Current Production
October 22 - November 7, 2021
SHOW PROGRAM
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Twin City Players announces the next production of its 2021-2022 89th Mainstage Season, the psychological thriller The Haunting of Hill House, by F. Andrew Leslie, from the novel by Shirley Jackson.
A chilling and mystifying study in mounting terror in which a small group of psychically receptive people are brought together in Hill House, a brooding, mid-Victorian mansion known as a place of evil and ill will. Led by the learned Dr. Montague, who is conducting research into supernatural phenomena, the visitors have come to probe the secrets of the old house and draw forth the mysterious powers which it is alleged to possess. The Haunting of Hill House explores how fragile psyches can break under the pressure of a house that wants no one to leave. The Haunting of Hill House is presented by special arrangement with Dramatists Play Service, Inc., New York. The show is directed by Julia Farrell Diefenbach who is assisted by Renee Wright, Assistant Director; Peggy Harrington, Stage Manager; Matt Dolphy Clark, Tech Director; Cassandra Hora, Set Design; Reta Trux and Barb Stepka, Costumers; Juliet Golob, Properties and Set Dressing; Bill Bartloff, Set Builder; Cindy Jakeway, Set Painter; Beth Ward, Hair/Makeup; and Tabitha Nelson, Tech Crew. Cast members are Laura Simmons, Avery Saylor, Jim Richards, Joshua Bennett, Beth Fanning, Sarah Simmons, and David Womack. Show Sponsor for The Haunting of Hill House is Silver Beach Pizza. 
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2021-2022 MainStage Season
Retaking the Stage!
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The Twin City Players’ Board of Directors is thrilled to announce it is Retaking the Stage with its 2021-2022 Mainstage Season. The season represents TCP’s 89th year of producing community theatre in Southwest Michigan and includes six shows that run September 2021 through June 2022.
TCP’s 2021-2022 Mainstage Season is generously sponsored by: Indiana Michigan Power’s Cook Nuclear Plant, The Herald Palladium, Lake Michigan Chiropractic LLC, Meijer, Timothy’s Restaurant, and TPC Technologies, Inc.
The TCP MainStage Season’s remaining exciting slate of Mainstage shows includes:
The Haunting of Hill House, October 22 - November 7, 2021, by F. Andrew Leslie, from the novel by Shirley Jackson. Director: Julia Farrell Diefenbach. This psychological thriller is a chilling and mystifying study in mounting terror in which a small group of psychically receptive people are brought together in Hill House, a brooding, mid-Victorian mansion known as a place of evil and ill will. Led by the learned Dr. Montague, who is conducting research into supernatural phenomena, the visitors have come to probe the secrets of the old house and draw forth the mysterious powers which it is alleged to possess. The Haunting of Hill Houseexplores how fragile psyches can break under the pressure of a house that wants no one to leave.
Elf the Musical, December 3 – 19, 2021, book by Thomas Meehan and Bob Martin, music by Matthew Sklar, lyrics by Chad Beguelin, based on the New Line Cinema Film written by David Berenbaum. Director: Sarah Simmons. When little orphan Buddy accidentally crawls into Santa’s bag, he is transported to the festive North Pole. With no understanding of his origin story, Buddy lives a blissfully unaware life among his family of elves. This all comes to an end when his disastrous toy making efforts force the admission that he is a human. With a little encouragement from Santa, Buddy heads to New York City on a quest to find his birth father and discover his true identity. Despite some bumps along the way, his enthusiastic cheer encourages his new family (and the whole city) to remember the true spirit of the holiday season… “the best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear.” A modern-day classic about the importance of identity, different meanings of the word family, and the magical charm of the holiday season.
Silent Sky, March 4 – 20, 2022, by Lauren Gunderson. Directors: John Taylor & Paige Smillie. With warm-hearted wit and infectious joy, Silent Sky tells the riveting true story of Henrietta Swan Leavitt, a pioneering scientist in an age when women couldn’t even vote. Henrietta and her coworkers at Harvard Observatory in 1893 are human “computers,” and much more than mere data entry clerks. They were the women who measured the stars. As an amateur astronomer, Henrietta is not allowed to touch a telescope, yet she makes significant observations on the universe and influences the work of Edwin Hubble, among others. Over a century later, these ground-breaking discoveries about the universe are still vital today. If you liked the movie Hidden Figures, you wouldn’t want to miss this “luminously beautiful play” that will change how you look at both the heavens and the earth.
(Angel Street) Gaslight, April 22 – May 8, 2022, by Patrick Hamilton. Director: Peggy Harrington. Angel Street, made into the classic movie Gaslight starring Ingrid Bergman, tells the dark story of a suavely handsome man and his wife. Mr. Manningham is slowly driving his wife to the brink of insanity by sowing in her the seeds of self-doubt and memory loss and playing on her fear of going mad like her mother, who died in an institution for the mentally ill. This thriller takes place in a house on Angel Street in 1880 Victorian London, a time when few women had the ability to free themselves of the Mr. Manninghams of the world. The playwright has built and sustained some of the most brilliant, suspenseful sequences in modern theatre. A surprisingly timely play.
Disney’s The Little Mermaid, June 3 - 26, 2022, music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Howard Ashman & Glenn Slater, book by Doug Wright, based on the Hans Christian Andersen story and the Disney film produced by Howard Ashman & John Musker and written & directed by John Musker & Ron Clements. Director: Jacob Holmes. Ariel, King Triton’s youngest daughter, wishes to pursue the human Prince Eric in the world above, bargaining with the evil sea witch, Ursula, to trade her tail for legs. But the bargain is not what it seems, and Ariel needs the help of her colorful friends, Flounder the fish, Scuttle the seagull, and Sebastian the crab to restore order under the sea. Ariel’s adventure leads to a showdown between good and evil, where only love can prevail. A hauntingly beautiful love story perfect for families; this Broadway gem will capture your heart with its irresistible songs, including "Under the Sea," "Kiss the Girl" and "Part of Your World."
Fun Home is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals, www.concordtheatricals.com. The Haunting of Hill House and Silent Sky are presented by special arrangement with Dramatists Play Service, Inc., New York. Elf the Musical and Disney’s The Little Mermaid are presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI). All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI. www.MTISHOWS.com. (Angel Street) Gaslight is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Samuel French, Inc. www.concordtheatricals.com.
TCP’s 2021-2022 Mainstage Season is generously sponsored by: Indiana Michigan Power’s Cook Nuclear Plant, The Herald Palladium, Lake Michigan Chiropractic LLC, Meijer, Timothy’s Restaurant, and TPC Technologies, Inc.
The TCP MainStage Season’s remaining exciting slate of Mainstage shows includes:
The Haunting of Hill House, October 22 - November 7, 2021, by F. Andrew Leslie, from the novel by Shirley Jackson. Director: Julia Farrell Diefenbach. This psychological thriller is a chilling and mystifying study in mounting terror in which a small group of psychically receptive people are brought together in Hill House, a brooding, mid-Victorian mansion known as a place of evil and ill will. Led by the learned Dr. Montague, who is conducting research into supernatural phenomena, the visitors have come to probe the secrets of the old house and draw forth the mysterious powers which it is alleged to possess. The Haunting of Hill Houseexplores how fragile psyches can break under the pressure of a house that wants no one to leave.
Elf the Musical, December 3 – 19, 2021, book by Thomas Meehan and Bob Martin, music by Matthew Sklar, lyrics by Chad Beguelin, based on the New Line Cinema Film written by David Berenbaum. Director: Sarah Simmons. When little orphan Buddy accidentally crawls into Santa’s bag, he is transported to the festive North Pole. With no understanding of his origin story, Buddy lives a blissfully unaware life among his family of elves. This all comes to an end when his disastrous toy making efforts force the admission that he is a human. With a little encouragement from Santa, Buddy heads to New York City on a quest to find his birth father and discover his true identity. Despite some bumps along the way, his enthusiastic cheer encourages his new family (and the whole city) to remember the true spirit of the holiday season… “the best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear.” A modern-day classic about the importance of identity, different meanings of the word family, and the magical charm of the holiday season.
Silent Sky, March 4 – 20, 2022, by Lauren Gunderson. Directors: John Taylor & Paige Smillie. With warm-hearted wit and infectious joy, Silent Sky tells the riveting true story of Henrietta Swan Leavitt, a pioneering scientist in an age when women couldn’t even vote. Henrietta and her coworkers at Harvard Observatory in 1893 are human “computers,” and much more than mere data entry clerks. They were the women who measured the stars. As an amateur astronomer, Henrietta is not allowed to touch a telescope, yet she makes significant observations on the universe and influences the work of Edwin Hubble, among others. Over a century later, these ground-breaking discoveries about the universe are still vital today. If you liked the movie Hidden Figures, you wouldn’t want to miss this “luminously beautiful play” that will change how you look at both the heavens and the earth.
(Angel Street) Gaslight, April 22 – May 8, 2022, by Patrick Hamilton. Director: Peggy Harrington. Angel Street, made into the classic movie Gaslight starring Ingrid Bergman, tells the dark story of a suavely handsome man and his wife. Mr. Manningham is slowly driving his wife to the brink of insanity by sowing in her the seeds of self-doubt and memory loss and playing on her fear of going mad like her mother, who died in an institution for the mentally ill. This thriller takes place in a house on Angel Street in 1880 Victorian London, a time when few women had the ability to free themselves of the Mr. Manninghams of the world. The playwright has built and sustained some of the most brilliant, suspenseful sequences in modern theatre. A surprisingly timely play.
Disney’s The Little Mermaid, June 3 - 26, 2022, music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Howard Ashman & Glenn Slater, book by Doug Wright, based on the Hans Christian Andersen story and the Disney film produced by Howard Ashman & John Musker and written & directed by John Musker & Ron Clements. Director: Jacob Holmes. Ariel, King Triton’s youngest daughter, wishes to pursue the human Prince Eric in the world above, bargaining with the evil sea witch, Ursula, to trade her tail for legs. But the bargain is not what it seems, and Ariel needs the help of her colorful friends, Flounder the fish, Scuttle the seagull, and Sebastian the crab to restore order under the sea. Ariel’s adventure leads to a showdown between good and evil, where only love can prevail. A hauntingly beautiful love story perfect for families; this Broadway gem will capture your heart with its irresistible songs, including "Under the Sea," "Kiss the Girl" and "Part of Your World."
Fun Home is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals, www.concordtheatricals.com. The Haunting of Hill House and Silent Sky are presented by special arrangement with Dramatists Play Service, Inc., New York. Elf the Musical and Disney’s The Little Mermaid are presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI). All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI. www.MTISHOWS.com. (Angel Street) Gaslight is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Samuel French, Inc. www.concordtheatricals.com.
FUN HOME - September 10 - 26, 2021
Fun Home Photos by Lauren Mow
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Fun Home, music by Jeanine Tesori, book & lyrics by Lisa Kron, based on the graphic novel by Alison Bechdel. The musical drama won 2015 Tony® Awards for Best Musical, Best Score, and Best Book, the New York Drama Critics' Circle Best Musical Award, Obie Award, Lucille Lortel Award, Outer Critics Circle Award, Off-Broadway Alliance Award, and was a Pulitzer Prize for Drama Finalist.
The show features language, sexuality, death, and LGBTQ+ Experience themes and is recommended for ages 13 and up. Fun Home is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals, www.concordtheatricals.com. In 2006, lesbian cartoonist/graphic novelist Alison Bechdel published Fun Home, a graphic memoir tracing her relationship to her closeted gay father, who committed suicide shortly after Bechdel, herself, came out as a lesbian to her parents. The book was both a critical and commercial success, spent two weeks on the New York Times Bestseller list and garnered numerous award nominations, including the National Book Critics Circle Award. In the musical, Alison dives deep into her past to tell the story of the volatile, brilliant, one-of-a-kind man whose temperament and secrets defined her family and her life. Moving between past and present, Alison relives her unique childhood playing at the family’s Bechdel Funeral Home, her growing understanding of her own sexuality, and the looming, unanswerable questions about her father’s hidden desires. Fun Home is a refreshingly honest, wholly original musical about seeing your parents through grown-up eyes.
The show is directed by Larry Nielsen who is assisted by Jacob Holmes, Assistant Director; Timothy McFeeters, Music Director; Laura Simmons, Choreographer; Susan Plee, Stage Manager; John Taylor, Set Design; Matt Dolphy Clark, Light & Sound Design; Reta Trux and Barb Stepka, Costumes; Cindy Jakeway, Set Painter; Beth Ward, Hair/Makeup; Peggy Harrington, Prompter; and Angel Stout, Properties and Set Dressing. Cast members are Mariah Rifenberg, Kimmie Staggs, Miranda Stepka, Nathan Neidlinger, Sarah Simmons, Sophia A., Whittaker L., Lauren Tibbitts, and Michael Bond. |