Membership to vote on play selection for Season 48 (2021/2022)
At the upcoming TCP board meeting, we will decide which plays to produce in the 2021-2022 season. Each current member can vote and we want every member to have a chance to cast a ballot. We hope to see you at the meeting, 6:00pm on Tuesday, November 24th, at St. Basil’s Episcopal Church, 814 N Vinita Ave.
This is a vote for Tahlequah Community Playhouse, Inc.’s membership. If you are a member and are unable to attend the board meeting, you may vote absentee by submitting an email to
tcp.members@gmail.com prior to the meeting. Submit your vote for one musical and three plays from the following.
Proposed Plays/Musicals for Next Season:
Musicals (choose 1)
– Quilters
Cast: 7w
Ostensibly the story of a pioneer woman and her six daughters, Quilters blends a series of interrelated scenes into a rich mosaic which captures the sweep and beauty, the terror, and joy, the harsh challenge and abiding rewards of frontier life. Illuminating stories contained in various patches of “blocks” with music, dance, and drama, the action depicts the lot of women on the frontier: girlhood, marriage, childbirth, spinsterhood, twisters, fire, illness, and death. But, with this, there is also love, warmth, rich and lively humor and the moving spectacle of simple human dignity and steadfastness in the face of adversity. In the end, when the various patches are assembled into one glorious, brilliantly colorful quilt, the effect is both breathtaking and magical–and a theatrical masterstroke which will linger in the mind and memory long after the house lights have dimmed.
– Little Shop of Horrors
Cast: 4m, 4w, one or more puppeteers
A deviously delicious Broadway and Hollywood sci-fi smash musical, Little Shop of Horrors has devoured the hearts of theatre-goers for over 30 years. Howard Ashman and Alan Menken (Disney’s The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, and Aladdin) are the creative geniuses behind what has become one of the most popular shows in the world.
The meek floral assistant, Seymour Krelborn, stumbles across a new breed of plant he names “Audrey II” – after his coworker crush. This foul-mouthed, R & B-singing carnivore promises unending fame and fortune to the down and out Krelborn as long as he keeps feeding it, BLOOD. Over time, though, Seymour discovers Audrey II’s out of this world origins and intent towards global domination!
Plays (choose 3)
– Almost Maine
Cast: 2m, 2w–if players play all the parts, otherwise can expand the cast up to 19 people
On a cold, clear, moonless night in the middle of winter, all is not quite what it seems in the remote, mythical town of Almost, Maine. As the northern lights hover in the star-filled sky above, Almost’s residents find themselves falling in and out of love in unexpected and often hilarious ways. Knees are bruised. Hearts are broken. But the bruises heal, and the hearts mend–almost–in this delightful midwinter night’s dream.
The stories are told through a series of short sketches, tying the members of the community together through linked references. The flexible casting offers the opportunity to either spotlight a creative ensemble or feature a number of individual actors portraying the characters.
– Bell, Book & Candle
Cast: 3m, 2w
Gillian Holroyd is one of the few modern people who can actually cast spells and perform feats of supernaturalism. She casts a spell over an unattached publisher, Shepherd Henderson, partly to keep him away from a rival and partly because she is attracted to him. He falls head over heels in love with her at once and wants to marry her. But witches, unfortunately, cannot fall in love, and this minute imperfection leads into a number of difficulties. Ultimately, the lady breaks off with her companions in witchery, preferring the normal and human love offered her by the attractive publisher. But before the happy conclusion of the romance, Gillian comes very near to losing him–but doesn’t.
– The Game’s Afoot; or Holmes for the Holidays
Cast: 3m, 5w
It is December 1936, and Broadway star William Gillette, admired the world over for his leading role in the play Sherlock Holmes, has invited his fellow cast members to his Connecticut castle for a weekend of revelry. But when one of the guests is stabbed to death, the festivities in this isolated house of tricks and mirrors quickly turn dangerous. It is then up to Gillette himself, as he assumes the persona of his beloved Holmes, to track down the killer before the next victim appears. The danger and hilarity are non-stop in this glittering whodunit set during the Christmas holidays.
– Gossamer
Cast: 6m, 5w, 1 either gender
This fanciful and poignant play explores the power of dreams and the magical creatures that create them in a well written, “true-to-life” manner. An eager new dream-giver known only as Littlest One is heartwarming, curious, and free-spirited. She gets caught up in her own dream-like fantasies and idyllically believes all must be right with the world as she toys with this human emotion of love, while struggling to heal the hearts of a troubled young boy, his grieving caregiver, and his estranged mother before the haunting memories each of them carries become more than they can bear. Littlest One takes her task seriously and steadfastly, willing to risk her own future to ensure she appropriately battles the nightmare givers. But are the dreams Littlest One weaves strong enough to fortify and protect the fragile humans in her care?
This delightful story, although fantasy, easily captures the hearts and souls of the observer, creating a realistically true tale that adheres solidly in the minds and hearts of those with whom it’s shared.
– Murder on the Orient Express
Cast: 5m, 5w
It is winter 1934, and the Orient Express is travelling through Europe when its journey is halted by a snowdrift. The luxurious train is surprisingly full for the time of the year, but by the morning it is one passenger fewer. An American tycoon lies dead in his compartment, stabbed a dozen times, his door locked from the inside. The famous detective, Hercule Poirot – who happens to be on his way back to London from Istanbul – is called upon to investigate the murder. Each of his eight fellow travelers is suspicious, and Poirot must identify the murderer – in case he or she decides to strike again.
Murder on the Orient Express is widely regarded as one of Agatha Christie’s greatest literary achievements. First published in 1934, the stylish, suspenseful murder mystery about an unlikely cast of potential suspects – including a colonel, a princess and a countess, all with alibis – trapped aboard the luxurious Orient Express during a snowstorm features one of the most iconic fictional detectives of all time – Belgian private detective Hercule Poirot. Ludwig’s stage adaptation promises fans of the mystery classic the same suspenseful, thrilling ride.
– The 39 Steps
Cast: 3m, 1w
Mix a Hitchcock masterpiece with a juicy spy novel, add a dash of Monty Python and you have The 39 Steps, a fast-paced whodunit for anyone who loves the magic of theatre! This two-time Tony and Drama Desk Award winning treat is packed with nonstop laughs, over 150 zany characters (played by a ridiculously talented cast of four), an onstage plane crash, handcuffs, missing fingers, and some good old-fashioned romance! In The 39 Steps, a man with a boring life meets a woman with a thick accent who says she’s a spy. When he takes her home, she is murdered. Soon, a mysterious organization called “The 39 Steps” is hot on the man’s trail in a nationwide manhunt that climaxes in a death-defying finale! A riotous blend of virtuoso performances and wildly inventive stagecraft, The 39 Steps amounts to an unforgettable evening of pure pleasure!
Community Playhouse Covid-19 Considerations
A special committee of community theater members recently met at the Armory to formulate plans for offering the first play of the 47th season. The Board of TCP realized that patrons of the theater have concerns about attending a live performance. To allay those fears the committee met to decide on spacing for tables for dinner theater, mask requirements, food service, additional restroom cleaning, and reduced seating for both dinner and show only capacity. With these plans in place, the theater hopes to offer a return to some level of normalcy as we all adjust to a new reality for the fall and possibly for the remainder of this season. Season tickets are still available. The cost is $110 for dinner and the show and $55 for show only season tickets. Dinner is catered by The Red Rooster Bistro and Bakery in Wagoner, Oklahoma.
Tahlequah Community Playhouse, Inc. is pleased to announce the winners of the 46th Erwin Awards. The Erwin Awards were named for Erwin Turner, one of the founding members of troupe. TCP generally has four productions a year. The Tahlequah Armory Municipal Center was closed during the lock down, so the fourth play of the season was cancelled. It has since been added to the current season. Due to the pandemic, the annual banquet and awards ceremony was also cancelled. However, season ticket holders and patrons who came to all three shows were able to vote for their choice in 16 categories. We would like to thank all those who voted. The winners of the 46th Erwin Awards in 2020 are:
Best Show: Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Best Actress: Peggy Kaney as Abby Brewster in Arsenic and Old Lace
Best Actor: Hansen Johnson as Christopher in Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Best Supporting Actress: Diana Gordineer as Tanya in Mamma Mia!
Best Supporting Actor: Bob Daniel as Harry in Mamma Mia!
Best Actor/Actress age 16 or younger: Chloe Felts as Sophie in Mamma Mia!
Best Actress in a Cameo Role: Misty Zimbelman as Cuber in Mamma Mia!
Best Actor in Cameo Role: Craig Clifford as Mr. Gibbs in Arsenic and Old Lace
Best Female Newcomer: Kristi Morgan as Rosie in Mamma Mia!
Best Male Newcomer: Richard Reif as Jonathan Brewster in Arsenic and Old Lace
Best Set Design: David VanDonkelaar and Craig Clifford for Arsenic and Old Lace
Best Costumes: Linda Payton, Bridget Cowlishaw, and Peggy Kaney for Arsenic and Old Lace
Best Hair/Makeup: Kim Neal for Arsenic and Old Lace
Best Prop Design: Patsy Clifford and Monica VanDonkelaar for Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Best Technical Design: Matthew Kaney for Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Special Recognition: The Band for Mamma Mia!
