiden Woods.

The cast of ladies includes Ashton Kirton, Suzanne Funk, Hannah Newlin, Hallie Rice, Emily Gray, Hannah McLaughlin, Catherine Ryan-Shrager, Samantha Funk, Cheyanne Newlin, Payton Kumpf, Clara Everett, and Josie Cox.

Joining ensemble members in the dream ballet with Kumpf, Glessner, and Cameron Wunderlich in leading roles are Jocelyn Gardner, Chloe Gardner, and Raylee O’Connor.

Costumes are by Pat Armitage.

Dylan Arnold & Scott Armitage

Stage manager for the show is Brandon Wunderlich assisted by Jennifer Wunderlich who is also the props manager. Stage crew includes Johnny Stogsdill. Set design was by Bain and C. Wunderlich. Set construction was by Cameron, Brandon, Jennifer & Mark Wunderlich, Bond, Ashton & Corben Kirton, and Linda Gjesvold.

Technical director is Bond. The sound board will be operated by Shelby Merrill and the light board operator is M.J. Cooper.

The cast rehearses a musical number.

2024 OPEN HOUSE ON JUNE 2!!!

Resource Center Open House - Riverside Township of Illinois

The 63rd season of Putnam County Playhouse will kick off with an Open House at the Hazel Day Longden Theatre on Sunday, June 2, at 2 p.m. The public is invited to attend. Light refreshments will be served. The event will continue until 4 p.m.

Musical numbers from the season opening musical Oklahoma! will be onstage throughout the afternoon. The popular musical will be onstage June 6-8 and June 11-15. Tickets will be on sale for all performances. Season tickets and individual tickets for all productions will be on sale during the open house.

The 2024 season also includes the comedy The Pink Panther Strikes Again in July, the Tony-Award winning musical Something Rotten in August, and the play Flowers For Algernon in September.

Board members will be on hand to answer questions.  See you at the barn!

‘Pink Panther’ Auditions This Weekend!

Auditions for the July production at Putnam County Playhouse will be this weekend. Director Shelly McFadden will hold two sessions to find her cast. The first will be Sunday, May 5, at 3 p.m. followed by the second session on Monday, May 6, at 7 p.m.  Both will be held at the Michael McClaine Rehearsal Center.

To read about the show and download an audition form, click HERE.

‘The Pink Panther Strikes Again’ will be produced July 11-13 and July 17-20.

The show is sponsored by Greene Realty.

To read more about our sponsor, click HERE.

The characters include Inspector Jacques Clouseau, Dreyfuss, Dr. Fassbender, Cato, Olga, and many others.  Many of those chosen for the cast will play multiple roles. Those who participate as members of the stage crew will be called Pink Panthers have specifically choreographed moves when making the scene changes.

To see a list of characters click HERE.

Director McFadden asks that all of those auditioning be at least 18 years of age.

To read what Shelly thinks about the show, click HERE.

To watch an interview that Shelly gave to The Man In The Chair click HERE.

Join Linda For A Scene Design Workshop

Linda Gjesvold, Shop Steward, will hold a Scene Workshop on Saturday, April 13, at 1 p.m. at the Hazel Day Longden Theatre.

Subjects covered include designing, building, and painting sets specifically for Putnam County Playhouse.

If you are interested in joining our team for the 2024 season, please attend and find out what it’s all about! No sign up is necessary.

See you there!

And don’t forget our second session of auditions for our season opener Oklahoma! that will be Tuesday, April 9 at 7 p.m.

OKLAHOMA! Auditions Jist Around the Corner

Director Joshua Saul Bain will hold two sessions of auditions for the Rodgers & Hammerstein musical Oklahoma! The first will be Sunday, April 7 at 3 p.m. The second will be Tuesday, April 9 at 7 p.m. It will be produced June 6-8 and June 12-15 – opening the 63rd season of Putnam County Playhouse.

Watch an interview with Josh talking about the show HERE.

The show is sponsored by:

Read about our sponsor HERE.

Read about the show HERE. You can also download an audition sheet there. Read the list of characters and the story of the musical HERE.

Read what director Bain has to say about the show HERE. Individual tickets will go on sale at the annual PCPH Open House on Sunday, June 2, at 2 p.m.

SEASON 63 IN YOUR MAILBOX SOON!

Our Season Ticket Brochures will be mailed out to current Season Ticket Holders on March 18! Return your brochure as soon as possible so you can be guaranteed your place in the audience for our four mainstage shows! Brochures will be mailed to the rest of our mailing list on April 1!

We are working on a couple of projects that will make our productions more exciting. First is removing the side walls of the stage. This will give more room on each side of the stage for entrances and exits. It will also give us more options for set design and building.

We are also adding space on the east side of the barn for storage. It will also let performers go from one side of the stage to the other backstage without going outside!

Work we must! See you at the barn for Oklahoma!, The Pink Panther Strikes Again, Something Rotten, and Flowers For Algernon! And don’t forget SHAKESPEARED! in June and the Children’s Theatre Workshop in July!

YTW 2024 Registration Open!

Registration for our annual “Shakespeared!” Workshop is now open. You can find the registration form HERE.

Last season’s Shakespeare productions were based on The Tempest.

“The Tempest” -2023.

This year’s two-week long June workshop centers around A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM.   The FREE workshop provides young players with an opportunity to engage with Shakespeare’s plays in a fun way and to see the potential interpretations that lie within the text.

“The Tempest” -2023

This workshop meets in the afternoons Monday-Friday June 17-28 with a performances Friday and Saturday evening, June 28th [middle school] and 29th [high school] at 7:00pm when each group will present its version of A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM.    

The scripts will be available soon on the playhouse website at the Youth Theatre Workshop page at the drop down menu. So, feel free to read it before our first day. June 17th. We will read through the play on day one, and the players will have a chance to note their role preferences. The roles will be cast that evening, and rehearsals begin on day two!  

THERE ARE PARTS FOR EVERYONE! “Shakespeared!” is tailored to provide young players with an opportunity to engage with Shakespeare’s text in a fun way and to see the potential interpretations that lie within the text. 

So, good night unto you all.
Give me your hands, if we be friends,
And Robin shall restore amends.

Puck – A Midsummer Night’s Dream

“Get out your tap shoes, Frances, Vickie Parker is doin’ a show!”

The shows and dates and directors are all confirmed. Take a look at what we’re doing for our 63rd season of Putnam County Playhouse. There are a lot of opportunities for folks onstage and offstage. Check out the details!

We open our season in June with the Rodgers & Hammerstein musical Oklahoma! Read about the production dates and audition dates HERE. Read what director Joshua Saul Bain has to say HERE. Read a character list and more about the show HERE.

Next up in July is the stage version of the movie The Pink Panther Strikes Again. Read about production and audition dates HERE. Read what director Shelly McFadden has to say about the show HERE. To read a cast list and more about the show click HERE.

Director Vickie Parker returns to direct – a Tony-Award winning musical in August. Read about production and audition dates HERE. Read what director Parker has to say about the show HERE. Read a cast list and more about the show HERE.

The season will end in September with a production of the play Flowers for Algernon. To find out production and audition dates click HERE. Read what director Jack Randall Earles is planning for the show HERE. Read a cast list and more about the show HERE.

Information about SHAKESPEARED! The Youth Theatre Workshop (June 17-29) and the Children’s Theatre Workshop (Jully 22-26) will be on the website in February & March.

See you at the barn!

“Jacob Marley was dead…..” Charles Dickens

Thirty-one years ago in December, 1992, the Putnam County Playhouse presented a special production of A Christmas Carol. It was produced in the DePauw Student Union Ballroom.

L-R- Jack Randall Earles & Jim Poor

It was directed by Jim Poor who also played the ghost of Jacob Marley. Ebenezer Scrooge was played by Jack Randall Earles. Mark Bertram was Bob Cratchit and Michael Lemon was Tiny Tim. Many Greencastle friends were featured in the cast and worked on the crew.

Banner-Graphic Photo

Members of the board took care of tickets sales in the lobby and there was a dessert table for the after show.

Vickie Parker handles reservations and tickets.

I hope these photos are a sweet reminder to all of those who participated. You can read the program HERE.

L-R: Brad Sandy, Adeline Knoy, Jack Randall Earles

On behalf of the Board of Directors of PCPH, we wish you and your families a happy a safe holiday season. See you at the barn!