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.

Members and officers of the Board of Directors welcomed guests.

Annual reports were given by the chairpersons of each committee.

The meeting was conducted by President Shelly McFadden while Secretary Kathryn Dory took the minutes.

Refreshments were served before and after the meeting and much discussion of the 2022 season was shared by all in attendance.

Board members were competitive in making motions and seconds to all the reports and laughter was abundant as the afternoon progressed.

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.

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.”

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.”

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.”

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.”

Our season has ended!

We would like to say thanks to our contributors and all of you who attended performances. Our four main stage shows all had enthusiastic audiences. Your support is what makes it happen!

Our Children’s Theatre Workshop and SHAKESPEARED! Youth Theatre Workshop had wonderful participants and enthusiastic audiences. Thanks to the volunteers who worked with Caroline Good to make these events happen.

Thanks to everyone who participated onstage, backstage, and in the tech loft and up in the pit! Without you, we couldn’t have done it.

Special thanks to our sponsors Bittles & Hurt & Hopkins-Rector, First National Bank, and Shuee’s Best Buys Plus.

Please plan to attend our season wrap up at the Annual Meeting on Sunday, October 16, at 2 p.m. in the Michael McClaine Rehearsal Center!

Director Ric McFadden’s production of William Gibson’s drama The Miracle Worker opens on Thursday, September 8 at the Hazel Day Longden Theatre. All performances begin at 8 p.m. Tickets can be reserved by calling the box office between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. Monday-Saturday. Performances are scheduled September 8-10 and September 14-17. All tickets are $10. Tickets requests or questions cannot be answered on Facebook OR the Putnam County Playhouse website. You MUST call the box office at 765-653-5880.

The Miracle Worker is sponsored by:

The cast is lead by Anna Harris as teacher Annie Sullivan. Josie Tischer co-stars as the young Helen Keller whose family is struggling to deal with disabilities. Helen’s parents, Captain Keller and his wife Kate are played Tim Good and Caroline Good.

Other members of the household and friends and servants are played by John Reach, Eleanor Howard, Samantha Funk, Elijah Helmer, and Sarah Ryan.

Playing supporting roles are Suzanne Funk, Kathi Elliott, Jay Prewitt, John Tischer, and Dustin Bond. Featured roles are Chloey Barnett, Anna Norris, Ingrid Norris, Ellen Blackledge, Nicolette Blackledge, Catherine Ryan-Shrager, and Alex Gurnon.

Shelly McFadden, who also did the costumes, is the stage manager with assistance from Bart Jones. Assistant director is Ruby Sullivan who is also running the light board. Ben South is the sound designer-technician and also running the sound board. Brandon Wunderlich is on the stage crew. Lighting design is by Bond and Cameron Wunderlich. Director McFadden designed and built the set.

The 61^st season of Putnam County Playhouse will close with director Ric McFadden’s production of William Gibson’s The Miracle Worker. It will be produced on the main stage September 8-10 and September 14-17.  All performances begin at 8 p.m. Tickets will go on sale in the box office at 5 p.m. on Monday, September 5. Tickets cannot be reserved on Facebook or at the website.

The production is sponsored by:

Shelly McFadden is the costumer and stage manager. Assistant director is Ruby Sullivan, who will also run the light board. Bart Jones is the assistant stage manager. Lighting design is by Dustin Bond and Cameron Wunderlich. Ben South is the sound designer and he will also run the sound board. Director McFadden also designed the set.

Anna Harris is playing the leading role of Annie Sullivan and Josie Tischer will play the role of Helen Keller. The parents of Helen, Captain Keller and his wife Kate are played by Tim Good and Caroline Good. Annie’s brother Jimmy is played by Alex Gurnon.

Also in the household are son James played by John Reach and the family servant Viney played by Sarah Ryan. The visiting Aunt Ev is played by Eleanor Howard.

Also in the cast are Samantha Funk, Elijah Helmer, Jay Prewitt, Dustin Bond, Suzanne Funk, and Kathi Elliott.

Featured players include John Tischer, Chloey Barnett, Anna Norris, Ingrid Norris, Ellen Blackledge, Nicolette Blackledge, and Catherine Ryan-Shager. 

The 61^st season of the Putnam County Playhouse continues with a production of the musical Joseph & The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. It will be onstage at the Hazel Day Longden Theatre August 11-13 and August 17-20. Curtain time is 8 p.m. each night.  All tickets are $10 and can be reserved by calling the box office at 765-653-5880 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday beginning August 8. The box office is only open during those times. Tickets are not available online or on Facebook.

The production is sponsored by First National Bank.

The musical is directed by Jack Randall Earles.  Assistant director is Sandi Rossok who also did the costume direction. Vocal direction is by Kathryn Dory and musical direction is by Morgan Asher, who is also the pit conductor/pianist. Percussionist Dedee Schwomeyer is also playing.

The title role of Joseph is played by Dylan Arnold. Telling the story is the Narrator sung by Molly Murphy. The story is also helped along by solo songs from three of the brothers played by Jay Prewitt, Josh Bain, and Dustin Bond. The other brothers include David Johnson (who also plays the Butler), Cameron Wunderlich, William Dory, Joe Fields, Dorian Dowd, Ruby Sullivan, Jakob Seger, and Devin Huff.

Jacob is sung by Andrew Ranck. His four wives are played by Hannah Newlin, Kathryn Dory, Ellie Emmert (who also plays the Baker), and Amanda Standers. Suzanne Funk and Shelby Merrill appear in supporting roles.

Dale Grove is featured as the Pharaoh. Brad Sandy and Sarah Armitage play the Potiphars. Chloe Gardner is a featured dancer.

Set design and painting is by Linda Gjesvold. Cameron and Brandon Wunderlich are production stage managers. The stage crew duties are handled by Tucker Elmore and Bart Jones. Shelly McFadden and Jerry T. Scott handle the lights and sound – directed by Bond.

Caroline Good and her staff are working with the participants of the annual Putnam County Playhouse Children’s Theatre Workshop this week. You can see the results of all of their hard work on Friday, July 22, at 7 p.m. at the Hazel Day Longden Theatre. Admission is free and the event is open to the public.

The event is sponsored by:

The students will present two original plays. The first is “True Crime Fairy Tales” written by Good. It features many of your favorite characters in new and unique situations including  Little Red (Gabby Robbins), Gretel (Audrey Smoot), Goldilocks ( Mariah Hall), and Jack (Lucas Vaglia).  They all find themselves in an hilariously hostile contemporary world, where the stories that originally made them famous, and have landed them in big trouble.

The Chief Inspector (Charlotte Tomamichel) and Woodsdale police officers Don (Blake Hamblet) and Jan (Hollis Barcus) interview each of our suspicious fairy tale characters. They then focus their attention on those who turned them in.

These include The Bear Family (Jackson Wells, Evelyn Ryan-Shager, and Keyli Hamblet), Granny  (Milan Schwipps), The Wolf (Alex Koulak), and Hansel (Caleb Waltkins). It seems all may be lost for our heroines.  Or is a happy ending still possible for them?

Chaos reigns within the second play “Into the Forest” also by Good.  Here our familiar fairy tale characters find themselves confused in the forest and in the wrong stories.  Featured among them are Little Red Riding Hood (Hannah Jernagan), Beast (Elijah Neeley), Granny (Lydia Bogaerts), and Cinderella (Hadley Roderick). 

Also included are Rumplestiltskin (Chris Sears), Sleeping Beauty (Layla Koulak), Prince Charming (Walker Henry), Hansel (Wyatt Schutter), Gretel (Nora Napier), Witch (Nancy Napier), Wolf (Tinzlee Coulson), Doc (Cece Wells), and the Dwarves (CTW Interns).

Rounding out the cast are Snow White (Lauren Wells), Sleeping Beauty’s Prince (Arlo Schwipps), Belle (Atlas McAllister), and Rapunzel ( Jessica Bogaerts). When they find themselves confused and in the wrong stories, they have to team up with each other to make things right. Or can they?

Assisting Good this year are Eleanor Howard (Acting), Craig Robinson and Sarah Armitage (Dance & Movement), and Molly Murphy (Voice & Diction). Directors for “Into the Forest” are Robinson, Murphy, and Howard. Playwright Good is directing “True Crime Fairy Tales” with assistance from David Johnson, and Kathi Elliott.

The CTW interns who are helping  with casting, costume, and working on the crew are Ruby Sullivan, MJ Cooper, Josie Cox, Marigrace Girton, Rebecca Hebb, Isabella Green, Samantha Funk, and Mya Weddle.

Director Ric McFadden will hold two sessions of auditions for the September production of The Miracle Worker at Putnam County Playhouse.  The first call is for Sunday, July 17, at 3 p.m. The second session will be Monday, July 18, at 7 p.m.  Both sessions will convene in the Michael McClaine Rehearsal Center at the Hazel Day Longden Theatre.

The Miracle Worker will be presented September 8-10 and September 14-17. Read more about the show HERE.

Read McFadden’s Director’s Note HERE.

It is being sponsored by Hopkins-Rector and Bittles & Hurt.

The two leading roles, Annie Sullivan and Helen Keller, call for performers who will be able play the very physically demanding scenes as written. Annie will be required to learn some sign language and finger spelling for the role. The actress playing Helen must be able to convincingly play a deaf and blind and mute youngster. Stage age for Annie is mid to late 20’s and stage age for Helen is 8-11.

Other roles include Helen’s parents, Captain and Mrs. Keller; their son, James; Aunt Eve; Viney, the family’s servant and her helper; Martha and Percy, children who are friends of Helen; and Doctor Anagnos, Annie’s teacher.  The Kellers will speak with Southern accents.

There are also parts for six youngsters to play blind students at Annie’s former school, the Kellers’ doctor, and a young boy to play Annie’s brother Jimmy who is a preteen.

Read about the story and cast HERE.

No monologs are necessary. Those auditioning will read from the script. There will also be a physical audition for those auditioning to play Helen. McFadden is also looking for backstage personnel to complete his production. Those wishing to work in that capacity should attend auditions and talk to McFadden at that time.

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.