War of the Worlds: The Panic Broadcast
adapted by Joe Landry
Directed by Jessie Chapman
October 12 – 14, 2023 • Hanaway Theatre
An alien invasion throws humanity into chaos in the classic sci-fi novel The War of the Worlds–but all it took to cause real-life panic in the streets was Orson Welles’s 1938 radio adaptation, which listeners took for news. Now, ten years later, the WBFR radio ensemble recreates the colorful events surrounding the infamous evening, including the full original broadcast. Complete with vintage commercials and live sound effects, this radio-play-within-a-radio-play is a thrilling homage to the form’s golden age and timely reminder of what fear can do to a society.
Godspell
composed by Stephen Schwartz with book by John-Michael Tebelak
Directed by Elizabeth Daily
November 16 – 18, 2023 • Cheney Studio Theatre
A small group of people help Jesus Christ tell different parables by using a wide variety of games, storytelling techniques and hefty doses of comic timing. An eclectic blend of songs, ranging in style from pop to vaudeville, is employed as the story of Jesus’ life dances across the stage. Dissolving hauntingly into the Last Supper and the Crucifixion, Jesus’ messages of kindness, tolerance and love come vibrantly to life.
The Secret in the Wings
by Mary Zimmerman
Directed by Timothy L’Ecuyer
February 29 – March 2, 2024 • Cheney Studio Theatre
The Secret in the Wings adapts a group of lesser-known fairy tales to create a theatrical work that sets their dark mystery against her signature wit and humor. The framing story concerns a child and the frightening babysitter with whom her parents leave her. As the babysitter reads from a book, the characters in each of the tales materialize, with each tale breaking off just at its bleakest moment before giving way to the next one.
Once Upon A Mattress
by Mary Rodgers; lyrics by Marshall Barer;
book by Jay Thompson, Dean Fuller, & Marshall Barer
Directed by Fran Page
April 11 – 13, 2024 • Hanaway Theatre
In this musical version of The Princess and the Pea, Princess Winnifred is an ungainly, brash girl competing for the hand of Prince Dauntless, whose domineering mother Queen Aggravain has declared he must marry a “true” princess before anyone else in the kingdom can marry.