GUYS AND DOLLS - Scottsdale Desert Stages Theatre - August 26–September 4, 2022

                   

Directed by:  Gary Crumm

Music-directed by:  Cathy Hauan

Choreographed by:  Marley DeGroodt

“Sit down, you’re rockin’ the boat!”

Guys and Dolls tells the overlapping stories of high-roller Sky Masterson, who falls in love with mission worker Sarah Brown, and lovable rapscallion Nathan Detroit, engaged for 14 years to Miss Adelaide, a headliner at the Hot Box Club.

Friday & Saturday at 7:30pm

Saturday & Sunday at 2:00pm

CLICK HERE for more information, and to purchase tickets, when available

BRIGHTON BEACH MEMOIRS - Scottsdale Desert Stages Theatre - September 2–25, 2022

“It’s amazing how quickly you recover from misery when someone offers you ice cream.”

Set in the Brighton Beach section of Brooklyn, NY, in September, 1937, during The Great Depression, this coming-of-age comedy focuses on Eugene Morris Jerome, a Polish-Jewish American teenager who experiences puberty, sexual awakening, and a search for identity as he tries to deal with his family.

Friday & Saturday at 7:30pm

Saturday & Sunday at 3:00pm

CLICK HERE for more information, and to purchase tickets, when available

ROALD DAHL’S MATILDA THE MUSICAL JR. - Scottsdale Desert Stages Theatre -September 23–October 9, 2022

Co-directed by:  Alexis Archer and Noah Sucato

Choreographed by:  Alexis Archer

Stage Manager/Assistant Choreographer:  Rylie Clore

The children are rising up. Join the revolt!

Matilda has astonishing wit, intelligence… and special powers! She’s unloved by her cruel parents but impresses her schoolteacher, the highly loveable Miss Honey. Matilda’s school life isn’t completely smooth sailing, however – the school’s mean headmistress, Miss Trunchbull, hates children and just loves thinking up new punishments for those who don’t abide by her rules. But Matilda has courage and cleverness in equal amounts, and could be the school pupils’ saving grace!

Friday & Saturday at 7:30pm

Saturday & Sunday at 3:00pm

Appropriate for all ages

CLICK HERE for more information, and to purchase tickets, when available

PROOF - Scottsdale Desert Stages Theatre - October 14–November 6, 2022

Directed by:  Janis Webb

“My advice, if you find yourself awake late at night, is to sit down and do some mathematics.”

Proof is the story of an enigmatic young woman, Catherine, her manipulative sister, their brilliant father, and an unexpected suitor. They are all pieces of the puzzle in the search for the truth behind a mysterious mathematical proof.

Friday & Saturday at 7:30pm

Saturday & Sunday at 3:00pm

CLICK HERE for more information, and to purchase tickets, when available

HEATHERS THE MUSICAL – TEEN EDITION - Scottsdale Desert Stages Theatre - October 21–30, 2022

“We were kind before, we can be kind once more.”

The darkly delicious story of Veronica Sawyer, a brainy, beautiful teenage misfit who hustles her way into the most powerful and ruthless clique at Westerberg High: the Heathers. But before she can get comfortable atop the high school food chain, Veronica falls in love with the dangerously handsome new kid J.D. When Heather Chandler, the Almighty, kicks her out of the group, Veronica decides to bite the bullet and kiss Heather’s aerobicized butt… but J.D. has another plan for that bullet.

Friday & Saturday at 7:30pm

Saturday & Sunday at 2:00pm

CLICK HERE for more information, and to purchase tickets, when available

A CHRISTMAS STORY THE MUSICAL - Scottsdale Desert Stages Theatre - November 18–December 18, 2022

“You’ll shoot your eye out!”

A stage musical version of the 1983 film A Christmas Story. The musical has music and lyrics written by Pasek and Paul and the book by Joseph Robinette. The musical takes place in the 1940s in Indiana and focuses on a nine-year-old child named Ralphie Parker.  Ralphie wants one thing for Christmas, and one thing only: An Official Red Ryder Range Model Carbine Action BB Gun. There’s only one problem: everyone else is convinced he’ll shoot his eye out! 

Friday & Saturday at 7:30pm

Saturday & Sunday at 2:00pm

CLICK HERE for more information, and to purchase tickets, when available

THE VELVETEEN RABBIT - Scottsdale Desert Stages Theatre - December 2–18, 2022

“When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real.”

The Velveteen Rabbit lives in the Boy’s nursery with all the other toys, waiting for the day when the Boy will choose him as a playmate. In time, the shy Rabbit befriends the tattered Skin Horse, the wisest resident of the nursery, who reveals the goal of all nursery toys: to be made “real” through the love of a human.

Friday & Saturday at 7:30pm

Saturday & Sunday at 3:00pm

CLICK HERE for more information, and to purchase tickets, when available

THE SUNSHINE BOYS - Scottsdale Desert Stages Theatre - January 13–February 5, 2023

Neil Simon's THE SUNSHINE BOYS

DST Actor's Cafe Production

January 13 - February 5, 2023

Appropriate for ages 13+

"It's ham on wry." - New York Post

Al and Willie as "Lewis and Clark" were top-billed vaudevillians for over forty years. Now they aren't even speaking. When CBS requests them for a "History of Comedy" retrospective, a grudging reunion brings the two back together, along with a flood of memories, miseries, and laughs.

Directed by Bob Taylor

THE CAST:

Willie Clark - Bob Taylor

Al Lewis - Dan Marburger

Ben Silverman - Darrell "Wesley" Spencer

Registered Nurse - Lee Riggs

TV Director - Scott Sims

Vaudeville Nurse - Darcey Cochran

THE SUNSHINE BOYS, directed by Bob Taylor and stage-managed by Veronikka Rose Sylvas, opens at Desert Stages Theatre on Friday, January 13, and runs through Sunday, February 5.

Friday & Saturday at 7:30pm

Saturday & Sunday at 3:00pm

CLICK HERE for more information, and to purchase tickets, when available

SEUSSICAL JR. - Scottsdale Desert Stages Theatre - January 6–22, 2023

“Oh, the thinks you can think” when Dr. Seuss’ best-loved characters collide and cavort in an unforgettable musical caper!

Transporting audiences from the Jungle of Nool to the Circus McGurkus, the Cat in the Hat narrates the story of Horton the Elephant, who discovers a speck of dust containing tiny people called the Whos. Horton must protect the Whos from a world of naysayers and dangers, and he must also guard an abandoned egg that’s been left in his care by the irresponsible Mayzie La Bird.  Although Horton faces ridicule, danger and a trial, the intrepid Gertrude McFuzz never loses faith in him.  Ultimately, the powers of friendship, loyalty, family and community are challenged and emerge triumphant!

Friday & Saturday at 7:30pm

Saturday & Sunday at 3:00pm

CLICK HERE for more information, and to purchase tickets, when available

THE DROWSY CHAPERONE - Scottsdale Desert Stages Theatre - February 3–12, 2023

Teen Production

“I don’t wanna show off no more!”

The Man in Chair, a mousy, agoraphobic Broadway fanatic, seeking to cure his “non-specific sadness”, listens to a recording of the fictional 1928 musical comedy, The Drowsy Chaperone. As he listens to this rare recording, the characters appear in his dingy apartment, and it is transformed into an impressive Broadway set with seashell footlights, sparkling furniture, painted backdrops, and glitzy costumes. Man in Chair provides a running commentary throughout the show.

Friday & Saturday at 7:30pm

Saturday & Sunday at 2:00pm

CLICK HERE for more information, and to purchase tickets, when available

SOMETHING ROTTEN - Scottsdale Desert Stages Theatre - March 3–19, 2023

Set in the 1590s, brothers Nick and Nigel Bottom are desperate to write a hit play but are stuck in the shadow of that Renaissance rockstar known as “The Bard.” When a local soothsayer foretells that the future of theater involves singing, dancing and acting at the same time, Nick and Nigel set out to write the world’s very first musical. But amidst the scandalous excitement of opening night, the Bottom Brothers realize that reaching the top means being true to thine own self…and all that jazz.

Friday & Saturday at 7:30pm

Saturday & Sunday at 2:00pm

CLICK HERE for more information, and to purchase tickets, when available

BLEACHER BUMS - Scottsdale Desert Stages Theatre - March 3–April 2, 2023

A nine-inning comedy with a seventh inning stretch

The Cubs are playing the Cardinals. In the bleachers at Chicago’s Wrigley Field, the die-hard Cub fans root for their team. The group includes a rabid cheerleader, a blind man who follows the game by transistor radio and does his own play by play, a bathing beauty, a nerd, and various other bleacher denizens.

Friday & Saturday at 7:30pm

Saturday & Sunday at 3:00pm

CLICK HERE for more information, and to purchase tickets, when available

SHREK THE MUSICAL JR. - Scottsdale Desert Stages Theatre - April 7–23, 2023

It’s a “big bright beautiful world”

Based on the Oscar-winning smash hit film and outrageous Broadway musical. Once upon a time, in a far away swamp, there lived an ogre named Shrek.  One day, Shrek finds his swamp invaded by banished fairytale misfits who have been cast off by Lord Farquaad, a tiny terror with big ambitions. When Shrek sets off with a wisecracking donkey to confront Farquaad, he’s handed a task — if he rescues feisty princess Fiona, his swamp will be righted. Shrek tries to win Fiona’s love and vanquish Lord Farquaad, but a fairytale wouldn’t be complete without a few twists and turns along the way.

Friday & Saturday at 7:30pm

Saturday & Sunday at 3:00pm

CLICK HERE for more information, and to purchase tickets, when available

SIDEKICKED - Scottsdale Desert Stages Theatre - April 21–May 14, 2023

“I’m tired of being second banana.  I wanna be first banana.”

After years of playing Ethel Mertz, the housecoat-wearing sidekick to America’s favorite sit-com star on I Love Lucy, Vivian Vance has a lot she needs to get off her chest.  In her dressing room on the night of the show’s final filming, she issues an SOS to her long-time analyst: help me understand who I really am before I’m stuck being Ethel forever.  And she relives it all:  the Good, the Bad, and the Lucy. 

Friday & Saturday at 7:30pm

Saturday & Sunday at 3:00pm

CLICK HERE for more information, and to purchase tickets, when available

FREAKY FRIDAY ONE ACT EDITION - Scottsdale Desert Stages Theatre - May 5–14, 2023

Teen Production

“All I ask is for 12 hours to live my life my way!”

When an uber-organized mother and her spontaneous teenage daughter magically swap bodies, they have just one day to put things right. Masquerading as each other, they must work together to solve the mystery of how to break the spell. By spending a day in each other’s shoes, Katherine and Ellie come to appreciate one another in a way they never could have imagined. In the end, both learn the true power of love and the strength of the bond between a mother and daughter in this heartfelt and hilarious adaptation.

Friday & Saturday at 7:30pm

Saturday & Sunday at 2:00pm

CLICK HERE for more information, and to purchase tickets, when available

NEXT TO NORMAL - Scottsdale Desert Stages Theatre - June 2–11, 2023

An unflinching look at a suburban family struggling with the effects of mental illness.

Dad’s an architect; Mom rushes to pack lunches and pour cereal; their daughter and son are bright, wise-cracking teens, appearing to be a typical American family. And yet their lives are anything but normal because the mother has been battling manic depression for 16 years. Next to Normal takes audiences into the minds and hearts of each character, presenting their family’s story with love, sympathy and heart.

Friday & Saturday at 7:30pm

Saturday & Sunday at 2:00pm

CLICK HERE for more information, and to purchase tickets, when available

THE COMPLETE WORKS OF WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE – ABRIDGED AND REVISED - Scottsdale Desert Stages Theatre - June 9–July 2, 2023

All 37 Plays in 97 Minutes! 

An irreverent, fast-paced romp through the Bard’s plays, The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged) was London’s longest-running comedy having clocked a very palpable nine years in London’s West End at the Criterion Theatre! Join these madcap men in tights as they weave their wicked way through all of Shakespeare’s Comedies, Histories, and Tragedies in one wild ride that will leave you breathless and helpless with laughter!

Friday & Saturday at 7:30pm

Saturday & Sunday at 3:00pm

CLICK HERE for more information, and to purchase tickets, when available

DISNEY’S MOANA JR. - Scottsdale Desert Stages Theatre - June 30–July 16, 2023

How far will you go?

This thrilling and heartwarming coming-of-age story follows the strong-willed Moana as she sets sail across the Pacific to save her village and discover the truth about her heritage. Moana and the legendary demigod Maui embark on an epic journey of self-discovery and camaraderie as both learn to harness the power that lies within. With empowering messages of bravery and selflessness, Moana, Jr., is sure to bring out the hero within each of us!

Celebrating the rich history of Oceania and based on the beliefs and cultures of the people of the Pacific Islands, Moana was developed in collaboration with an Oceanic Trust – a group of anthropologists, cultural practitioners, historians, linguists, and choreographers from the Pacific Islands. The same respect and attention to detail used to develop the film was carried forward in the creation of this stage adaptation.

Friday & Saturday at 7:30pm

Saturday & Sunday at 3:00pm

CLICK HERE for more information, and to purchase tickets, when available

THE MOUSETRAP - Scottsdale Desert Stages Theatre - July 21–August 13, 2023

“A murder? Oh, I like murder!”

The Mousetrap takes place in a newly established bed and breakfast, Monkswell Manor, outside London during a blizzard. There has been a murder nearby and the murderer is still free to carry out their further plans. As the guests arrive, everyone fits the murderer’s description and has a secret.  Brimming with intrigue, sophisticated humor and surprising twists, Agatha Christie’s iconic murder mystery – about a group of strangers trapped during a snowstorm – is the world’s most successful and longest-running play.

Friday & Saturday at 7:30pm

Saturday & Sunday at 3:00pm

CLICK HERE for more information, and to purchase tickets, when available

RENT - Scottsdale Desert Stages Theatre - July 28–August 6, 2023

“525,600 minutes. . .”

A rock musical with music, lyrics, and book by Jonathan Larson, loosely based on Giacomo Puccini’s 1896 opera La Bohème. It tells the story of a group of impoverished young artists struggling to survive and create a life in Lower Manhattan’s East Village in the thriving days of bohemian Alphabet City, under the shadow of HIV/AIDS.

Appropriate for ages 16+

Friday & Saturday at 7:30pm

Saturday & Sunday at 2:00pm

CLICK HERE for more information, and to purchase tickets, when available