Peterborough Players Announces Inaugural Winter Season of Plays

The Peterborough Players is known throughout New England as the quintessential summer stock theatre. But this year, the Players is working to enhance their reputation by offering, for the first time in its 83-year history, a Winter Season of plays.

The Players is promising that the same high quality, professional theatre enjoyed by thousands in the summer will now be offered in December and February. "We will be bringing what we do in the summer to the winter months." says Managing Director Keith Stevens. "This is something that we at the theatre, and our audiences, have wanted for a long time. We now have the right people and resources in place and are thrilled to be launching this exciting new endeavor."

The season will kick-off on December 7 with the comedy The Santaland Diaries starring Kraig Swartz and directed by Gus Kaikkonen. By Best-selling author David Sedaris, The Santaland Diaries chronicles his outlandish and truly misguided stint as "Crumpet" - one of Macy's Santaland elves. The play is touted as a "brilliant behind-the-scenes send-up of everything we love and loathe about Christmas" that "illuminates the insanity of the holidays, and the resilience of the human spirit."

On February 1, the Players return to the stage with Mass Appeal by Bill C. Davis starring Gus Kaikkonen and Adam Sowers, directed by Keith Stevens. "A tender comedy about the meaning and power of both secular and religious love", Mass Appeal tells of the close and often times comedic Friendship between Father Tim Farley and an idealistic young seminarian, Mark Dolan. Mark challenges both Fr. Farley's humorous sermons and some long held traditions of the Church leading to a conflict that raises difficult questions for both men: What is the price of honesty? How far do ends justify means?

The season closes in February with Robert Harling's classic play, Steel Magnolias featuring Lisa Bostnar and Kathy Manfre, directed by Gus Kaikkonen. Six strong Southern women gather weekly at Truvy's beauty shop, where all the ladies who are anybody go to have their hair done. Full of heart and humor, the play is a funny and moving story of love, loss, and enduring friendship. Playwright Robert Harling said "...while gorgeous, magnolias are fragile and bruise easily-qualities often attributed to Southern women. My extraordinary life experiences with my sister and mother showed me that women are indeed gorgeous, but their lives can be fragile. But underneath, they possess a tensile strength stronger than anything I could ever muster."

"Our patrons and supporters have been asking us to expand our season for some time now," says Artistic Director Gus Kaikkonen. "Based on our many conversations the consensus was that December can never have too much celebration, and February in the Monadnock Region was ripe for some added excitement. We are eager to present these plays as our inaugural Winter Season and hope this will become an annual undertaking."

Subscriptions, passes and single tickets are on sale now for the entire Winter Season. To celebrate the season the Players are offering their largest ever discounted ticket price with a 3-play subscription for $75. A 6-ticket flex pass can be purchased for $180 and single tickets are $39.

For more information on the Peterborough Players Inaugural Winter Season, call the box office at 603-924-7585 or visit online at www.peterboroughplayers.org. The Peterborough Players is located at 55 Hadley Rd in Peterborough, NH.

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