Mount Carroll?Timber Lake Playhouse, the professional summer theatre of Northwest Illinois, will open its 54th consecutive season on June 4th. Tickets for all six mainstage productions will go on sale Monday, May 18th at 10:00 a.m. online and at the theatre box office. Subscriptions to see all six shows at a discounted rate are already available.
The season to "Dream Bigger" begins with the Tony Award winning musical Hairspray. It's 1962 Baltimore, and the lovable plus-size teen Tracy Turnblad has only one desire?to dance on the popular Corny Collins Show. When her dream comes true, Tracy is transformed from social outcast to sudden star, using her newfound power to dethrone the reigning teen queen, win the affections of heartthrob Link Larkin, and integrate a TV network, all without denting her 'do. A newcomer to TLP, Amelia Jo Parish, will star as Tracy Turnblad and TLP favorite Grant Brown returns to play Corny Collins.
Chicago theatre recognizes its best work each season with the Joseph Jefferson (Jeff) Awards. TLP brings four Jeff Award winning guest artists to Mount Carroll this summer. They include Hairspray director Lili-Anne Brown and actor Tommy Bullington, who will star as Edna Turnblad in Hairspray, a role that won Harvey Fierstein a Tony Award. Jeff Award winner Brigitte Ditmars will play the Female Authority Figure in Hairspray and star in The Big Meal, which is directed by Chuck Smith, another Jeff Award winning director in his 14th consecutive summer at the playhouse
The Big Meal, which premiered in Chicago in 2011, tells the extraordinary story of an ordinary family. Somewhere in America, in a typical suburban restaurant on a typical night, Sam and Nicole first meet. Sparks fly. And so begins an expansive, heart-warming tale that traverses five generations of a modern American family. Judy Knudtson returns to TLP for The Big Meal, along with newcomers Cullen Rogers, Paige ManWaring, Matt W. Miles and Brian Pauley. Pulitzer Prize Winner Annie Baker recently called The Big Meal, "The greatest play ever written."
In July, for the first time ever, TLP will present the Broadway musical Peter Pan starring scene stealer Cody Jolly as Captain Hook and Rose Upton in the title role made famous by Mary Martin. The playhouse will offer additional matinees of the productions to accommodate families. Zachary L. Gray, who began his career at TLP playing Baby John in West Side Story returns to direct and choreograph the show.
The fourth show (and second play) of the season is Greater Tuna, a comedy about the third smallest town in Texas, where the Lion's Club is too liberal and Patsy Cline never dies. Matt Webb and Cody Jolly, who have become the playhouse's greatest comedic duo in shows like Young Frankenstein, Rumors and The Music Man, reunite to play all of the citizens of Tuna, Texas -- men, women, children and animals. Chicago director and choreographer, Stephen Schellhardt, stages the madness.
Opening July 30th, Artistic Director James Beaudry stages the stunning new musical adaptation of Big Fish. Based on the novel and the acclaimed Tim Burton film from 2003, Big Fish stars long time TLP favorite Karl Hamilton and Elizabeth Haley in the roles of Edward and Sandra Bloom, made famous on film by Albert Finney and Jessica Lange. The two are also married in real life. Samuel Leicht of Appleton, Wisconsin plays their son Will Bloom, and Daxtun Heier of Sterling, Illinois play's young Will.
Big Fish tells the story of Edward Bloom, a traveling salesman whose incredible, larger-than-life stories thrill everyone around him - most of all, his adoring wife Sandra. But their son Will is determined to find the truth behind his father's fantastic tales. Overflowing with heart, humor and spectacular stage magic as Edward's stories come to life, it is an extraordinary new musical that reminds us how great stories can give us an experience richer, funnier and bigger than life itself.
The final production of the 2015 season will be Roger Miller's Big River: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, directed by longtime TLP favorite Courtney Crouse. Propelled by an award winning country, bluegrass and gospel score, this journey down the Mississippi is a celebration of pure Americana. Twain's timeless classic is performed by actor-musicians with Grant Brown starring as Huck and John Chase returning as Pap Finn. Charles Benson, of Lansing, Michigan will play Jim.
TLP's 54th professional resident company includes 72 performers, musicians and designers chose from over 1,200 people who auditioned in six cities around the country. The programs at Timber Lake Playhouse are partially sponsored by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council, as state agency, through federal funds from the National Endowment for the Arts. The programs are also subsidized by hundreds of private, foundation and corporate donors from the region.
Tickets are $25.00 each. Senior, student and active duty military discounts are available. Six show subscriptions are $119 for adults and only $68 for students.
The box office will be open Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. through 4:00 p.m. beginning May 18th. Timber Lake Playhouse is located at 8215 Black Oak Road in rural Mount Carroll, Illinois. Box office hours expand when the season opens in June.
Tickets may be also be purchased online beginning May 18th at www.timberlakeplayhouse.org or by calling 815-244-2035 during box office hours . The playhouse appreciates your patience, as call volume is always high during the first week of ticket sales.
