The Underpants

A fresh take on a hilarious classic by Carl Sternheim, adapted by Steve Martin

 JAN 12 - FEB 10

Steve Martin provides a wild satire adapted from a classic German play about Louise and Theo, a couple whose conservative existence is shattered when Louise's bloomers fall down at a public event. Though she pulls them up quickly, Theo thinks the incident will cost him his job as a government clerk. Louise's momentary display does not result in scandal but it does attract two infatuated men, and each wants to rent the spare room. Oblivious of their amorous objectives, Theo splits the room between them, happy to collect rent from both the foppish poet and the whiny hypochondriac. Both boarders then woo her behind his back, much to the vicarious delight of their nosy neighbor..

Staged Readings

A night of romantic readings to celebrate Valentine's Day

WED thru SUN, FEB 14-18

Thumbs

A clever new comedy-thriller by Rupert Holmes

MAR 16 - APR 14

Set in an isolated cabin in Vermont, THUMBS is the story of two equally clever women from two very different walks of life who will need all their wit and will to survive a cat-and-mouse game with a devious killer, the likes of whom has not been seen before. "In the tradition of stage thrillers, women have rarely had a large enough role to play," says playwright Rupert Holmes. "I wanted to create a mystery-comedy where women drive the story, and in THUMBS, the two main characters are intelligent, sharp, and often quite funny women. I hope that our audience will be kept guessing right up to the final curtain."
MATURE AUDIENCES

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof

A searing classic drama by Tennessee Williams

MAY 18 - JUN 16

In a Mississippi plantation house, the members of the Pollitt family are celebrating the 65th birthday of “Big Daddy.” The tone is happy, but the mood is somber, for a number of old evils poison the gaiety—sins of the past, greedy hopes for the future, and a desperate eagerness not to believe in the truths that surround them. Swarming around Maggie and Brick are their intrusive, conniving relatives, eager to see Maggie put in her place and Brick tumbled from his position of most-beloved son. This masterpiece is a delicately wrought exercise in human communication and a scathing treatise against the mendacity that so many allow to rule their lives. WINNER OF THE 1955 PULITZER PRIZE

Steel Magnolias or On Golden Pond

ONE of THESE TWO PLAYS based on performance rights

JUL 20 - AUG 17

Steel Magnolias by Robert Harling

The ladies in Natchitoches, LA, have their hair done at Truvy's salon. Helped by her assistant, Annelle, the wise-cracking Truvy dispenses advice to the town curmudgeon, Ouiser; an eccentric millionaire, Miss Clairee; and their friend M'Lynn, whose daughter, Shelby, is about to marry a "good ole boy."

On Golden Pond by Ernest Thompson

The love story of Ethel & Norman Thayer. He’s a retired professor with heart problems, but he’s as tart-tongued, observant and eager for life as ever, and Ethel is Norman’s perfect foil. They are visited by their middleaged daughter and her dentist fiancé, who then go off to Europe, leaving his teenage son behind for a summer at the lake.

Summer Shorts 2007

FRI & SAT, AUG 24 & 25

Last year's staged readings were popular, so we're doing them again with new material. Please join us for an evening of original short plays Please join us for an evening of original short plays written by local playwrights.

Misery

An edge-of-seat suspense thriller by Stephen King, adapted by Simon Moore

SEP 21 - OCT 20

Romance novelist Paul Sheldon spends each winter writing another novel featuring his popular heroine Misery Chastain. After losing control of his car, he regains consciousness in a dilapidated farmhouse, cut off from the outside world by a blizzard. Annie, the occupant, is his number one fan and she insists she will nurse him. His legs are crushed and he is virtually a prisoner dependant on her for pain relief. She discovers that his new book is not about Misery and she forces him to write another. Thus begins Paul's descent into a living hell of pain and degradation. Like Scheherazade, he must write a new chapter every day to stay alive. MATURE AUDIENCES

Greater Tuna

A quick change comic tour-de-farce by Jaston Williams, Joe Sears, & Ed Howard

NOV 16 - DEC 22

What do Arles Struvie, Thurston Wheelis, Aunt Pearl, Petey Fisk, Phineas Blye and Reverend Spikes have in common? They are among the upstanding citizens of Tuna, the third smallest town in Texas. In this hilarious send up that began as a party skit and turned into one of the most produced plays in America, the audience is taken on a single day's visit in the life of a small town where the Lion's Club is too liberal, and Patsy Cline never dies. This eclectic band of twenty different citizens that make up this town are all portrayed by two actors in this Off Broadway hit in a tour-de-farce of quick change artistry, both of costumes and of comic characterizations. Prepare for a rompin', stompin' good time!

For reservations and more information, call 510-683-9218.