Past Shows
Season 117 (2025-2026)
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Dancing at Lughnasa
Directed By Thomas Martin
A memory play by Brian Friel, focusing on the Mundy sisters in Ireland during the summer of 1936. The sisters, including Michael's mother, raise him as he recalls their lives and the arrival of his father, Gerry. The play explores themes of family, love, loss, and the changing world through the sisters' perspectives.
Past Show Dates: September 26, 27, 28 & October 3, 4, 5, 2025
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Carnivàle Molière
Directed By Roger Lemelin
It’s 1930’s dustbowl in America and a troupe of traveling Commedia Dell’Arte performers have come to town. Their mission is to relieve the bleakness permeating many Americans lives with the whimsy and humor associated with Moliere and Commedia. All three plays are classic comedies by Moliere, master of the French farce. Each one-act includes mistaken identities and unrequited love amidst and atmosphere of jealousy and greed.
Three one act plays by Moliere
Past Show Dates: December 5, 6, 7 & 12, 13, 14, 2025
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anthropology
Directed By Joan Dillenback
Merril is a software engineer, who creates a digital simulation of her missing sister, Angie, using her digital remains. The play explores the implications of this AI creation, especially as it starts to reveal new details about Angie's disappearance. It delves into themes of family, technology, and legacy, questioning the nature of grief, and the line between artificial and human intelligence.
Written by: Lauren Gunderson
Past Show Dates: January 23, 24, 25, 30, 31 & February 1, 2026
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The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
Directed By Aaron Blanck
This show follows six quirky students competing in a spelling bee. The musical is a hilarious and touching look at adolescence, exploring themes of competition, identity, and self-discovery. The show is known for its catchy music, funny book, and audience participation.
Written by: Rachel Sheinkin & William Finn
Musical Direction by: Tim Sauer
Past Show Dates: March 13, 14, 15, 20, 21, 22, 27, 28 & 29, 2026
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Talk Radio
Directed By Terry Shea
Barry Champlain, Cleveland's controversial radio host, is on the air doing what he does best: insulting the pathetic souls who call in the middle of the night to sound off. Tomorrow, Barry's show is going into national syndication and his producer is afraid that Barry will say something that will offend the sponsors. This, of course, makes Barry even more outrageous. Funny and moving, offbeat, outrageous and totally entrancing, Talk Radio had a long run at New York's Public Theatre starring the author.
Written by Eric Bogosian
Past Show Dates: May 8, 9, 10, 15, 16, & 17, 2026
Season 116 (2024-2025)
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They Promised Her The Moon
Directed By Katie Preston
Tells the true story of Jerrie Cobb, a pilot and aspiring astronaut who was denied the chance to be the first American woman in space because of her gender. The play follows Cobb's journey through the Mercury 13 project, a secret program that tested female astronauts alongside the official Mercury 7 group.
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The Revlon Girl
Directed By Lynne Collinson & Karen Besson
A play set eight months after the 1966 Aberfan disaster, focusing on four bereaved mothers who gather weekly for support. The play explores their grief, guilt, and evolving relationships as they navigate the aftermath of the tragedy, culminating in a meeting with a Revlon makeup artist. The play uses the beauty demonstration as a catalyst for the women to confront their losses and find a way to move forward while supporting each other.
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I Hate Hamlet
Directed By Gia Yarn
A comedic play about Andrew Rally, a television actor, who is offered the role of Hamlet in a New York production but hates the play and the role. To further complicate matters, he lives in an apartment that once belonged to John Barrymore, and his agent convinces him to summon Barrymore's ghost for acting advice. The play explores the conflict between pursuing a successful acting career and the allure of a prestigious, albeit challenging, role in Shakespeare.
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Into The Woods
Directed By Samantha Hudgins & Lydia Johnson
Follows a childless baker and his wife who seek to break a witch's curse by gathering magical items. Their journey intertwines with the stories of Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Jack and the Beanstalk, and Rapunzel, as they all pursue their own desires in the woods. The musical explores the consequences of their actions and the complexities of achieving a true "happily ever after".
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You On The Moors Now
Directed By Morgan Salpietro
A contemporary play that reimagines four iconic 19th-century literary heroines (Jo March, Elizabeth Bennet, Jane Eyre, and Cathy Earnshaw) as they reject societal expectations and societal norms in their romantic relationships. The play explores themes of love, independence, and the challenges of modern courtship within a feminist context. It's set against the backdrop of the moors, which are often depicted as a place of both refuge and a threat in literature.
Season 115 (2023-2024)
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Into The Breeches
Directed By Vince Petronio
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She Loves Me
Directed By Joan Dillenback
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God Of Carnage
Directed By Jeff Sullivan
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When We Were Young & Unafraid
Directed By Morgan Salpietro
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Wonder Of The World
Directed By Richard Marr-Griffin
Season 114 (2022-2023)
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20th Century Blues
Directed By Lynne Collinson
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The Wickhams Christmas at Pemberley
Directed By Vince Petronio
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The Normal Heart
Directed By Jeff Sullivan
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Bernhardt/Hamlet
Directed By Samantha Hudgins
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Avenue Q
Directed By Kevin Thibault
Season 113 (2021-2022)
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The Murder Room
Directed By Mike Daniels
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Sylvia
Directed By Joan Dillenback
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Ripcord
Directed By Karen Besson
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A Raisin In The Sun
Directed By Jonathan Pitts-Wiley
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Putting It Together
Directed By Joan Dillenback
The Gallery
View our gallery of past poster shows, highlighting the creativity on display at the Barker Playhouse throughout the years.