Smoke on the Mountain tells the story of a Saturday Night Gospel Sing at a country church in North Carolina’s Smoky Mountains in 1938. The show features two dozen rousing bluegrass songs played and sung by the Sanders Family, a traveling group making its return to performing after a five-year hiatus.Pastor Oglethorpe, the young and enthusiastic minister of Mount Pleasant Baptist Church, has enlisted the Sanders Family in his efforts to bring his tiny congregation into “the modern world.” Between songs, each family member “witnesses” — telling a story about an important event in their life. Though they try to appear perfect in the eyes of a congregation who wants to be inspired by their songs, one thing after another goes awry and they reveal their true — and hilariously imperfect – natures. By the evening’s end, the Sanders Family have endeared themselves to us by revealing their weaknesses and allowing us to share in their triumphs.
From the first notes to the final breath, West Side Story is one of the most memorable musicals and greatest love stories of all time. The world’s greatest love story takes to the streets in this landmark Broadway musical that is one of the theatre’s finest accomplishments. Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet is transported to 1950’s New York City as two young, idealistic lovers find themselves caught between warring street gangs, the “American” Jets and the Puerto Rican Sharks. Their struggle to survive in a world of hate, violence and prejudice is one of the most innovative, heart-wrenching and relevant musical dramas of our time.
*School Matinee available at 9am! Reservations available by email @ closeddoorentertainment@gm
“A Few Good Men” details the courtroom drama of two Marines charged with the murder of a fellow Marine and the tense legal tribulations that follow. A callow young Navy lawyer serves as the focus of the story. He is more interested in softball cases and expects a plea bargain. Prodded by a female member of his defense team, the lawyer eventually makes a valiant effort to defend his clients and, in so doing, puts the military mentality and the Marine code of honor on trial.
Set in August of 1947, All My Sons is centered around the Keller family, patriarch Joe, his wife Kate and their son, Chris. The boisterous Joe Keller deals with the fallout from his business having profited from the war by shipping faulty engine parts, which caused the death of 21 pilots. Still reeling from the disappearance of their son, Larry, Kate Keller is in a constant battle to stay sane and refuses to give up hope for his safe return. Complications for the Kellers also arise from their former neighbors, George and Ann Deever, the children of Joe Keller’s business partner, who is taking the punishment of the faulty shipments. Ann is the girlfriend of the missing Keller son, but is now the object of the older Chris Keller’s affection. George, damaged by the war, uses his visit to assert a certain truth about the war and the faulty shipments.
A middle-aged single mother reflects on her life and death following her fatal car accident, while her grown son encounters two men at her funeral who could each be the father he’s never known.
On Wednesday, April 12, the new play “Scar’d for Life” from Ringgold Playhouse executive director Adam Cook will be performed for one night only on the historic Ringgold Depot stage. The play had its world premiere at the Dalton Little Theatre on March 17, and ran through March 25. The cast and crew, many of which have been a part of TRP over the years, will present the show as a fundraiser for the planned film adaption of the story. Ticketing and concession proceeds will go to the film project, which is currently in development and slated for shooting in the Fall of 2017.
The international Irish dance phenomenon is back by popular demand in RIVERDANCE – The 20th Anniversary World Tour. Drawing on Irish traditions, the combined talents of the performers propel Irish dancing and music into the present day, capturing the imagination of audiences across all ages and cultures in an innovative and exciting blend of dance, music and song. Of all the performances to emerge from Ireland – in rock, music, theater, and song – nothing has carried the energy, the sensuality and the spectacle of Riverdance. Riverdance – The 20th Anniversary World Tour is composed by Bill Whelan, produced by Moya Doherty and directed by John McColgan, and comes directly to North America from a sold-out run across Europe and Asia.
The first collaboration of famed partners Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II, Oklahoma! set the American musical theatre standard. Set in Western Indian Territory just after the turn-of-the-20th-Century, the spirited rivalry between the local farmers and cowboys provides the backdrop for the love story between Curly, a handsome cowboy, and Laurey, a beautiful farm girl. The road to true love is anything but smooth, but there is no doubt that these two romantics will succeed in making a life together. As the road to romance and the road to statehood converge, Curly and Laurey are poised to spend their new life together in a brand new state: O-K-L-A-H-O-M-A – OKLAHOMA!
Oklahoma runs April 18-22
David Lindsay-Abaire’s 2007 Pulitzer Prize-winning play about a couple’s struggle to deal with the loss of their young son. Becca and Howie Corbett have everything a family could want, until a life-shattering accident turns their world upside down and leaves the couple drifting perilously apart. “Rabbit Hole” charts their bittersweet search for comfort in the darkest of places and for a path that will lead them back into the light of day.
Performance dates are April 20-22 and 27-29 at 7:30pm with a special matinee on April 29 at 2:30pm.
FESTIVAL OF NEW PLAYS Circle Theatre (general seating) – World Premiere
Grand Prize Winner April 21 – May 7, 2017
Not even written yet new: A completely new work for our 2017 Festival of New Plays – our ninth biennial festival where the work of local playwrights is showcased. The 2014-15 winner, the romantic comedy Dorothy Parker Would Not Approve by Stacy Chapman, was the most popular in the history of the competition.
