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Frederick Stroppel

Directed by Peter J. Hughes

November 24 – December 22, 2018

Julia Dowling has an unexpected visitor who intends to escort her off to the afterlife. Infusing comedy into the classic Death Takes a Holiday, The Christmas Spirit is set in contemporary Long Island. Julia persuades Death to give her one more day to enjoy Christmas and invites him to be her guest at a festive party. The next day the house fills with bickering relatives, friends, the local priest…and Death, masquerading as a human, singing carols and drinking eggnog. Moments of high farce, drama, and even romance arise as bright holiday fantasies collide with a not-so-merry reality.

“A farce, a romantic comedy, a love story, with a dash of heartwarming insight, The Christmas Spirit is an invitation to embrace family, celebrate life, and rekindle our humanity.  You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, your heart will grow three times its normal size,” says Director Peter J. Hughes.

There is some strong language and themes that are not suitable for children.  It is suggested that children under 15 not attend.

By Deborah Salem Smith

Directed by: Andrew Uhlenhopp

A Regional Premiere

October 13 – November 10, 2018

When Helen’s lesbian partner of twenty years dies unexpectedly in minor surgery, Helen and her daughter want answers. Confused by the hospital’s silence around the death, they bring a lawsuit against the doctors. Now Dr. Becca Neal must confront her feelings about losing her patient while she juggles the demands of a lawsuit. LOVE ALONE tracks the fallout in both the patient’s and the doctor’s homes, as both households navigate uncharted waters of anger, humor, and longing. This powerful story of how we grieve and how we heal speaks to an essential truth: We will all be patients one day.

By Lisa Kron

Directed by Stacey D’Angelo

 June 22 – July 20, 2019

“This play is not about my mother and me,” begins the character of Lisa. But, of course, it is about her mother, and her mother’s extraordinary ability to heal a changing neighborhood, despite her inability to heal herself. In this “solo show with people in it,” Kron asks the provocative question: “Do we create our own illness?” The answers she gets are much more complicated than she bargained for as the play spins dangerously out of control into riotously funny and unexpected territory.

By John Patrick Shanley

Directed by Katie Mangett

March 30 – April 27, 2019

Anthony and Rosemary are two introverted misfits straddling 40. Anthony has spent his entire life on a cattle farm in rural Ireland, a state of affairs that—due to his painful shyness—suits him well. Rosemary lives right next door, determined to have him, watching the years slip away. With Anthony’s father threatening to disinherit him and a land feud simmering between their families, Rosemary has every reason to fear romantic catastrophe. But then, in this very Irish story with a surprising depth of poetic passion, these yearning, eccentric souls fight their way towards solid ground and some kind of happiness. Their journey is heartbreaking, funny, and ultimately deeply moving. OUTSIDE MULLINGAR is a compassionate, delightful work about how it’s never too late to take a chance on love.

Buy Outside Mullingar Tickets

By Deborah Montgomery

Directed by Lorraine Scott
Musical Direction by Trent Hines
Music Arranged by Eric Weinstein
Lyrics adapted by Bill Paddock and Deborah Montgomery

February 16 – March 16, 2019

Back by popular demand “The Rolling Emotions” take the stage for The Rock of Aging Revival. A hit band in the 60’s and 70’s, Ricki D. Bones, Willie Withers, and Tina Tumor are struggling to “keep on keepin’ on.” Poor financial management and the rigors of aging have forced them to sing for their supper by taking any gigs they can, like recording jingles for commercials for seniors’ products. Now, along with their new back-up singers, the band has a chance for a big comeback, as part of the AARP National “Feeling Groovy” Tour. The group finds new life as they give the songs of their youth fresh meaning—singing about the maladies of getting older, such as weight gain, memory loss, and gastric distress (think about having that first colonoscopy performed to the chorus, “Snake it Up Doctor, if you twist I’ll shout!”). Join with the band as they admit that while aging “ain’t for sissies,” it’s much easier to face with the help of their beloved rock and roll.