Monday, May 18, 2026

Review Highlights: OVER THE RIVER AND TROUGH THE WOODS - Don Bluth Front Row Theatre

Gary Caswell, Donna Kaufman, Aurora Howard,Martha Welty, Brett Etzel, and Walt Pedano
Photo by Mark Gluckman


highlights from local critics reviews - (click link at bottom of each review to read complete review)

Click here for more information on this production that runs through June 20

"Touching upon the joy and guilt of close family relationships along with the regret that comes when a child grows up and moves away, Over the River and Through the Woods focuses on issues that are familiar and situations that resonate. Don Bluth Front Row Theatre's production has a lovely cast and warm direction that brings this clever and moving dramedy to life with humor and realism...Under Janis Webb's direction, there is a nice balance to the performances. The comical moments shine while the dramatic ones aren't overly melodramatic....a well-cast, charming, and quite moving production of this humorous, nostalgic and sentimental play."   - Gil Benbrook, TalkinBroadway.com (click here to read the complete review)

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Auditions for Actor's Youth Theatre's Summer Intensive production of SEUSSICAL, JR announced for June 1

 
Update for our Summer Intensive!
Our production has changed — we are now excited to announce we will be performing Seussical Jr.
Directors: Elise Stoffer & Bruce Goolsby
Music Director: Elise Stoffer
Choreographer: Bruce Goolsby
Stage Manager: Saniya Sapakie

 Auditions:
Monday, June 1st | 10:00am–12:00pm
Life Community Church
717 W Ray Rd, Gilbert, AZ 85233

Prepare:
One 32-bar cut or 60 seconds of a song in the style of the show

Sign up for an audition time:

Required audition form (must be completed before auditions):


Video auditions (if needed):
Due by Sunday, May 31st at 12:00pm
Subject: Seussical Jr auditions: [performer name]

Rehearsals: June 3–17 (weekday daytime schedule)
Performances: June 18–26 (multiple showtimes)
Production fee: $250 due at first rehearsal

 Parent commitment: 5 volunteer hours pre-production + 5 during the run (or $75 buyout per 5-hour block)

All rehearsals & performances at Life Community Church
ALL auditioners must complete BOTH the SignUpGenius AND Google Form prior to auditions.

We can’t wait to see you bring this story to life!

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Greasepaint Youth Theatre's 2026/2027 Season!

 
Once Upon A One More Time
Sep 11-20, 2026

Powered by the chart-topping hits of the undisputed Princess of Pop, Once Upon A One More Time turns our favorite fairytales upside down with a clever twist! When a fairy godmother goes rogue and plops copies of The Feminine Mystique in the laps of classic heroines, the damsels embark on a quest to rewrite their stories and redefine “happily ever after.”


The Lightning Thief – The Percy Jackson Musical
Oct 23 - Nov 1, 2026

The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical is an action-packed rock musical adaptation of Rick Riordan’s bestselling novel. It follows teenager Percy Jackson, who discovers he is a demigod son of Poseidon and accused of stealing Zeus’s master lightning bolt. Percy must quest across America with friends to prevent a war among the gods.


Annie Jr.
Dec 4-13, 2026

Based on the popular comic strip and adapted from the Tony Award-winning Best Musical, with a beloved book and score by Tony Award winners, Thomas Meehan, Charles Strouse and Martin Charnin, Annie JR.features everyone’s favorite little redhead in her very first adventure.


Shrek The Musical Jr.
Feb 12-21, 2027

Beauty is in the eye of the ogre in Shrek The Musical JR., based on the Oscar-winning DreamWorks Animation film and fantastic Broadway musical.  It’s a “big bright beautiful world” as everyone’s favorite ogre, Shrek, leads a cast of fairytale misfits on an adventure to rescue a princess and find true acceptance.  Part romance and part twisted fairy tale, Shrek JR. is an irreverently fun show with a powerful message for the whole family.

 
Chicago Teen Edition
Apr 30 - May 9, 2027

In “Roaring Twenties” Chicago, chorine Roxie Hart murders a faithless lover and convinces her hapless husband, Amos, to take the rap… until he finds out he’s been duped and turns on Roxie. Convicted and sent to death row, Roxie and another “Merry Murderess,” Velma Kelly, vie for the spotlight and the headlines, ultimately joining forces in search of the “American Dream”: fame, fortune, and acquittal.

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Your first look at EVER AFTER at the Phoenix Theatre Company

 













photos by Brennen Russell or Bailey Crawford

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Auditions for WHISPERS IN THE DARK, RICHARD III, and AMADEUS at Southwest Shakespeare Company announced for May 30

 
AUDITIONS ANNOUNCED FOR BEGINNING OF OUR 2026-2027 SEASON

AUDITIONS ANNOUNCED FOR WHISPERS IN THE DARK, RICHARD III and AMADEUS

WHEN: May 30, 2026.  
WHERE: Mesa Arts Center 2nd floor - 1 E Main St in Mesa

SCHEDULE YOUR AUDITION TODAY: COMPLETE THIS FORM

PREPARE: a 1-minute Classical monologue. You may prepare a bonus 1 min modern monologue but it is not required

ABOUT WHISPERS IN THE DARK:
Rehearsals for Whispers in The Dark start SEPT, 2026, and the production performs in the Nesbit-Elliot Playhouse and runs in Repertory with Richard III. Public Performances OCT 18 & 25th with weekday student matinees on October 14, 15, 20th, and 23rd 2026 at 10am.  

The show features Edgar Allen Poe taking us on a journey through his stories.

Casting:

Edgar Allen Poe - Narrator, The Raven, Annabelle-Lee
Actor 2 Cask of Amontillado
Actor 3 The Tell Tale Heart
Actor 4 The Pit and The Pendulum
Actor 5 The Black Cat


ABOUT RICHARD III:

Rehearsals begin SEPT 7th, 2026 and the production performs in the Nesbit-Elliot Playhouse and runs in repertory with Whispers In The Dark. Public Performances OCT 10-24 with weekday matinees on Oct 13, 16 & 21 at 10am.
A classical play by Shakespeare featuring a would-be King murdering his way to the top.

Casting:

The part of Richard III has been cast. 
Looking for 11 actors of all types to play various roles in the show.


ABOUT AMADEUS by Peter Shaffer

Rehearsals begin Oct, 2026 and the production performs in the Farnsworth Studio. Public Performances November 14-29 with possible matinees at 10am 17, 18, 19, 20, 24, 25.

In the court of the Austrian Emperor Joseph II, Antonio Salieri is the established composer. Enter the greatest musical genius of all time: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Salieri has given himself to God so that he might realize his sole ambition, to be a great composer. Mozart is a foul-mouthed, graceless oaf who has that which is beyond Salieri’s envious grasp: genius.

Casting:

Antonio Salieri
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Looking for 8-10 additional actors of all types to fill the rest of the cast. 

 
Callbacks for all shows: May 31st As Needed


FAQ:
WILL YOU CONSIDER EQUITY SUBMISSIONS?
No

ARE ALL ROLES PAID?
Yes.

IF WE CANNOT MAKE THE IN-PERSON AUDITION CAN WE SUBMIT VIRTUALLY?
Yes. Submit by 10PM May 30th, 2026.
Subject: LASTName Audition
Include Video Link, Headshot, Resume and Conflicts

ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? info@swshakespeare.org
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WEEK AT A GLANCE: May 18-May 24, 2026

Click on any show title to get more information on that production


LIMITED RUN:











OPENING:



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Sunday, May 17, 2026

PEPPERMINT BEEHIVE - Space 55 - May 22-31, 2026

 
Space55 Closes Our 20th Season With A Play About Puppets, Punks In Love, and the Gentrification of Downtown Phoenix

Space55 is proud to close our 20th season of programming with a show that harkens back to our rowdy 
late night shows when we were still on 7th St. and Pierce. Directed by Dennis Frederick and written by Zoni Award-winning playwright Ashley Naftule, Peppermint Beehive is a play about punks in love, puppets, and the gentrification of downtown. The lovechild of a menage a trois between Lewis Carroll, John Waters, and Betty Boop, Peppermint Beehive is an absurdist dark comedy about what happens when a neighborhood full of weirdos, queer lovers, and bohemian dreamers crosses paths with the implacable iceberg of capitalism.

Before you ask “hey, so, is this play about Roosevelt Row”— yes, yes it is. It’s real “I know writers who use subtext and they’re all cowards” Gareth Marengi hours over here.

Starring Sarafina Starling, Ashley Belle Vasquez, Madeleine Miller, Logan Watters, Marcella Grassa, Rick Larsen, Angela Gonzalez, and Tommy Cannon, 

Peppermint Beehive plays at Metro Arts (1700 N. 7th Ave, Phoenix) from May 22 to 31st. Friday and Saturday shows at 7:30 p.m., Sundays at 2 p.m. There will be a matinee performance on Saturday, May 23, at 2pm and a Pay What You Want performance on Thursday, May 28, at 7:30 p.m. 



Please note: while there are puppets in this (designed by Amy Carpenter), this is NOT a kid’s show. There is strong adult language and content in this play. Please leave your kiddos at home or be prepared to have some… interesting conversations after the show.

Plot Summary:
For Rikki Richman, life is a hamster wheel of soul-deadening office shifts, go-nowhere phone calls to her landlord, listless nights swiping left on dating profiles, and being constantly harassed by her too helpful A.I. assistant. A chance encounter with Jamie Dayglo, a bewitching stranger at a punk show with a magical candy-festooned hairdo, sends Rikki down the rabbit hole to Rushmore Street, a grubby yet vibrant neighborhood of artists, puppets, goblins, and mimes. Everything is fun and games until a maniac cop and a pair of corporate sharks from Rikki’s work smell blood in the water, and Rushmore Street suddenly finds itself on the receiving end of a gentrification feeding frenzy. Can Rikki, Jamie, and the Rushmore Street bohemians beat back the tides of “progress” or will everything they know and love be transformed into a combination craft bar/Chipotle? 

For more than 20 years Space55 has been a fixture in Phoenix’s performing arts and theater scenes, staging plays by acclaimed writers like Greg Kotis, Ann Washburn, and Kim Porter; hosting late night
stand-up comedy shows, storytelling events, and puppet shows; and scandalizing audiences with our notorious 7 Minutes In Heaven variety show.

Art by Dain Quentin Gore
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Your first look at HAND TO GOD at Fifth Wall Playhouse











photos by Rob Evans

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Registration now open for Center Stage Academy's 2026 Summer Camps

 
Summer Magic is HERE at Center Stage Academy!

Four incredible weeks of camps are coming your way. Get ready for non-stop fun, creativity, and unforgettable memories!
  • Emerald Academy (June 1–5)
  • Wizarding World! (June 8–12)
  • Gotta Be GOLDEN (June 15–19)
  • How It’s Done Done Done (June 22–26)
Whether your kid wants to cast spells, dance on stage, or own the spotlight, there’s a camp perfect for them!

Limited spots are filling up FAST — don’t miss your chance to make this the best summer yet!

Register today at www.CenterStage.Academy
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Your first look at OVER THE RIVER AND THROUGH THE WOODS at Don Bluth Front Row Theatre

 





Photos by Mark Gluckman

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