Passing the Theatrical Torch

Hello, Friends! 

Can you believe it’s mid-May already! Summer is coming…can you feel it? 

The cast of Company, the Dorset Players’ final production of their 97th season!

For the past few years, I have been incredibly fortunate to be a member of the Dorset Players, one of our local community theatre organizations that puts on shows every year from September through May at the historic Dorset Playhouse. We are currently rounding out our 97th season with a production of Stephen Sondheim’s Company, a Tony Award ® winning musical set in 1970, which opens this Friday, May 16! It’s been an incredible season so far, starting off with the horror classic Jekyll and Hyde, and followed up quickly by the modern holiday classic, Elf: the Musical. The season also included a One-Act Play Festival, a special production of Stones in His Pockets, the whacky comedy Meteor Shower by Steve Martin, and a staged reading of Calendar Girls. 

We’re already busy planning our 98th season, so stay tuned for that big announcement! 

The Dorset Players built the Dorset Playhouse in 1929 and have been its stewards for all these years, bringing quality community theatre to the area year after year. 

Every summer, we welcome the Dorset Theatre Festival (DTF) into the space for a summer of outstanding professional theatre!

DTF’s 48th season is sure to be another fantastic one!

After the closing matinee performance of Company on May 25, we will “strike” the production, clearing out the set, the costumes, the props, and the lights, and put the stage back to its original state, a blank canvas waiting for its next production. This allows us to “pass the torch” to DTF, who bring top-notch, professional productions– including exciting new works– to the area to keep the theatre abuzz and alive all year long. 

Originally called Harlequin Ltd. back in 1976 when they first rented out the Playhouse, DTF has brought experienced artists and celebrities to our region, showing audiences what is possible in this beautiful space. 

The acclaimed 2024 season finale, TRUE ART, by Jessica Provenz directed by Michelle Joyner, starring Jayne Atkinson, Fiona Robberson, and Charlie Reid. Photo by Joey Moro.

As a member of the community theatre group, I am always delighted and intrigued by what they are able to accomplish with their expertise and vision. As an experienced amateur performer, it is a profound privilege to “tread the boards” on a stage that has featured incredible professional talents like Jayne Atkinson, siblings Tim & Tyne Daly, Frasier alumni Peri Gilpin & Dan Butler, and so many more! This year, DTF is producing The Book Club Play, written by Karen Zacharias and directed by Jackson Gay. I had a true “theatre nerd” moment when I saw this play announced. I was in a production of The Book Club Play several years ago at Hubbard Hall in Cambridge, NY AND back in 2004, I had the fantastic opportunity to work with Jackson Gay when she directed me in a new musical called Young Zombies in Love at the New York International Fringe Festival. It felt like a full-circle moment seeing this combination, and I’m so excited to see the production (and find out if Jackson remembers me…after all, the last time she saw me, I was in full zombie make-up!)

Our region is so fortunate to be home to the Dorset Playhouse, where both talented amateur and expert professional theatre artists are able to take the space, make it their own, and wow audiences every year. 

Tickets for DTF’s 48th season are available now here.

Make sure to stay up to date on what’s happening with the Dorset Players’ 98th season, here!