The Barnstormers' 87th Season
Press Releases for 2017
Driving Miss Daisy: Press Release
Playing August 24th - September 2nd
PICTURED: Vinette Cotter as Daisy Werthan. Car Provided by Almon Evans. Diana Evans Photography.
The Barnstormers closes its rousing 87th season withthe timeless classic, Driving Miss Daisy, on stage Thursday, August 24th through Saturday, September 2nd.
"Driving Miss Daisy has become part of our cultural fabric, in part because of a broad range of themes such as what it's like to age with dignity and integrity, examining one's attitudes about race and economic status, the often complicated relationship between an adult child and an aging parent to name just a few. Miss Daisy and her chauffeur, Hoke, take the audience on a journey through life, and they do it with wit, sass, honesty, friendship and love," said the production's director, Blair Hundertmark.
A priceless tale of pride, changing times, and the transformative power of friendship, Driving Miss Daisy is the story of Daisy Werthan, a widowed, well-to-do woman living in mid-century Atlanta, who is deemed too old to drive. When her son hires Hoke, an African-American chauffeur, Daisy's world is turned upside down. What begins as a troubled pairing, blossoms into a profound, life-altering friendship that transcends all societal boundaries between them. The Wall Street Journal urged audiences, "Do whatever you have to do to get a ticket." Driving Miss Daisy is a lovely reminder of the power of human connection.
Returning to The Barnstormers stage to bring Driving Miss Daisy to life are audience favorites Vinette Cotter and Doug Shapiro, along with newcomer Lorenzo Scott who will be making his Barnstormers debut.
"We are just thrilled to be bringing such a beautiful show to Tamworth," said The Barnstormers Artistic Director, Bob Shea. "Driving Miss Daisy is a stunning example of the power of family, friendship, and learning to get along amongst differences, making it a particularly poignant piece for our time."
The Barnstormers, a 282-seat, professional, Equity theatre founded in 1931, enjoys air conditioning, a hearing assist system and is wheelchair accessible. Opening on Thursday, August 24th,
Driving Miss Daisy offers performances Tuesday through Saturday evenings with weekend matinees, tickets cost $13.50 - $36.50 with group rates, ticket packages, and discounts available. Beer, wine and lemonade are available during intermission. Friday night is Family Night with special prices. Check the website for other specials, where to dine and stay, and other Tamworth happenings. Many thanks to our season sponsor, The Haynes Family Foundation, for their continued support. For more information and tickets, visit www.barnstormerstheatre.org or call 603-323-8500.
"Driving Miss Daisy has become part of our cultural fabric, in part because of a broad range of themes such as what it's like to age with dignity and integrity, examining one's attitudes about race and economic status, the often complicated relationship between an adult child and an aging parent to name just a few. Miss Daisy and her chauffeur, Hoke, take the audience on a journey through life, and they do it with wit, sass, honesty, friendship and love," said the production's director, Blair Hundertmark.
A priceless tale of pride, changing times, and the transformative power of friendship, Driving Miss Daisy is the story of Daisy Werthan, a widowed, well-to-do woman living in mid-century Atlanta, who is deemed too old to drive. When her son hires Hoke, an African-American chauffeur, Daisy's world is turned upside down. What begins as a troubled pairing, blossoms into a profound, life-altering friendship that transcends all societal boundaries between them. The Wall Street Journal urged audiences, "Do whatever you have to do to get a ticket." Driving Miss Daisy is a lovely reminder of the power of human connection.
Returning to The Barnstormers stage to bring Driving Miss Daisy to life are audience favorites Vinette Cotter and Doug Shapiro, along with newcomer Lorenzo Scott who will be making his Barnstormers debut.
"We are just thrilled to be bringing such a beautiful show to Tamworth," said The Barnstormers Artistic Director, Bob Shea. "Driving Miss Daisy is a stunning example of the power of family, friendship, and learning to get along amongst differences, making it a particularly poignant piece for our time."
The Barnstormers, a 282-seat, professional, Equity theatre founded in 1931, enjoys air conditioning, a hearing assist system and is wheelchair accessible. Opening on Thursday, August 24th,
Driving Miss Daisy offers performances Tuesday through Saturday evenings with weekend matinees, tickets cost $13.50 - $36.50 with group rates, ticket packages, and discounts available. Beer, wine and lemonade are available during intermission. Friday night is Family Night with special prices. Check the website for other specials, where to dine and stay, and other Tamworth happenings. Many thanks to our season sponsor, The Haynes Family Foundation, for their continued support. For more information and tickets, visit www.barnstormerstheatre.org or call 603-323-8500.
Toward Zero: Press Release
Playing August 10th - 19th
Pictured L-R: Jordan Reeves as Thomas Royde, Madeleine Maby as Kay Strange, Robert Bates as Matthew Treves, and Vinette Cotter as Lady Tressilian in Agatha Christie's TOWARD ZERO at The Barnstormers Theatre. Photo by Diana Evans
The Barnstormers Theatre presents Agatha Christie's TOWARD ZERO, August 10th-19th
Summer isn't summer at The Barnstormers Theatre without audience's favorite mystery writer, Agatha Christie. This year's production promises to be one of the best ever- Toward Zero lands on the stage Thursday, August 10-Sunday August 14, and Tuesday, August 16 through Saturday, the 19th.
"Agatha Christie marks the height of our summer season," said Bob Shea, Artistic Director of The Barnstormers, and director of the project. "Our audiences love her mysteries- and for good reason- they're edge-of-the-seat suspenseful, funny, and a great showcase for exceptional talent. Toward Zero is no exception."
A house party at the seaside home of an elderly widow brings past events to a dramatic head. What is the connection between a failed suicide attempt, a wrongful accusation of theft against a schoolgirl, and the romantic life of a famous tennis player? To the casual observer, apparently nothing, but when the evening ends with murder, nothing is as it seems. Written with the thrilling prose and suspense that Agatha Christie is known for, Toward Zerowill keep you guessing until the very end!
Returning to The Barnstormers stage for Toward Zero are audience favorites Vinette Cotter, Bob Bates, Madeleine Maby, Angela Hope Smith, Dee Nelson, Buddy Haardt, Paul Melendy, Andrew Codispoti, Robert St. Laurence, along with newcomer Jordan Reeves.
"Toward Zero is Agatha Christie at her best," added Bob Shea, "It will be a delight to bring this production to our audiences and community. I'm also pleased to be working with such a stellar cast - it promises to be an incredible show. Audiences should get their tickets early as we almost always sell out."
The Barnstormers, a 282-seat, professional, Equity theatre founded in 1931, enjoys air conditioning, a hearing assist system and is wheelchair accessible. Thursday through the following Saturday evenings and weekend matinees, tickets cost $13.50 - $36.50 with group rates, ticket packages, and discounts available. Beer, wine and lemonade are available during intermission. Friday night is Family Night with special prices. Check the website for other specials, where to dine and stay, and other Tamworth happenings. Many thanks to our season sponsor, The Haynes Family Foundation, for their continued support. For more information and tickets, visit www.barnstormerstheatre.org or call 603-323-8500.
Summer isn't summer at The Barnstormers Theatre without audience's favorite mystery writer, Agatha Christie. This year's production promises to be one of the best ever- Toward Zero lands on the stage Thursday, August 10-Sunday August 14, and Tuesday, August 16 through Saturday, the 19th.
"Agatha Christie marks the height of our summer season," said Bob Shea, Artistic Director of The Barnstormers, and director of the project. "Our audiences love her mysteries- and for good reason- they're edge-of-the-seat suspenseful, funny, and a great showcase for exceptional talent. Toward Zero is no exception."
A house party at the seaside home of an elderly widow brings past events to a dramatic head. What is the connection between a failed suicide attempt, a wrongful accusation of theft against a schoolgirl, and the romantic life of a famous tennis player? To the casual observer, apparently nothing, but when the evening ends with murder, nothing is as it seems. Written with the thrilling prose and suspense that Agatha Christie is known for, Toward Zerowill keep you guessing until the very end!
Returning to The Barnstormers stage for Toward Zero are audience favorites Vinette Cotter, Bob Bates, Madeleine Maby, Angela Hope Smith, Dee Nelson, Buddy Haardt, Paul Melendy, Andrew Codispoti, Robert St. Laurence, along with newcomer Jordan Reeves.
"Toward Zero is Agatha Christie at her best," added Bob Shea, "It will be a delight to bring this production to our audiences and community. I'm also pleased to be working with such a stellar cast - it promises to be an incredible show. Audiences should get their tickets early as we almost always sell out."
The Barnstormers, a 282-seat, professional, Equity theatre founded in 1931, enjoys air conditioning, a hearing assist system and is wheelchair accessible. Thursday through the following Saturday evenings and weekend matinees, tickets cost $13.50 - $36.50 with group rates, ticket packages, and discounts available. Beer, wine and lemonade are available during intermission. Friday night is Family Night with special prices. Check the website for other specials, where to dine and stay, and other Tamworth happenings. Many thanks to our season sponsor, The Haynes Family Foundation, for their continued support. For more information and tickets, visit www.barnstormerstheatre.org or call 603-323-8500.
My Three Angels: Press Release
Playing July 27th - August 5th
Pictured: My Three Angels Marquee Poster by Kate Thompson. All of these beautiful marquee posters are hand-painted for each show by local artists and auctioned at The Grand Annual Auction to Benefit The Barnstormers. For more information on the auction, where you can acquire one of these incredible 2 1/2 by 4 1/2 foot marquees, call the Box Office at 603-323-8500.
The Barnstormers Theatre brings classic comedy to the stage with My Three Angels, July 27-August 5
Plucked from The Barnstormers archives comes a beloved "bad-guys-gone-good" comedy, where the bad guys are really good and the good guys... aren't so great. Samuel and Bella Spewack delight with My Three Angels, on stage July 27th through August 5th.
"Angels come in all forms," said Clayton Phillips, the director of the project, "Three convicts doing some day labor on a local family's store use their "special skills" to help out a well-intentioned, but bumbling, owner and his family. It's comedy and ingenuity at its finest."
This charming, eccentric and off-beat comedy is set in French Guiana, of all places, and tells the story of a family who runs a general store-with great inefficiency! When a conniving business partner and his nephew arrive from Paris to shut the family's business down, the three ex-convict workers, hired to repair the roof of the store, overhear the trouble and conspire to assist the family. Using their collective checkered pasts and naughty criminal knowledge, the heroes are not quite what you'd expect! Join us for this entertaining and enjoyable, fun-for-all-ages play that has more than a few things to say about power and money, class and innocence.
"My Three Angels is the perfect show for the middle of our 87th Summer Season," said Bob Shea, The Barnstormers' artistic director. "It's moving, thought-provoking, and hilarious; making it a one-of-a-kind experience that entertains and inspires."
Returning to The Barnstormers stage for My Three Angels are Jean Mar Brown, Dee Nelson, George F. Piehl, Buddy Haardt, Lauren Currie Lewis, John Long, Paul Melendy, Rob St. Laurence, Jason Guy, and Greg Pike.
The Barnstormers, a 282-seat, professional, Equity theatre founded in 1931, enjoys air conditioning, a hearing assist system and is wheelchair accessible. Thursday through the following Saturday evenings and weekend matinees, tickets cost $13.50 - $36.50 with group rates, ticket packages, and discounts available. Beer, wine and lemonade are available during intermission. Friday night is Family Night with special prices. Check the website for other specials, where to dine and stay, and other Tamworth happenings. Many thanks to our season sponsor, The Haynes Family Foundation, for their continued support, and to Macdonald Motors for sponsoring My Three Angels. For more information and tickets, visit www.barnstormerstheatre.org or call 603-323-8500.
Plucked from The Barnstormers archives comes a beloved "bad-guys-gone-good" comedy, where the bad guys are really good and the good guys... aren't so great. Samuel and Bella Spewack delight with My Three Angels, on stage July 27th through August 5th.
"Angels come in all forms," said Clayton Phillips, the director of the project, "Three convicts doing some day labor on a local family's store use their "special skills" to help out a well-intentioned, but bumbling, owner and his family. It's comedy and ingenuity at its finest."
This charming, eccentric and off-beat comedy is set in French Guiana, of all places, and tells the story of a family who runs a general store-with great inefficiency! When a conniving business partner and his nephew arrive from Paris to shut the family's business down, the three ex-convict workers, hired to repair the roof of the store, overhear the trouble and conspire to assist the family. Using their collective checkered pasts and naughty criminal knowledge, the heroes are not quite what you'd expect! Join us for this entertaining and enjoyable, fun-for-all-ages play that has more than a few things to say about power and money, class and innocence.
"My Three Angels is the perfect show for the middle of our 87th Summer Season," said Bob Shea, The Barnstormers' artistic director. "It's moving, thought-provoking, and hilarious; making it a one-of-a-kind experience that entertains and inspires."
Returning to The Barnstormers stage for My Three Angels are Jean Mar Brown, Dee Nelson, George F. Piehl, Buddy Haardt, Lauren Currie Lewis, John Long, Paul Melendy, Rob St. Laurence, Jason Guy, and Greg Pike.
The Barnstormers, a 282-seat, professional, Equity theatre founded in 1931, enjoys air conditioning, a hearing assist system and is wheelchair accessible. Thursday through the following Saturday evenings and weekend matinees, tickets cost $13.50 - $36.50 with group rates, ticket packages, and discounts available. Beer, wine and lemonade are available during intermission. Friday night is Family Night with special prices. Check the website for other specials, where to dine and stay, and other Tamworth happenings. Many thanks to our season sponsor, The Haynes Family Foundation, for their continued support, and to Macdonald Motors for sponsoring My Three Angels. For more information and tickets, visit www.barnstormerstheatre.org or call 603-323-8500.
The Ghost Train: Press Release
Playing July 13th - July 22nd, 2017
Pictured: Frank T. Wells as the foreboding Station Master, warning the travelers about the ghost train. Photo By Diana Evans.
The Ghost Train steams into Tamworth at The Barnstormers, July 13-22
Anyone familiar with The Barnstormers Theatre knows the legend of The Ghost Train, dubbed "the greatest ghost story of all time." When Francis & Alice Cleveland and Ed Goodnow founded the The Barnstormers, they chose Arnold Ridley's The Ghost Train as the first show knowing it would captivate its 1931 audience. Now, even 87 years and several performances later, audience members still clamor to know when The Ghost Train will ride into the theatre again - which, The Barnstormers is thrilled to announce, will be this summer, July 13-22.
"Our production invites you to step back in time with us - to when the good guys were clever and cunning, the bad guys were more recognizable and predictable, and the train station was the one great communal nexus for all," shared Blair Hundertmark, the show's director, "While the world has indeed become much more complicated since 1923
when Arthur Ridley wrote The Ghost Train, our imaginations remain as eager as ever to be thrilled and titillated by the prospects of ghosts and the tension of suspense."
An eclectic group of travelers, with little in common, miss their connection and must spend the night in a closed train station in backwoods Maine, not far from the Canadian border. When the travelers are told by the less-than-friendly Station Master the story of the ghost train that runs through there every year on the anniversary of a terrible accident, most are skeptical - until they hear the train whistle in the distance. What happens next is an adventure that will send chills down your spine!
Bringing to life The Ghost Train are favorites Frank T. Wells, Jean Mar Brown, Doug Shapiro, and Buddy Haardt, with the talented John Schnatterly, Pam Schnatterly, Shayna Vercillo, Lauren Currie Lewis, Greg Pike, Jason Guy and H. Parker Roberts completing the incredible cast. While it is most certainly a ghost story and all that entails, The Ghost Trainis a fun-for-all-ages show that will be an experience remembered for years to come.
The Barnstormers, a 282-seat, professional, Equity theatre founded in 1931, enjoys air conditioning, a hearing assist system and is wheelchair accessible. Thursday through the following Saturday evenings and weekend matinees, tickets cost $13.50 - $36.50 with group rates, ticket packages, and discounts available. Beer, wine and lemonade are available during intermission. Friday night is Family Night with special prices. Check the website for other specials, where to dine and stay, and other Tamworth happenings. Many thanks to our season sponsor, The Haynes Family Foundation, for their continued support, and to The Tamworth Foundation for sponsoring The Ghost Train. For more information and tickets, visit www.barnstormerstheatre.org or call 603-323-8500.
Anyone familiar with The Barnstormers Theatre knows the legend of The Ghost Train, dubbed "the greatest ghost story of all time." When Francis & Alice Cleveland and Ed Goodnow founded the The Barnstormers, they chose Arnold Ridley's The Ghost Train as the first show knowing it would captivate its 1931 audience. Now, even 87 years and several performances later, audience members still clamor to know when The Ghost Train will ride into the theatre again - which, The Barnstormers is thrilled to announce, will be this summer, July 13-22.
"Our production invites you to step back in time with us - to when the good guys were clever and cunning, the bad guys were more recognizable and predictable, and the train station was the one great communal nexus for all," shared Blair Hundertmark, the show's director, "While the world has indeed become much more complicated since 1923
when Arthur Ridley wrote The Ghost Train, our imaginations remain as eager as ever to be thrilled and titillated by the prospects of ghosts and the tension of suspense."
An eclectic group of travelers, with little in common, miss their connection and must spend the night in a closed train station in backwoods Maine, not far from the Canadian border. When the travelers are told by the less-than-friendly Station Master the story of the ghost train that runs through there every year on the anniversary of a terrible accident, most are skeptical - until they hear the train whistle in the distance. What happens next is an adventure that will send chills down your spine!
Bringing to life The Ghost Train are favorites Frank T. Wells, Jean Mar Brown, Doug Shapiro, and Buddy Haardt, with the talented John Schnatterly, Pam Schnatterly, Shayna Vercillo, Lauren Currie Lewis, Greg Pike, Jason Guy and H. Parker Roberts completing the incredible cast. While it is most certainly a ghost story and all that entails, The Ghost Trainis a fun-for-all-ages show that will be an experience remembered for years to come.
The Barnstormers, a 282-seat, professional, Equity theatre founded in 1931, enjoys air conditioning, a hearing assist system and is wheelchair accessible. Thursday through the following Saturday evenings and weekend matinees, tickets cost $13.50 - $36.50 with group rates, ticket packages, and discounts available. Beer, wine and lemonade are available during intermission. Friday night is Family Night with special prices. Check the website for other specials, where to dine and stay, and other Tamworth happenings. Many thanks to our season sponsor, The Haynes Family Foundation, for their continued support, and to The Tamworth Foundation for sponsoring The Ghost Train. For more information and tickets, visit www.barnstormerstheatre.org or call 603-323-8500.
Spamalot: Press Release
Playing June 29th - July 8th
Pictured from Left to Right - Jordan Stanley as Sir Robin, Robert St. Laurence as Sir Lancelot, Al Bundonis as King Arthur, Anthony J. Gasbarre III as Sir Galahad, and Doug Shapiro as Sir Bedevere, along with Ryan Malyar as Patsy. Photo By Diana Evans.
The Barnstormers Theatre opens summer season with Monty Python's Spamalot, June 29 - July 8.
The Barnstormers Theatre is excited to be opening their 87th summer season of live, professional theatre in Tamworth with Monty Python's musical comedy Spamalot, on stage Thursday, June 29 - Saturday, July 8, sponsored by The New Woodshed and The Haynes Family Foundation.
"Spamalot is a hilarious show, from start to finish," said Bob Shea, the show's director and Artistic Director of The Barnstormers Theatre. "With 18 actors playing an array of crazy characters, it definitely makes for a wild evening at the theatre."
Full to the brim with the fun and humor Monty Python is known for, Spamalot tells the story of King Arthur, his faithful servant Patsy, and the creation of the Knights of the Round Table. Once the fabled knights Lancelot, Galahad, Robin, and Sir Bedivere are banded together, they join King Arthur in his search for the Holy Grail. Along the way, they are guided and distracted by a chorus of legless knights, some men in tights, The Lady of the Lake and her Laker girls, killer rabbits, musical-hating kings, and more than one visit from God.
Returning to The Barnstormers stage for Monty Python's Spamalot is Cheryl Mullings as the Lady of the Lake, Ryan Malyar as Patsy, Doug Shapiro as Sir Bedivere, and Amanda Huxtable in the Ladies Ensemble. Newcomers to The Barnstormers include Jake Bridges as the Historian, Al Bundonis as King Arthur, Jordan Stanley as Sir Robin, Anthony J. Gasbarre III as Sir Galahad, and Robert Laurence as Sir Lancelot.
While a comedy to its core, the production also promises "some of the most unforgettable musical numbers you will ever see in the theater on this evening!" Nominated for 14 Tony awards, and hailed by The New Yorker as a "no-holds-barred smash hit," Spamalot is a rowdy, ridiculous, and all-out rollicking tale of swashbuckling merriment. Rated PG-11ish for some mildly suggestive behavior and just one swear word.
The Barnstormers, a 282-seat, professional, Equity theatre founded in 1931, enjoys air conditioning, a hearing assist system and is wheelchair accessible. Thursday through the following Saturday evenings and weekend matinees, tickets cost $13.50 - $36.50 with group rates, ticket packages, and discounts available. Beer, wine and lemonade are available during intermission. Friday night is Family Night with special prices. Check the website for other specials, where to dine and stay, and other Tamworth happenings. Many thanks to our season sponsor, The Haynes Family Foundation, for their continued support. For more information and tickets, visit www.barnstormerstheatre.org or call 603-323-8500.
The Barnstormers Theatre is excited to be opening their 87th summer season of live, professional theatre in Tamworth with Monty Python's musical comedy Spamalot, on stage Thursday, June 29 - Saturday, July 8, sponsored by The New Woodshed and The Haynes Family Foundation.
"Spamalot is a hilarious show, from start to finish," said Bob Shea, the show's director and Artistic Director of The Barnstormers Theatre. "With 18 actors playing an array of crazy characters, it definitely makes for a wild evening at the theatre."
Full to the brim with the fun and humor Monty Python is known for, Spamalot tells the story of King Arthur, his faithful servant Patsy, and the creation of the Knights of the Round Table. Once the fabled knights Lancelot, Galahad, Robin, and Sir Bedivere are banded together, they join King Arthur in his search for the Holy Grail. Along the way, they are guided and distracted by a chorus of legless knights, some men in tights, The Lady of the Lake and her Laker girls, killer rabbits, musical-hating kings, and more than one visit from God.
Returning to The Barnstormers stage for Monty Python's Spamalot is Cheryl Mullings as the Lady of the Lake, Ryan Malyar as Patsy, Doug Shapiro as Sir Bedivere, and Amanda Huxtable in the Ladies Ensemble. Newcomers to The Barnstormers include Jake Bridges as the Historian, Al Bundonis as King Arthur, Jordan Stanley as Sir Robin, Anthony J. Gasbarre III as Sir Galahad, and Robert Laurence as Sir Lancelot.
While a comedy to its core, the production also promises "some of the most unforgettable musical numbers you will ever see in the theater on this evening!" Nominated for 14 Tony awards, and hailed by The New Yorker as a "no-holds-barred smash hit," Spamalot is a rowdy, ridiculous, and all-out rollicking tale of swashbuckling merriment. Rated PG-11ish for some mildly suggestive behavior and just one swear word.
The Barnstormers, a 282-seat, professional, Equity theatre founded in 1931, enjoys air conditioning, a hearing assist system and is wheelchair accessible. Thursday through the following Saturday evenings and weekend matinees, tickets cost $13.50 - $36.50 with group rates, ticket packages, and discounts available. Beer, wine and lemonade are available during intermission. Friday night is Family Night with special prices. Check the website for other specials, where to dine and stay, and other Tamworth happenings. Many thanks to our season sponsor, The Haynes Family Foundation, for their continued support. For more information and tickets, visit www.barnstormerstheatre.org or call 603-323-8500.
