Johnna Leary - Page 4

In an intimate show with epic possibilities, World Builders at the Contemporary American Theater Festival raises important questions about the fine line between imagination and insanity in today's medical society.

The New Voice Play Festival, opening on June 19 at the Old Opera House in Charles Town, WV, provides the opportunity for audiences to witness completely new and original plays from playwrights all across the nation and vote on which play is their favorite. The four plays chosen this year vary from zany comedies to thought-provoking dramas and present various challenges to the actors and directors.

Many audiences are familiar with the zany Marx Brothers movie, A Night at the Opera. But for a fast-paced and even funnier theatrical show about a night at the opera, check out Lend Me A Tenor, opening at the Washington County Playhouse in Hagerstown, MD this weekend.

Theaters in West Virginia this summer will offer a not-so-stereotypical "summer season". Many world premiere plays and new shows will debut, while some classic and contemporary musicals are still available in some of the state's professional theaters. Listed below are five of the top picks for live theater shows this summer, but these are only a small offering of the many fantastic performances and live theater seasons occurring in West Virginia.

The weather forecast may be clear this weekend, but a storm is approaching the Black Box Arts Center in Shepherdstown as William Shakespeare's The Tempest opens Friday, May 29.

Opening this weekend at Hagerstown Hub Opera, Puccini's La Boheme proves that the struggle is real. La Boheme is one of the most well known operatic stories about a group of young, impoverished artists struggling to make ends meet while holding onto their artistic ideals in a Parisian garret. Millennials may know the story as the classic opera which inspired the hit Broadway musical Rent.

Opening this weekend at the Apollo Civic Theater, Once Upon a Mattress, directed by Lauren Hugg and musically directed by Paul Cabell, tells the real story of the fairy tale "The Princess and the Pea". Not so long ago in a kingdom not so far away, evil Queen Aggravain has declared no one in the kingdom may be married until her precious Prince Dauntless finds a bride. However, the Queen devises seemingly more difficult tests for each Princess to pass and makes it almost impossible for Dauntless to find his true love, until an unusually bold and unrefined princess, Winnifred the Woebegone, arrives and may turn the classic fairy tale on its head when it appears the Princess must save the Prince.

Grab a six pack and your plastic pink flamingos, because The Great American Trailer Park Musical is coming to the Old Opera House in Charles Town, WV. Described as an "episode of Jerry Springer set to music", The Great American Trailer Park Musical takes a hilarious and often touching look at the lives of the residents in one of Florida's finest trailer parks when Pipi, a stripper on the run, comes between Dr. Phil-loving housewife Jeanne and her husband Norbert. The show is directed by David Porterfield, musically directed by Alison Shafer and choreographed by Ed Conn.

History comes to vivid life this weekend as The Andersonville Trial opens at the Apollo Civic Theater in Martinsburg, WV. Based on the real life trial of Henry Wirz during the Civil War, The Andersonville Trial is directed by Tami McDonald and features over fifteen area actors bringing a little-known court case from American history to brilliant life.

Little Women, a contemporary musical featuring the timeless story of the four March sisters, will premiere this Friday at Reynolds Hall on the campus of Shepherd University, produced by Shepherd University's student-run musical theater group, Scene Stealers.

BWW Interviews: BIRDS OF PARADISE to Premiere at Being Revived

This Friday, Rabbit Hole, the 2007 Pulitzer Prize-winning play, will debut at the recently opened Black Box Arts Center in Shepherdstown, WV. Directed by Julie Bloomquist, Rabbit Hole tells the seemingly simple, yet emotionally complex story of individual family members all dealing with the death of a young child. Married couple Becca and Howie have lost their four year old son after he was accidentally hit by a car. The family struggles to cope with the loss as Becca's sister, Izzy, is currently pregnant and Becca's mother, Nat, attempts to comfort her daughters and hold the fragile family together.

Here on the Flight Path, a new romantic comedy by Norm Foster, flies into opening this Friday at the Old Opera House in Charles Town, WV. In Here on the Flight Path, John, a slightly nerdy man coming out of a failed relationship, lives on the edge of Toronto's Pearson Airport. The play focuses on John's different relationships with three women over the course of time. A unique factor for Here on the Flight Path lies in the intimate staging.

The students of the Shepherd University Music Department will premiere an Opera Double Feature, featuring one comedic romance and one tragic romance, just in time for Valentine's Day! Opening February 13, the Opera Double Feature will included Dido and Aeneas, directed by Dr. Robert Tudor, and La Serva Padrona, directed by Dr. Bobb Robinson. Both operas are musically directed by Dr. Erik Jones. Dido and Aeneas, a tragedy, tells the story of Dido, a queen and both her love for enemy soldier, Aeneas, and her despair when he leaves her. La Serva Padrona, a comedy, features a clever maid and manservant conspiring to trick the master of the house into marrying the maid so that she can become the wealthy mistress of the house.

With Valentines Day quickly approaching, a comedy about a romantic dinner sounds perfect. Add in mistaken identities, sexual humor and some surprise plot twists, and you find the perfect date night in the comedy Don't Dress for Dinner, premiering this Friday to open the 2015 season at the Old Opera House. Directed by Steven Brewer, Don't Dress for Dinner is fast-paced farce set in the charming French countryside. Bernard is planning a romantic weekend with his mistress while his wife, Jacqueline, is away. He invites his best friend, Robert, over for a fool-proof alibi. But, as it turns out, Robert is actually Jacqueline's lover, Jacqueline decides not to leave after all, Bernard's mistress must now pretend to be the cook and everyone's alibi is altered as Bernard and Robert try to talk their way out of a relationship mess!

For fans of popular TV crime series like NCIS or Criminal Minds, imagine how much more suspenseful a show about a kidnapping would be if it was actually happening, in real time, right in front of you..... onstage. The Abduction, opening on January 23 at the Apollo Civic Theater is a modern mystery-thriller sure to chase away the winter doldrums. Directed by Jeff Wine, The Abduction is a modern-day thriller featuring an average American family. After celebrating her parents' anniversary dinner, Cindy Grant is forced off the road while driving back to her college during a thunderstorm and abducted by a mysterious stranger. Her parents, Allen and Shelia, desperately struggle to raise the ransom by the criminal's deadline and Cindy's boyfriend goes off to search for her, all while they continue to receive chilling cell phone calls from Cindy and her abductor.

Santa Claus may be coming to town, but the Three Wise Men will be arriving sooner in a new production of Amahl and the Night Visitors. Hagerstown Hub Opera Ensemble will present a special one time only production, directed by Phillip Collister in conjunction with Towson University Music for the Stage Ensemble at the Maryland Theater for the holiday season on December 21.

"You'll shoot your eye out!" Instead of watching the nostalgic Christmas movie during another 24 hour movie marathon, see A Christmas Story: The Musical live on stage at the Old Opera House in Charles Town, WV, opening December 4.

The Potomac Playmaker's production of Jacob Marley's Christmas Carol, directed by Charles Kopack, will open December 5 at the Hagerstown Women's Club in Hagerstown, MD. The show tells the story of A Christmas Carol, but from Jacob Marley, Scrooge's best friend and business partner's, point of view

Spring Awakening, a modern rock musical featuring teenage student discoveries, will premiere this Friday at the Shepherdstown Train Station, produced by Shepherd University's student-run musical theater group, Scene Stealers.