We are thrilled to announce our third season of performances! Act3 Playhouse is a bustle of activity and rarely dark. Our 2011-2012 season begins in September with the farcical "Noises Off" and ends in June with "By Wheel and By Wing", an original musical presentation of the true account of one family's story of surviving the darkest of days during the Holocaust. The season is full of folly and the most serious of dramas - something for everyone. Join our theatre family - you'll be glad you did!

Noises Off

Written by Michael Frayn

Called the funniest farce ever written, NOISES OFF presents a manic menagerie, featuring a cast of itinerant actors rehearsing a flop called NOTHING'S ON. Doors slamming, on- and backstage intrigue, and an errant herring all figure in the plot of this hilarious and classically comic play.

"The most dexterously realized comedy ever about putting on a comedy. A spectacularly funny, peerless backstage farce. This dizzy, well-known romp is festival of delirium."-The New York Times

Recommended for mature audiences due to language and adult themes.

September 16-17 at 8pm, September 18 at 3pm, September 22–24 at 8pm

Rent School Edition
Book, Music, and Lyrics Jonathan Larson
School Edition

Set in the East Village of New York City, Rent School Edition is about falling in love, finding your voice and living for today. Winner of the Tony Award® for Best Musical and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, RENT has become a pop cultural phenomenon with songs that rock and a story that resonates with audiences of all ages.

This adaptation has been carefully created, working with the Larson estate to retain the dramatic intent of the groundbreaking rock musical, and consists of minimal changes to language and the removal of one song (CONTACT) to make it possible for many schools to perform this piece.

Recommended for mature audiences. Performances: November 4-6, 10-13

Xanadu
Book by Douglas Carter Beane
Music and Lyrics by Jeff Lynne
Based on the Universal Pictures film

XANADU follows the journey of a magical and beautiful Greek muse, Kira. She descends from the heavens of Mt. Olympus to Venice Beach in the 80's on a quest to inspire a struggling artist, Sonny, to achieve the greatest artistic creation of all time - the first ROLLER DISCO! (Hey, it's 1980!) But, when Kira falls into forbidden love with the mortal Sonny, her jealous sisters take advantage of the situation and chaos abounds.

Featuring the original hit score composed by pop-rock legends Jeff Lynne and John Farrar, and based on the cult classic movie of the same name, Xanadu (Olivia Newton-John and Gene Kelly) is a musical adventure about following your dreams despite the obstacles.

It's hilarity on wheels! Rated PG. Performances: January 5-8, 13-15

 

Disney's Beauty and the Beast JR.
Music by Alan Menken
Lyrics by Howard Ashman and Tim Rice
Book by Linda Woolverton
Broadway Junior Version

The brainy and beautiful Belle yearns to escape her provincial life...and her brute of a suitor, Gaston. However, Belle gets more adventure than she wants when she becomes a captive in the Beast's enchanted castle! Dancing flatware, menacing wolves, and singing furniture fill the stage with thrills in this beloved fairy tale about very different people finding strength in one another and learning how to love..

Recommended for all ages. Performances: March 16, 17, 23, 24 at 7:30pm. March 17, 18, 24, 25 at 2:30pm

 

Steel Magnolias

Written by Robert Harling

A first play which met with immediate critical and popular acclaim in its premier production by New York's WPA Theatre. Concerned with a group of gossipy southern ladies in a small-town beauty parlor, the play is alternately hilarious and touching—and, in the end, deeply revealing of the strength and purposefulness which underlies the antic banter of its characters.

"...suffused with humor and tinged with tragedy." -NY Post.

Recommended for ages 12+ Performances: April 27-29, May 4-6

By Wheel and By Wing
Original Book and Music by local teens
Based on the Parnes family's escape from Europe during World War II

The play is set in June of 1941 in the bustling town of Skalat on the Polish/Ukranian border. It is a moving and miraculous story of how one family endured, escaped and survived the war and holocaust. A staged reading of this musical was presented in May 2011 to sold-out audiences and received ovations for its sensitive and moving musical telling of this dramatic story.

Recommended for the entire family. Performances: June 21-24, 29-July 1, July 6 and 7