The Main Stage

At the Barker Playhouse in Providence, Rhode Island.

The performing season at the Barker Playhouse is from October to May and features five major productions, each of which will run for six performances over two weekends. Below is our lineup for Season 115.


Wonder of the World

Nothing will prepare you for the dirty little secret Cass discovers in her husband’s sweater drawer. It is so shocking that our heroine has no choice but to flee to the honeymoon capital of the world in a frantic search for the life she thinks she missed out on. It’s a wild ride over Niagara Falls in a barrel of laughs as Cass embarks on a journey of self-discovery that has her crossing paths with a blithely suicidal alcoholic, a lonely tour-boat captain, a pair of bickering private detectives, and a strange caper involving a gargantuan jar of peanut butter, all of which pushes her perilously close to the water’s edge.

Written by: David Lindsay-Abaire
Directed by: Richard Griffin

Show Dates

May 10 to 19, 2024


When We Were Young & Unafraid

In the early 1970s, before Roe v. Wade, before the Violence Against Women Act, Agnes has turned her quiet bed and breakfast into one of the few spots where victims of domestic violence can seek refuge. But to Agnes’ dismay, her latest runaway, Mary Anne, is beginning to influence Agnes’ college bound daughter Penny. As the drums of a feminist revolution grow louder outside of Agnes’ tiny world, Agnes is forced to confront her own presumptions about the women she’s spent her life trying to help.

Written by: Sarah Treem
Directed by: Morgan Salpietro

This Show ran on
March 15 to 24, 2024.


God of Carnage

What happens when two sets of parents meet up to deal with the unruly behavior of their children? A calm and rational debate between grown-ups about the need to teach kids how to behave properly? Or a hysterical night of name-calling, tantrums and tears before bedtime? Boys will be boys, but the adults are usually worse – much worse.

God of Carnage won the Olivier Award for Best Comedy and the Tony Award for Best Play.

Written by: Yasmina Reza
Directed by: Jeff Sullivan

This Show ran on:

January 26 to February 4, 2024


She Loves Me

She Loves Me is a warm romantic musical comedy with an endearing innocence and a touch of old-world elegance. Set in a 1930s European perfumery, we meet shop clerks Amalia and Georg, who, more often than not, don't see eye to eye. After both respond to a "lonely hearts advertisement" in the newspaper, they now live for the love letters that they exchange, but the identity of their admirers remains unknown. Join Amalia and Georg to discover the identity of their true loves... and all the twists and turns along the way.

Playwright: Joe Masteroff
Lyricist: Sheldon Harnick
Composer: Jerry Bock
Directed by: Joan Dillenback

This show ran on

December 1 to December 10, 2023


Into The Breeches

A surprisingly modern and moving comedy about the singular way art and community reveal our boldest selves even in the darkest times. Oberon Play House’s director and leading men are off at war with the Axis. Determined to press on, the director's wife sets out to produce an all-female version of Shakespeare's Henriad, assembling an increasingly unexpected team united in desire, if not actual theatre experience. Together they deliver a delightful celebration of collaboration and persistence when the show must go on!

Written by: George Brant
Directed by: Vince Petronio

This show ran on

September 22 - October 1, 2023


Full Event List

Click the button below to view the full event list from plays to workshops, to musicals, and more!