MOUNT CARROLL, IL - Timber Lake Playhouse presents Big River: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, the musical adaptation of Mark Twain's novel, Thursday, August 13^th through Sunday, August 23^rd. Propelled by an award winning score from Roger Miller, the king of country music, this journey down the mighty Mississippi provides a brilliantly theatrical celebration of pure Americana. The show is the final production of the playhouse's 54^th annual summer season.

Courtney Crouse returns to TLP to direct this modern classic that premiered in 1985. The story is played out by actor-musicians to the sound of country, gospel and bluegrass as Huck Finn (Grant Alexander Brown plays irrepressible hero) helps his friend Jim, a slave (played by Charles Benson), escape to freedom at the mouth of the Ohio River. Their adventures are alternately suspenseful, heartwarming and hilarious.

Bringing to life the other characters from the novel are Amelia Jo Parish as the Widow Douglas and Paige ManWaring as her stern sister, Miss Watson; Matt W. Miles as the Duke, who may or may not be as harmless as he seems; Chandler Smith as Huck's partner in crime, Tom Sawyer; John Chase as Huck's drunken father, the sinister Pap Finn; and Alexis Aker as the lovely Mary Jane Wilkes.

Crouse and music director Michael Uselmann have created a production that features guitar, mandolin, banjo, fiddle, accordion and percussion played by the actors on stage. The concept gives the music an authentic country feel and showcases the virtuosity of TLP's 2015 company. Additional offstage musicians fill out the sound. Musical staging is by artistic director James Beaudry.

Crouse said of the production, "Bringing the music on to the stage creates a world that looks, feels and sounds like the folk music traditions that exist up and down the Mississippi River. The play looks at a time when the country was growing up, just like Huck does in the story. And the way the actors discover music and use it to create community really enriches the whole show."

Big River opens Thursday, August 13 at 7:30 p.m. Performances continue Friday, August 14 at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, August 15 at 2:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.; Sunday, August 16 at 2:00 p.m.; Tuesday, August 18 at 7:30 p.m.; Wednesday, August 19 at 2:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.; Thursday, August 20 at 7:30 p.m.; Friday, August 21 at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, August 22 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, August 23 at 2:00 p.m.

Tickets for all TLP mainstage show are $17-$25 with discounts for seniors, active duty military and students. For reservations, call the box office at 815-244-2035 or visit www.timberlakeplayhouse.org. TLP is located at 8215 Black Oak Road in rural Mount Carroll, Illinois.

This program is partially sponsored by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency.

Red Skelton - The Legend Continues starring Tom Mullica comes to Amana on August 27 - 30 to perform his award winning show on the Old Creamery Theatre's Main Stage.

Shows are August 27- 30 at 2:00 pm with a special evening performance on August 29 at 7:30 pm.

Tom Mullica's tribute is the only Red Skelton Tribute show in America Authorized by the Red Skelton Estate and Lothian Skelton!

Tom Mullica Transforms himself into Red Skelton, the legendary comic who is beckoned to regale the audience with his rubber-faced pantomimes, ageless sight gags, obscenity-free jokes, and a legion of memorable characters.

Tom Mullica knew Red Skelton.  Red Skelton gave Tom permission to use material from Red's long-running TV show.  Tom brings Red Skelton's famous characters to vivid life: Clem Klediddlehopper, Gertrude and Heathcliff, Guzzler's Gin, Freddie the Freeloader.

Tickets are $28.50 for adults and $18.50 for students.

Season tickets are not valid for this special event. Call the box office for tickets and information 319-622-6262 or visit us online at www.oldcreamery.com.

The Old Creamery Theatre is a not-for-profit professional theatre founded in 1971 in Garrison, Iowa. In 2015, the company will be celebrating 44 years of bringing live, professional theatre to the people of Iowa and the Midwest.

MOUNT CARROLL, IL - Timber Lake Playhouse presents the acclaimed new musical adaptation of Big Fish July 30th through August 9th. Based on the novel by Daniel Wallace and the beloved Tim Burton film adaptation, Big Fish brings the life and tall-tales of Edward Bloom to the stage with the kind of inventive stagecraft that reminds audiences why they love going to the theatre. The production stars longtime TLP favorite Karl Hamilton as Edward, and it is directed and choreographed by artistic director James Beaudry.

Edward Bloom is a traveling salesman whose incredible, larger-than-life stories thrill everyone around him - most of all, his adoring wife Sandra. But their son Will, about to have a child of his own, is determined to find the truth behind his father's epic tales, hoping to reveal the real man behind the rollicking fantasy life. Overflowing with heart, humor and spectacular stage magic, Big Fish is an extraordinary new Broadway musical and an experience richer, funnier and bigger than life itself.

Beaudry said of the production, "The show is filled with everything you could ever want in a musical: romance, comedy, a beautiful story about parents and children, spectacular production numbers, trees that come to life, an All-American USO show, a circus with dancing elephants, and more?all the things that Edward Bloom can think up to make his life seem bigger. It's an absolutely unforgettable theatre experience that will send people home feeling larger than life."

Joining Hamilton is Elizabeth Haley as Edward's wife Sandra (the two are married off-stage, as well), Samuel Leicht as son Will, Daxtun Heier of Sterling as Young Will, and the 2015 TLP resident company playing everyone else in Edward's stories.

Big Fish opens Thursday, July 30 at 7:30 p.m. Performances continue Friday, July 31 at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, August 1 at 2:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.; Sunday, August 2 at 2:00 p.m.; Tuesday, August 4 at 7:30 p.m.; Wednesday, August 5 at 2:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.

; Thursday, August 6 at 7:30 p.m.; Friday, August 7 at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, August 8 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, August 9 at 2:00 p.m.

The Magic Owl Children's Theatre at TLP will present a 50 minute stage adaptation of James and the Giant Peach, based on the classic children's novel by Roald Dahl. Performances are at 2:00 p.m. August 4, 6, 7 and 8. Tickets to Magic Owl shows are only $7. This program has been introducing live theatre to you people for three generations.

Opening August 13, TLP will present the Tony Award-winning musical Big River, based on Mark Twain's stories of Huckleberry Finn, with music by Roger Miller.

Tickets for all TLP mainstage show are $17-$25 with discounts for seniors, active duty military and students. For reservations, call the box office at 815-244-2035 or visit www.timberlakeplayhouse.org. TLP is located at 8215 Black Oak Road in rural Mount Carroll, Illinois.

This program is partially sponsored by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency.

Even though the Showboat promises two more productions this summer, it is time to announce the 2016 Season. That will happen on Tuesday, July 28th at 7pm during the Showboat Follies.

The Follies is an evening of entertainment by the professional company, the Showboat interns and some local performers. Hosted by Producing Artistic Director Matthew Teague Miller, the show will recap some favorite songs from 2015 shows and highlight numbers from next summer's season.

The audience will not only be first to learn what shows are planned for the 2016 CAST season, but there will also be specials, offering the best pricing on 2016 season tickets. After the performance, there is a reception in the lobby of the Showboat.

Members of this summer's professional company who will perform numbers at the Follies include : Jonathan Young, Christian Chambers, Livvy Marcus, and Bailey Reeves. Production Music Director Matt Bean and Lighting Designer/Production Manager Kyle Davis will also perform. The Follies will provide an opportunity to preview the talents of Daniella Dalli who will play the role of Diana in Next to Normal.

Local performers participating in Tuesday's Follies include : Peter Sickels, Kris Doss, Allison Winkel, Laurel Decker, Hannah Dalton, Lily Leding, and Joseph Brune. Members of the Intern Company performing in the Follies include : Haley Appel, Matthew Espey, Erin Hardigan, Hannah Johnson, Susanna Klooster, Savannah Medley, Clayton Melvin, Audrey Simpson, Danica Smith, Kate Struble, Cassie Van Zuiden, Emma Van Zuiden and Kayla Zeimet.

Tickets for the Follies are just $20 and may be purchased at the box office or at www.clintonshowboat.org. For more information about any of the Showboat performances, call
563­-242­-6760.

The final two productions this summer are Steel Magnolias (July 23-­August 2) and Next to Normal (August 6­-15).