Rumors

October 15-22, 2021
Written by Neil Simon
Directed by David Britt

Drayton Hall Theatre

Sharp-edged wit meets madcap farce in this laugh-out-loud comedy from legendary playwright  Neil Simon.  When the first pair of guests arrive for an anniversary party at the opulent home of Charlie Brock, the Deputy Mayor of New York, they find their host unconscious, shot in the head (well…the ear lobe), and his wife missing.  Wanting to protect Charlie – and themselves – from potential scandal, they fabricate a lie to tell the rapidly-arriving partygoers, setting in motion an ever-more-hilarious series of cover-ups, misunderstandings and mishaps.  

"Has nothing on its mind except making the audience laugh." - The New York Times

*Contains adult language that may be objectionable and not appropriate for children.

Tiny Beautiful Things

November 12-19, 2021
Based on the book by Cheryl Strayed
Adapted for the stage by Nia Vardalos
Co-conceived by Marshall Heyman, Thomas Kail, and Nia Vardalos
Directed by Maureen Heffernan

Longstreet Theatre

When she was a struggling writer, author Cheryl Strayed (Wild) spent several years writing an advice column under the pen name “Sugar,” in which she offered up truths on everything from dating to family dysfunction to profound loss.  Originally published as a best-selling book and now adapted for the stage by Nia Vardalos (My Big Fat Greek Wedding), Tiny Beautiful Things presents Sugar’s unflinching and highly personal takes on dilemmas big and small, in the process giving audiences an uplifting experience that Variety has called “a theatrical hug in turbulent times.”  

“Tiny Beautiful Things is about the endangered art of listening to – and really hearing and responding to – other people…it works beautifully as a sustained theatrical exercise in empathy.” – The New York Times

"*Tiny Beautiful Things" is a story about truly listening and understanding others. The play uses adult language and addresses sensitive topics such as physical/sexual abuse and mortality and is not appropriate for children.

These Shining Lives

February 25 - March 4, 2022
Written by Melanie Marnich
Directed by Ibi Owolabi

Longstreet Theatre

Based on actual events, These Shining Lives reaches back almost a century to uncover a harrowing but inspiring history that still has profound resonance to our society today.  Through poetic and powerful language, playwright Melanie Marnich tells the tragic story of women in the 1920s hired to decorate watch faces with glow-in-the-dark, radium-based paint, a substance their employer refers to as “medicinal.”  As they begin developing serious illnesses from radiation exposure, they soon realize the company’s complicity and wage a legal battle to bring it to justice.  The case would go on to have far-reaching consequences on workers’ and womens’ rights in our own time.  

“Perfect, touching and wistful…beautifully tragic.” — Talkin’ Broadway

Romeo and Juliet

April 8-15, 2022
Written by William Shakespeare
Directed by Carolyn Howarth

Longstreet Theatre 

Set in a time and place suffering the ravages of plague and social division, Shakespeare’s ageless tale of the “star cross’d lovers” Romeo and Juliet still has the raw power to connect in visceral ways. Fiery passions lead to fateful outcomes as the two impetuous teenagers succumb to their irrepressible attraction, despite the long and bloody feud waged by their warring families. As riveting today as when it first appeared in print 425 years ago, Romeo and Juliet is a story of love, intrigue and danger that will leave you breathless until its shockingly tragic end.