Theatre Productions

2023-24 Theatre Productions

Murder on the Orient Express - Fall Drama
Saturday, September 30 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, October 1 at 2:00 p.m.

Just after midnight, a snowdrift stops the Orient Express in its tracks. The luxurious train is surprisingly full for the time of the year, but by the morning it is one passenger fewer. An American tycoon lies dead in his compartment, stabbed eight times, his door locked from the inside. Isolated and with a killer in their midst, the passengers rely on detective Hercule Poirot to identify the murderer – in case he or she decides to strike again.  This mystery/thriller is directed by Mr. Chris Murphy.

Star Bright Diner and By Any Chance - One Acts
Friday, October 6 at 7:30 p.m.

Star Bright Diner

Star light, star bright,
First star I see tonight,
I wish I may, I wish I might,
Have this wish I wish tonight.

… The Star Bright Diner - just off an old highway in the desert - is open all night to all travelers and all possibilities, but what you order isn’t always what you get. On this particular night, a group of strangers find themselves puzzling over the mysterious effects that the diner has on them … and wrestling with the gifts the diner has to offer. There are no “to-go” boxes at this diner, but at least there’s a giant salamander under the sink to eat whatever these strangers choose to leave behind.

By Any Chance

Sometimes a single moment can make all the difference between one potential story and another. In life, we have no way of knowing how a countless number of what-ifs would have affected us. If we had never met that person, gone to that school, or left our house at that exact minute on what seemed like a mundane day, how would that have changed us? What doors would have closed, and what others would have opened? “By Any Chance” looks at different possible versions of the same day for the same people. It examines the impact of “early/late,” “right/left,” “success/failure.” And to add to the “chance” of it all – these versions are each determined not by the script or the actors, but by the audience. 

Both shows are written and directed by Ms. Laura Bohnke.

Aladdin, Jr. - Toybox
Saturday, November 18 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, November 19 at 2:00 p.m.

Disney’s Aladdin JR. is based on the 1992 Academy Award®-winning film and the 2014 hit Broadway show about the “diamond in the rough” street rat who learns that his true worth lies deep within.The story you know and love has been given the royal treatment! Aladdin and his three friends, Babkak, Omar, and Kassim, are down on their luck until Aladdin discovers a magic lamp and the Genie who has the power to grant three wishes. Wanting to earn the respect of the princess, Jasmine, Aladdin embarks on an adventure that will test his will and his moral character.   This Toybox musical is directed by Mr. Chris Murphy, with musical direction by Mrs. Rachael Wood.

Guys and Dolls - Winter Musical
Friday, February 23 and Saturday, February 24 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, February 25 at 2:00 p.m.

Considered by many to be the perfect musical comedy, Guys and Dolls ran for 1,200 performances when it opened on Broadway in 1950. Set in Damon Runyon's mythical New York City, Guys and Dolls is an oddball romantic comedy. Gambler, Nathan Detroit, tries to find the cash to set up the biggest craps game in town while the authorities breathe down his neck; meanwhile, his girlfriend and nightclub performer, Adelaide, laments that they've been engaged for fourteen years. Nathan turns to fellow gambler, Sky Masterson, for the dough, and Sky ends up chasing the straight-laced missionary, Sarah Brown, as a result. Guys and Dolls takes us from the heart of Times Square to the cafes of Havana, Cuba, and even into the sewers of New York City, but eventually everyone ends up right where they belong.  This musical is directed by Mr. Chris Murphy, with musical direction by Mrs. Kathryn Peperkorn. 

Mutually Assured Destruction - Spring Comedy
Saturday, April 20 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, April 21 at 2:00 p.m.

A century's worth of sibling squabbles is boiled down into ten vignettes in this era-hopping tribute to family. Each short play explores a distinct facet of brother and sisterhood, from fights over who caused mom and dad to split to daring escape plots that only two sisters could pull off. No matter the decade, audiences will see themselves in these ten distinct shorts about the undeniable bond between siblings through the ages.  This comedy is directed by Mr. Chris Murphy.

A comical feast that embraces the wackiness in every family, features an original story and it’s every father’s nightmare: Wednesday Addams has grown up and fallen in love with a sweet, smart young man from a respectable family– a man her parents have never met. And if that wasn’t upsetting enough, Wednesday confides in her father and begs him not to tell her mother. Now, Gomez Addams must do something he’s never done before– keep a secret from his beloved wife, Morticia. Everything will change for the whole family on the fateful night they host a dinner for Wednesday’s “normal” boyfriend and his parents.  This alumni musical comedy is co-directed by Mr. Chris Murphy and Mrs. Rachael Wood.