Center Stage Theatre

AUG 7 – 9 & 14 – 16, 2024 / 8 PM
On the OUTDOOR STAGE

The ‘80s are back with this 5-time Tony® Award-nominated Broadway musical and its story of a small-town girl, a city boy, and rock 'n' roll romance on the Sunset Strip! Aspiring rocker Drew dreams of glory while longing for Sherri, fresh off the bus from Kansas with stars in her eyes. When the bar where rock reigns supreme is set to be demolished by German developers, it's up to these wannabe rockers and their band of friends to save the day – and the music! ROCK OF AGES’ electric score, accompanied by a live rock band, features all your favorite ‘80s rock anthems and power ballads, including: “Every Rose Has Its Thorn,” “I Wanna Know What Love Is,” “Here I Go Again,” “We Built This City,” “Don't Stop Believin’,” and more!

Director & Choreographer / Megan Meyer
Music Director / Christian Heintzelman
Assistant Director & Assistant Choreographer / Myah Shelton

Book by Chris D’Arienzo
Arrangements and Orchestrations by Ethan Popp

ROCK OF AGES is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals. www.concordtheatricals.com

OCT 11 – 12 & 18 – 19, 2024 / 7:30 PM
OCT 13 & 20, 2024 / 2 PM
In the Little Theater

Truvy’s Salon is the beauty hub of Chinquapin, Louisiana, offering hairdos, manicures – and gossip. With her over-eager assistant Annelle, Truvy caters to small-town regulars including the caring M'Lynn and her soon-to-be-married daughter Shelby, the moody Ouiser, and the affluent widow Clairee. Through witty banter and wisecracks, this hodgepodge group of women form friendships as strong as steel. Known for its cherished film adaptation starring Sally Field, Shirley MacLaine, Olympia Dukakis, Dolly Parton, Daryl Hannah, and Julia Roberts, STEEL MAGNOLIAS is a hilariously touching comedy-drama celebrating the bonds among a group of Southern women in a home beauty salon in northwest Louisiana.

Director / Adam Gardner-Northrop

By Robert Harling

STEEL MAGNOLIAS is presented through special arrangement with Dramatists Play Service.

NOV 15 – 16, 2024 / 7 PM
NOV 17, 2024 / 2 PM
On the Auditorium Stage!

Travel over the rainbow with THE WIZARD OF OZ! This beloved tale comes to life on the Auditorium Stage featuring all the moments and music from the iconic 1939 MGM film. Follow the yellow brick road with Dorothy Gale as she encounters a host of whimsical characters on her journey to the Emerald City: good witches, the Scarecrow, the Tinman, the Cowardly Lion, and the Wicked Witch of the West, who will stop at nothing to get her hands on the ruby slippers. To make it home safely, Dorothy must learn an important lesson: there’s no place like home.

Director / Bill Anderson Jr.
Music Director / Jim Hohmeyer
Choreographer / Kelli Jolly

By L. Frank Baum
With Music and Lyrics by Harold Arlen and E. Y. Harburg, Background Music by Herbert Stothar Dance and Vocal Arrangements by Peter Howard, Orchestrations by Larry Wilcox

Adapted by John Kane for the Royal Shakespeare Company, Based upon the Classic Motion Picture owned by Turner Entertainment Co. and distributed in all media by Warner Bros

THE WIZARD OF OZ is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Tams-Witmark LLC. www.concordtheatricals.com

Sponsored by  and Grace A. Dow Memorial Library

FEB 21 & 22, FEB 28 – MAR 1, 2025 / 7:30 PM
FEB 23 & MAR 2, 2025 / 2 PM
In the Little Theater

Playwright Wendy Kesselman breathes new life into Anne Frank's renowned diary with a transcendently powerful stage adaptation, portraying a spirited young woman confronting unimaginable horrors with wit, fierce honesty, and unwavering hope. A heartfelt drama about the lives of eight people hiding from the Nazis in a concealed storage attic, THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK captures the realities of their daily existence—their fear, their hope, their laughter, their grief. Each day of these two dark years, Anne's voice shines through: "When I write I shake off all my cares. But I want to achieve more than that. I want to be useful and bring enjoyment to all people, even those I've never met. I want to go on living even after my death!"

Directed by Kaeleigh Casavant

Based on The Diary of Anne Frank by Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett, newly adapted by Wendy Kesselman

THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK is presented through special arrangement with Dramatists Play Service.

MAY 9 – 10 & 15 – 17, 2025 / 7:30 PM
MAY 11 & 18, 2025 / 2 PM
On-stage seating in the Little Theater

MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG is a thrilling and compelling showbiz fable about friendship and the high price of success. Starting from adulthood and traveling back in time to the idealistic dreams of youth, MERRILY charts the highs and lows of a relationship among three lifelong friends and traces every milestone of their lives for nearly two decades. With a score showcasing some of Stephen Sondheim’s best-known songs, including “Good Thing Going,” “Not a Day Goes By,” and “Old Friends,” this semi-autobiographical musical turns back the clock on friendship and the importance of staying true to one’s ideals.

Director / Chad William Baker
Music Director / Mike Skutt
Choreography / Faith Dore

Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, Book by George Furth
Based on the Original Play by George S. Kaufman & Moss Hart

MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI). All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI. www.mtishows.com